Federal weekly rule
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires overtime of at least 1.5 times your regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. A workweek is a fixed period of 7 days, and hours cannot be averaged across weeks.
Pay & overtime tools
Overtime Calculator for 12 Hour Shifts
Use this free overtime calculator for 12 hour shifts to see your pay for 3, 4, or 5 shifts a week. Enter your hourly rate and schedule to get your regular pay, overtime pay, and total gross pay by week, by pay period, and by year.
It works as a 12-hour shift pay calculator for nurses, factory workers, security staff, and other shift workers. It also handles Pitman, DuPont, and 2-2-3 schedules, shift differentials, and unpaid breaks.
Enter your shift details
Simple estimate: Counts 52 weeks a year and treats every week as a separate workweek. It shows pay before taxes. It does not include weekend or holiday premiums, bonuses, or union contract rules.
Your estimated pay
Estimated gross pay per week (average)
$1,300.00
4 shifts of 12 hours a week · Federal rule: over 40 hours a week
Paid hours per week48 hrs
Regular hours40 hrs
Overtime hours8 hrs
Double-time hours0 hrs
Regular pay$1,000.00
Overtime pay$300.00
Double-time pay$0.00
Average pay per shift$325.00
Effective hourly rate$27.08
Estimated two-week gross$2,600.00
Estimated yearly gross$67,600.00
This is gross pay before taxes. To see your take-home pay, use one of the paycheck calculators further down this page.
This is an estimate. Your employer's pay rules, union contract, and state law can change your real overtime pay.
How much overtime do you get on 12-hour shifts?
Under federal law, overtime for 12-hour shifts starts after 40 hours in a workweek, not after 12 hours in a day. Three 12-hour shifts add up to 36 hours, so there is no overtime. Four 12-hour shifts add up to 48 hours, so 8 hours are paid at time and a half. At $25 an hour that is $1,300 a week, or $67,600 a year, before tax.
How to use this 12-hour shift overtime calculator
- Enter your hourly wage and shift length. Type your base hourly rate and the length of your shift. The default is 12 hours.
- Choose your schedule. Pick 3, 4, or 5 shifts a week, an alternating 3 and 4 rotation such as Pitman or DuPont, or enter your own number of shifts.
- Add unpaid break time. If you take an unpaid meal break, enter the minutes so the calculator counts only your paid hours.
- Pick your overtime rule. Use the federal weekly rule, a daily overtime rule, or the hospital 8/80 rule. Then set your overtime multiplier and any shift differential.
- Read your pay. See your regular pay, overtime pay, average pay per shift, and your pay by week, two weeks, and year.
Tip: select the small i button next to any label to see a simple explanation.
How overtime works on 12-hour shifts
Overtime on a 12-hour shift schedule depends on your workweek, your state, and your employer's pay rules. These are the rules the calculator uses.
3 shifts of 12 hours
Three 12-hour shifts equal 36 paid hours. That is under 40, so there is no overtime under the federal rule. Picking up a fourth shift adds 12 hours, and 8 of them are overtime.
4 shifts of 12 hours
Four 12-hour shifts equal 48 hours. You get 40 regular hours and 8 overtime hours. At time and a half, those 8 hours are paid like 12 regular hours.
Pitman, DuPont, and 2-2-3
These rotations work 84 hours every two weeks, usually as a 36-hour week and a 48-hour week. Overtime applies to the 48-hour week, so you get about 8 overtime hours every other week.
Daily overtime states
California and Alaska pay overtime after 8 hours in a day, and Colorado pays it after 12. Nevada does it for some lower-paid workers. California pays double time after 12 hours in a day.
Hospital 8/80 rule
Hospitals and care facilities may choose to pay overtime after 8 hours a day or 80 hours in 14 days, instead of 40 a week. If your employer uses it, each 12-hour shift includes 4 overtime hours.
Is overtime paid after 8 hours or after 12 hours?
Under the federal rule, neither. Overtime starts after 40 hours in the workweek. Daily overtime applies only if your state or your employer requires it. Some states pay it after 8 hours in a day, and Colorado pays it after 12. Pick the rule that matches your job in the calculator.
Do 12-hour shift nurses get overtime?
Nurses on three 12-hour shifts work 36 hours a week, so they usually do not get overtime unless they pick up extra shifts. Nurses who work a fourth shift get overtime on the hours over 40. Some hospitals use the 8/80 rule, and some California healthcare workers have approved alternative workweek schedules with different daily overtime rules, so check your agreement.
Does a night shift differential count toward overtime?
Yes. Under federal law, a shift differential is part of your regular rate, so your overtime rate is based on your wage plus the differential. For example, $25 an hour plus a $3 night differential is a $28 regular rate, and the overtime rate is $42 an hour.
