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Price a 12-hour shift
On the default, $25/hr, 3 shifts a week: each shift pays $350 — $200 regular plus $150 overtime — for $1,050 a week. Enter your own numbers below.
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12-Hour Shift Pay Calculator
Nurses, EMTs, warehouse crews, and factory workers live on 12-hour shifts. Enter your wage and weekly shifts to see the regular-plus-overtime split per shift, and what the year adds up to.
The per-shift formula, worked
Each 12-hour shift splits into regular hours (paid at your base rate) and overtime hours (paid at the premium). The formula:
Per-shift pay = (regular hours × rate) + (overtime hours × rate × multiplier). On the default: (8 × $25) + (4 × $25 × 1.5) = $200 + $150 = $350 per shift. Three shifts a week → $1,050/week → about $4,550/month → $54,600/year. The true average hourly rate — $29.17 — is higher than the $25 base because a third of every shift rides the premium.
Output · formula · meaning
| Output | Formula | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Per-shift pay | (reg hours × rate) + (OT hours × rate × multiplier) | 8 × $25 + 4 × $37.50 = $350. |
| Weekly / monthly / annual | per-shift × shifts × (1 / 52÷ 12 / 52) | $1,050/wk → $4,550/mo → $54,600/yr. |
| True average hourly | weekly pay ÷ weekly hours | $1,050 ÷ 36h = $29.17/h. |
Daily overtime vs weekly overtime
Two different rulebooks can pay you overtime on the same shift. Federal (FLSA): 1.5× for hours past 40 in a workweek — three 12s (36h) stay under it; four 12s (48h) cross it. Daily-overtime states — California and Alaska, plus some union contracts — pay 1.5× after 8 hours in a day regardless of the week, so every 12-hour shift has 4 overtime hours baked in. California adds double time past 12 hours in a day. If your schedule mixes both rules, the contract’s daily split usually wins the day and the federal rule adds any leftover weekly excess.
Rotating schedules: why 3.5 shifts is a thing
| Pattern | Shifts/week (avg) | Hours/week |
|---|---|---|
| Pitman (2-3-2-2-3) | 3.5 | 42 |
| DuPont (4-on, 3-off rotation) | 3.5 | 42 |
| Panama (2-2-3) | 3.5 | 42 |
| Fixed 3 days/week | 3 | 36 |
| Fixed 4 days/week | 4 | 48 |
Healthcare, manufacturing, emergency services, and logistics run rotating patterns so coverage never gaps. The famous ones average 3.5 shifts a week (42 hours) — that built-in 2 hours of weekly overtime is why rotating schedules often out-earn a fixed three 12s. This calculator asks for shifts per week, so model a two-week rotation by running each week separately and averaging the two results.
Shift differentials and other premiums
Many hospitals and plants pay a shift differential — extra dollars per hour for nights, weekends, or holidays. Add the differential to your base rate before the overtime split if your contract computes premiums on the differential-inclusive rate (most do). A $3 night differential on a $25 base makes the math run at $28: (8 × $28) + (4 × $42) = $392 per shift.
Who uses this
- Nurses & CNAs: checking the offer letter: three 12s at $38/hr is really $159,120 a year before differentials.
- EMTs & firefighters: 48- and 56-hour schedules — the weekly line matters as much as the daily one.
- Warehouse & plant workers: comparing the rotating-pattern job against a fixed-shift offer.
- Travel-contract recruiters: quoting gross pay per shift so the assignment math is transparent.
Accuracy & limitations
Math is exact arithmetic on the inputs you give. The regular-hours-per-shift split, overtime multiplier, and weekly-hours rule vary by state law and contract — California daily overtime and double time, Alaska daily overtime, and union premiums all change which hours count. This is a planning calculator, not a wage-and-hour opinion: confirm your contract’s split and your state’s rules before a dispute.
Tracking the minutes behind the pay? The decimal time converter turns 8h 20m into 8.33 for the timesheet, the military time converter reads the 24-hour schedule, and the overtime pay calculator handles the weekly-40 split on any hours total.
Cite this calculatorBright Side Kit. “12-Hour Shift Calculator: Pay & Hours.” brightoolbox.com, 2026.
Bright Side Kit. "12-Hour Shift Calculator: Pay & Hours." https://brightoolbox.com/twelve-hour-shift-calculator/ Accessed October 22, 2026.Frequently asked questions
How is pay calculated for a 12-hour shift?
Split it: (regular hours × rate) + (overtime hours × rate × multiplier). At $25/hr with 8 regular + 4 OT at 1.5×: (8 × $25) + (4 × $37.50) = $350 per shift.
Do I get overtime on a 12-hour shift?
Usually yes — most contracts and daily-overtime states treat hours past 8 as overtime. Under federal law alone, only hours past 40 in the week qualify, so three 12s (36h) would not trigger it. Check your state and contract.
How many hours of overtime are in one 12-hour shift?
With the standard 8-hour regular split: 4 hours. If your contract sets 10 regular hours, only 2. Adjust the “regular hours per shift” field to match.
How much is a 12-hour shift worth per year?
At $25/hr, 3 shifts a week: $54,600. The same wage at 4 shifts a week: $1,400/week → $72,800/year (plus any weekly-overtime premium past 40 hours).
What is a shift differential?
Extra pay per hour for nights, weekends, or holidays — often $2–$6/hr in healthcare. Add it to your base rate before the overtime split, since premiums usually compute on the differential-inclusive rate.
What is the Pitman schedule?
A rotating pattern of 2 on, 3 off, 2 on, 2 off, 3 on — averaging 3.5 twelve-hour shifts a week (42 hours) across a two-week cycle. DuPont and Panama (2-2-3) patterns land at the same average.
Does California really pay double time on 12-hour shifts?
California pays 1.5× after 8 hours and 2× after 12 hours in a single day — on a 12-hour shift that means 8 regular + 4 OT hours, with any minutes past 12 at double time.