A $2 night premium does not just add $2 — it raises the rate your overtime is paid on. See your blended regular rate and the gross it produces.
Enter each day's total hours, and how many of those hours earn the differential (nights, evenings, weekends — however your workplace defines it).
| Day | Total hours | Of which: differential hours |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | ||
| Tuesday | ||
| Wednesday | ||
| Thursday | ||
| Friday | ||
| Saturday | ||
| Sunday |
A shift differential is extra pay per hour for nights, evenings or weekends. The rule most workers (and some payroll setups) miss: under the FLSA, overtime must be paid at 1.5× the regular rate, and the regular rate includes differentials. The legal method is:
Worked example: 40 hours at $20 with 16 night hours at +$2, plus 5 overtime day hours. Straight-time = 45×$20 + 16×$2 = $932; blended rate = $932 ÷ 45 = $20.71; overtime premium = 5 × $10.36 = $51.78; gross = $983.78. Paying overtime on the bare $20 base instead would short the week by about $3.55 — small per week, real money per year.
The federal rule in one box: weekly hours and your rate in, regular hours, overtime hours at 1.5× and total gross pay out.
Free — try itFrom hours to every paycheque shape: weekly gross split into regular, overtime and double time, then converted to biweekly, monthly and annual equivalents.
Free — try itFor nurses and everyone on 12s: per-shift paid hours, 3×12 and 4×12 weekly totals, and overtime under federal or California rules.
Free — try itThe flagship weekly time card: clock in/out and breaks for 7 days, overtime split at 40 hours, gross pay, print and CSV — plus Save My Week on your device.
Free — try itExtra pay per hour for working less desirable shifts — nights, evenings, weekends or holidays. It is usually a flat amount (for example +$2/hour) or a percentage of the base rate. This calculator uses the flat-amount form; for a percentage, convert it to dollars first (10% of $20 = $2).
Yes. Federal law defines the 'regular rate' to include shift differentials and most other premiums, so overtime is 1.5× the blended rate, not 1.5× the base rate alone.
If you also earned a differential in that week, very likely yes — the overtime premium should be based on the blended rate. Raise it with payroll with your week's hours and differential hours listed; this page's breakdown is a good printout to bring.
They still add their per-hour premium to straight-time earnings (that part is in every week). They only change the overtime maths in weeks past 40 hours.
When part of a week is paid at a higher rate, overtime is not priced off the base rate alone. This calculator adds up the week’s straight-time earnings — every hour at the base rate, plus the premium on the hours you mark as differential hours — and divides by the total hours to get the blended regular rate. Overtime then adds the missing half (0.5×) of that blended rate for each hour over 40.
Your base rate is $22/hour with a $3/hour night premium. Monday to Friday you work 8 hours a day, 6 of them at the premium, and you add a 4-hour day shift on Saturday. The week totals 44 hours, 30 of them differential hours. Straight-time earnings: 44 × $22 + 30 × $3 = $968 + $90 = $1,058.00. Blended regular rate: $1,058 ÷ 44 = $24.05. Overtime premium: 4 hours × $24.05 × 0.5 = $48.09. Gross pay: $1,106.09 — exactly what the calculator shows for these inputs.
Because the premium attaches to only some of the week’s hours. The regular rate used for overtime is the week’s weighted average — total straight-time earnings divided by total hours — which in the example is $24.05, not $25.00. Applying $37.50 to every overtime hour would pay the night premium on hours that never earned it; applying 1.5× to the $22 base alone would underpay it.
Convert it to dollars per hour first. A 10% premium on a $22 base rate is $2.20 per differential hour — enter 2.20 in the premium box, and the calculator treats it exactly like any other flat premium.
This calculator accepts one base rate plus one premium. The blended-rate idea is the same with two base rates — total straight-time earnings divided by total hours — but you would have to total the earnings from both rates yourself before the overtime half can be priced. As a rough check, a single blended figure entered here gets you close.
No. The blend is built from the week’s totals: total hours, total differential hours, total straight-time earnings. Which specific hours crossed the 40-hour line does not change the blended rate or the overtime premium in this calculation.
No — the differential and the overtime premium are ordinary wages, and the figure this page shows is gross pay before any taxes or withholdings. What is actually withheld is a payroll matter governed by tax law and your W-4, not by this calculator.
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