A 12-hour shift is not always 12 paid hours
At $25 an hour, three 12-hour shifts earn $900 before any differential. If every hour also earns a $3 night premium, each shift adds $36. That gives $108 in differential pay and $1,008 gross for the workweek, or $336 per shift.
A 30-minute unpaid break changes that result. Each shift then has 11.5 paid hours. If all of those hours qualify for the same $3 premium, enter 11.5 differential hours per shift as well. Three shifts earn $862.50 in base wages plus $103.50 in differential: $966 gross.
The calculator does not decide whether a break should be unpaid. Enter only time that your pay arrangement treats as unpaid; leave paid breaks in your paid hours.
Turn a night premium into an hourly amount
Use the differential type that matches your pay agreement:
- USD per eligible hour: a value of 3 adds $3 for each qualifying paid hour.
- Percentage of base hourly rate: a value of 10 at a $25 base rate adds $2.50 per qualifying paid hour.
The premium need not cover the whole shift. For example, six eligible hours on a 12-hour shift can earn a differential while the remaining paid hours earn base wages only. Enter the qualifying hours after excluding any unpaid break within that window. The tool accepts hours directly; it does not infer night hours from a start or finish time.
Night work does not have one universal premium. The U.S. Department of Labor describes extra night-shift pay as generally a matter of agreement between the employer and employee. Check your actual rate rather than treating a preset as an entitlement. Night Work and Shift Work
Why the overtime card shows only an extra premium
For four 12-hour shifts at $25 plus a $3 differential on every paid hour, there are 48 paid hours at an effective $28 an hour. With a 40-hour weekly threshold and 1.5× overtime:
| Pay component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Base wages: 48 hours at $25 | $1,200.00 |
| Differential: 48 hours at $3 | $144.00 |
| Extra overtime premium: 8 hours at $14 | $112.00 |
| Gross pay | $1,456.00 |
You can check that total another way: 40 hours at $28 gives $1,120, and eight hours at $42 gives $336. Together they make $1,456.
The base-wage card already pays straight time on all 48 hours. Adding another eight hours at the full $42 overtime rate would count some wages twice. The additional premium is therefore only the extra half-time portion.
When a differential covers part of each shift, the blended regular rate matters. Four 12-hour shifts at $20, with a $4 premium on six hours per shift, earn $960 base plus $96 differential. Dividing $1,056 by 48 gives a $22 regular rate. Eight overtime hours then add $88 at half-time, for $1,144 gross. The Department of Labor's worked guidance includes shift differentials in the regular rate. Fact Sheet #54
Keep each workweek separate
The weekly defaults of 40 hours and 1.5× reflect the general U.S. federal baseline for covered, nonexempt employees. Eligibility, exemptions and other rules can change what applies. The fields let you model a different weekly threshold or multiplier; they do not determine compliance. Fact Sheet #23
Do not combine two workweeks into one shift count. Calculate each week, then add the gross totals for a longer pay period. Every entered shift must use the same base rate, length, break and differential. This tool does not handle daily overtime, double-time tiers, healthcare 8-and-80 arrangements, bonuses, paid leave or multiple base rates.
Results are gross pay, before tax, insurance, retirement contributions or other deductions. The average per shift spreads any weekly overtime premium evenly for comparison; an individual shift on your payslip may show a different amount. Currency values display to two decimal places, using unrounded amounts internally.
Read the formula definitions, supported input ranges, and limitations before using this estimate.
