Visual Summary
Night Hours at a Glance
Night differentials usually depend on the clock. The diagram shows an example window and how a shift that crosses midnight is counted.
Calculate exactly how much extra you earn for working nights — including overtime. Supports percentage-based and fixed-dollar night differentials, weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly pay periods, with USD, EUR, and GBP.
Need to calculate weekend or holiday pay too? Use our general shift differential calculator to combine multiple premium types in one pay breakdown.
Enter hourly pay, standard hours, overtime, and your night differential for a complete pay breakdown.
Tip: label it "Night Shift" and enter your night hours and premium (e.g. 15% or a flat $3.00/hr).
Fill in your work details and click Calculate to see a full pay breakdown including overtime and your night differential.
Four straightforward steps to a complete, accurate night shift pay breakdown.
Input the employee's standard hourly rate, regular weekly hours, and any overtime hours worked. Enter the overtime multiplier — 50% for time-and-a-half, 100% for double time.
Click "Add Night Differential," choose percentage-based or fixed-amount, then enter the rate and the number of night hours worked. You can add more than one if you also qualify for a weekend or holiday premium.
Select weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly pay, and choose your currency. The calculator scales all figures automatically.
Hit Calculate to see regular pay, night differential pay, overtime pay, and the grand total — with a plain-English explanation of every step.
Maria, an ICU nurse, earns $28/hr and worked 44 hours: 40 standard and 4 overtime at 1.5×. Twenty of those hours were night hours with a 20% night differential ($5.60/hr, or $112 in total). Her regular rate for the week is ($28 × 44 + $112) ÷ 44 = $30.55, so each overtime hour pays $28 + 50% × $30.55 = $43.27.
Understanding the math helps you verify every paycheck and stay compliant with FLSA overtime rules.
A percentage is added on top of the base rate for qualifying night hours. This is the most common method in healthcare, manufacturing, and security.
A flat dollar amount added per hour regardless of base rate — simple, predictable, and common in union contracts.
Everything you need to know about how night premiums work, who qualifies, and how they interact with overtime.
Night shift differential pay is additional compensation for hours worked overnight, typically between 6 PM and 6 AM depending on employer policy. It exists because overnight work disrupts normal sleep patterns and makes shifts harder to staff, so employers pay a premium to attract and retain night workers.
There is no single federal definition of "night hours" — the exact window, and whether a differential is offered at all, is set by employer policy or a union agreement rather than by law.
Under the FLSA, overtime pay must be at least 1.5× an employee's regular rate of pay — not just their base wage. If a worker earns a night differential during overtime hours, that premium must be factored into the overtime rate under 29 CFR § 778.207.
For example: if Maria earns $28/hr and every hour she works that week carries a $5.60/hr night differential (20%), her regular rate is $33.60/hr, so time-and-a-half is $50.40/hr rather than $42. When only some hours are night hours, the regular rate is a weighted average of all hours worked, which is the method this calculator uses. It is still an estimate: daily overtime rules, union contracts and employer policies can change the result.
| Industry | Typical Night Differential | Common Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare | 10–30% | Nurses and techs often earn the highest premiums on overnight shifts |
| Manufacturing | 5–20% | Common on three-shift, 24/7 production rotations |
| Security & Public Safety | 10–25% | Often set by union contract for overnight patrol/guard shifts |
| IT & Customer Support | 10–20% | 24/7 helpdesk, NOC, and on-call overnight roles |
| Transportation & Logistics | 10–30% | Overnight warehouse, freight, and delivery operations |
Rates vary by employer, region, and union agreement. Always confirm your exact night differential policy with HR or your state labor department before making payroll decisions.
Night differentials usually depend on the clock. The diagram shows an example window and how a shift that crosses midnight is counted.
Answers to the most common questions about night shift differential pay and overtime.