Shift differential paycheck calculator
At $20 an hour with a $3 night differential, three 8-hour days and three 8-hour nights pay $1,118.00 for the week. The overtime is owed on the $21.50 blended rate, not on your base, and a paycheck that uses the base comes up $6.00 short.
| $20 base, $3 night differential | Regular rate | Week's pay | Short if overtime is on base |
|---|---|---|---|
| Five 8-hour days, 40 hours | $20.00 | $800.00 | Nothing |
| Two days and three nights, 40 hours | $21.80 | $872.00 | Nothing |
| Three days and three nights, 48 hours | $21.50 | $1,118.00 | $6.00 |
| Two days and four nights, 48 hours | $22.00 | $1,144.00 | $8.00 |
| Six 8-hour nights, 48 hours | $23.00 | $1,196.00 | $12.00 |
How the week is worked out
Add up straight-time pay for every hour: day hours at base, night hours at base plus the differential. Divide by total hours and you have the regular rate for that week. Federal rules require the differential to be included, whether it is a percent of base or a flat amount an hour, and the regular rate is the weighted average of every rate you worked. Every hour is already paid once at straight time, so each hour past 40 adds half the regular rate on top. That is the premium the calculator shows.
Why some rows show nothing
The shortfall only exists when a week has both overtime and differential hours. A 40-hour week owes no premium at all, and a week of only day shifts has a regular rate equal to base. The more of your week falls on nights, the higher the regular rate climbs and the bigger the gap when a payroll system multiplies base by one and a half. Check the overtime line on your stub against the regular rate in the table.
Related calculators
For one shift at a time, the shift differential calculator gives the night rate and its overtime rate. A week with two job rates or a production bonus works the same way on the blended rate calculator, and overtime laws by state shows whether your state also counts overtime by the day, which changes how many hours earn the premium.