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Shift differential calculator
Differentials apply to the hours inside the window — not your whole shift. Enter your rate, your differential, and how many hours land in the window; get your effective rate and what the shift really pays.
How it works — one night, then a week
The calculator opens on a night nurse earning $30.00/hr with a $4.00/hr differential, working a 12-hour shift with 10 hours inside the differential window. Base pay is 12 × $30.00 = $360.00. Differential pay is 10 × $4.00 = $40.00 — not 12 × $4.00 — because the differential is paid on window hours only. Shift total: $400.00, and your effective rate while you are inside the window is $34.00/hr.
Why 10 and not 12? A 5 PM–5 AM shift whose differential window opens at 7 PM has 10 hours inside the window; a 6 PM–6 AM shift with the same window has 11. Count the in-window hours, because that is what payroll does — unless your policy pays the whole shift when the majority of hours fall in the window, in which case enter the full shift length as the window hours.
Switch the type to % of rate and 15% of $30.00 is $4.50/hr — $45.00 on the same 10 hours, a shift total of $405.00. Percentages scale with raises: 15% of $45.00 is $6.75, while $4.00 flat stays $4.00.
Across a week, the differential feeds your overtime rate. Three 12-hour nights with 30 window hours: $1,080.00 base + $120.00 differential = $1,200.00; 36 hours, so no federal overtime. Pick up a fourth night — 48 hours, 40 in the window — and straight time is $1,600.00, the FLSA regular rate is $33.33/hr, and the 8 overtime hours add $133.33 on that blended rate rather than on $30.00, for a week of $1,733.33. Weekend differentials stack the same way: add them to the flat amount for the hours that carry both.
Not sure what a normal differential looks like? See typical night differential rates by industry, read the full shift differential guide, or price a whole week in the overtime pay calculator.
FAQ
What is a typical night shift differential?
It depends on the industry. Hospitals commonly pay $2 to $8 an hour or 10% to 20% of base for nights, with weekend differentials on top; manufacturing and warehousing more often pay $0.50 to $2.50; federal General Schedule employees get a flat 10%. Evening shifts usually earn less than nights. Our night shift differential rates guide lists ranges by industry and how to compare offers.
Is shift differential required by law?
No. The FLSA sets no differential; it only requires that any differential you do receive be included in your regular rate for overtime. The exception is federal employment: General Schedule employees earn a 10% night differential for regularly scheduled work between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. under 5 U.S.C. 5545. Everywhere else, differentials come from employer policy or a collective bargaining agreement.
Does shift differential count toward overtime?
Yes. The FLSA regular rate is total straight-time pay divided by hours worked, and 29 CFR 778.207 names shift differentials as pay that must be included. If every hour in a 48-hour week carries a $4 differential on a $30 base, overtime is owed at 1.5 × $34 = $51.00 an hour, not $45.00. If only some hours carry it, the differential is averaged across all hours first.
Do I get differential for the whole shift or only night hours?
Most policies pay the differential only on the hours that fall inside the window — a 5 PM to 5 AM shift with a 7 PM window start earns it on 10 hours, not 12. Some employers instead pay the whole shift if the majority of hours (often more than half, sometimes four or more) fall in the window. Your handbook or contract decides; this calculator handles both, because you set the window hours.
Percentage or flat — which is better?
A percentage grows with your base rate; a flat amount does not. $4 an hour on a $30 base is 13.3%, but on a $45 base it has shrunk to 8.9%, while a 15% differential is $4.50 at $30 and $6.75 at $45. Flat differentials favor lower-paid roles and new hires; percentage differentials favor senior staff and hold their value through raises. Compare the dollar amount at your current rate and at the rate you expect in three years.
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