12-hour shift pay by hourly wage
This table shows gross pay for four 12-hour shifts a week under the federal rule: 40 regular hours and 8 overtime hours at time and a half. Pay is before taxes.
| Hourly wage | Overtime rate | Regular pay (40 hours) | Overtime pay (8 hours) | Pay per week | Pay per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $15.00 | $22.50 | $600.00 | $180.00 | $780.00 | $40,560.00 |
| $20.00 | $30.00 | $800.00 | $240.00 | $1,040.00 | $54,080.00 |
| $25.00 | $37.50 | $1,000.00 | $300.00 | $1,300.00 | $67,600.00 |
| $30.00 | $45.00 | $1,200.00 | $360.00 | $1,560.00 | $81,120.00 |
| $40.00 | $60.00 | $1,600.00 | $480.00 | $2,080.00 | $108,160.00 |
| $50.00 | $75.00 | $2,000.00 | $600.00 | $2,600.00 | $135,200.00 |
Average pay per 12-hour shift is the weekly pay divided by 4. At $25 an hour that is $325 a shift.
12-hour shift schedules compared at $25 an hour
The number of shifts you work changes your overtime a lot. This table uses the federal weekly rule and no unpaid breaks.
| Schedule | Paid hours per week | Overtime hours per week | Gross pay per week | Gross pay per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 shifts a week (3 × 12) | 36 | 0 | $900.00 | $46,800.00 |
| Alternating 3 and 4 (Pitman, DuPont style) | 42 average | 4 average | $1,100.00 average | $57,200.00 |
| 4 shifts a week (4 × 12) | 48 | 8 | $1,300.00 | $67,600.00 |
| 5 shifts a week (5 × 12) | 60 | 20 | $1,750.00 | $91,000.00 |
In an alternating schedule, the 36-hour week has no overtime and the 48-hour week has 8 overtime hours, so the average is 4 hours a week.
12-hour shift pay under different overtime rules
The same schedule can pay very differently depending on the overtime rule. This table shows weekly gross pay at $25 an hour with 12-hour shifts and no unpaid breaks.
| Overtime rule | 3 shifts a week | 4 shifts a week |
|---|---|---|
| Federal: over 40 hours a week | $900.00 | $1,300.00 |
| Daily: over 8 hours, double time over 12 (California style) | $1,050.00 | $1,400.00 |
| Daily: over 12 hours or 40 a week (Colorado style) | $900.00 | $1,300.00 |
| Hospital 8/80 rule | $1,050.00 | $1,400.00 |
Real rules have extra details, such as a seventh consecutive day premium in California, so use this table as a guide only.
How unpaid breaks change your 12-hour shift overtime
Only paid hours count toward overtime. A 12-hour shift with an unpaid 30-minute meal break has 11.5 paid hours. Four of those shifts add up to 46 paid hours, so you have 6 overtime hours instead of 8. Short rest breaks of about 20 minutes or less are usually paid and count as work time. Enter your unpaid break minutes in the calculator to see the difference.
What this calculator does not include
This calculator shows gross pay, not take-home pay. It does not include taxes, weekend or holiday premiums, bonuses, on-call pay, or the details of your union contract or state law. To turn your gross pay into take-home pay, try a state paycheck calculator: Texas, Florida, California, Illinois, Georgia, North Carolina, or Virginia. Federal workers can use the federal employee paycheck calculator. To turn your hourly wage into a yearly salary, use the hourly to salary calculator. Freelancers who work long shifts can use the freelance rate calculator.
Overtime rules change and differ by state and employer. This estimate is for education only and is not legal, tax, or payroll advice. For your exact rights, check with the US Department of Labor, your state labor office, or your employer.
Overtime calculator for 12 hour shifts FAQs
How is overtime calculated for 12-hour shifts?
Under the federal rule, add up your paid hours for the workweek. Hours over 40 are overtime and are paid at 1.5 times your regular rate. For example, four 12-hour shifts are 48 hours, so 40 are regular and 8 are overtime.
Do you get overtime for working 12-hour shifts?
Not always. Three 12-hour shifts are 36 hours a week, so there is no overtime under the federal rule. You get overtime when you work more than 40 hours in the week, or when your state or employer pays daily overtime after 8 or 12 hours.
How many overtime hours are in four 12-hour shifts?
Four 12-hour shifts are 48 paid hours, so you have 8 overtime hours under the federal weekly rule. If you take an unpaid 30-minute meal break each shift, you have 46 paid hours and 6 overtime hours.
How much do you make on 12-hour shifts at $20 an hour?
At $20 an hour, three 12-hour shifts pay $720 a week with no overtime. Four 12-hour shifts pay $1,040 a week, which is $800 for 40 regular hours plus $240 for 8 overtime hours. That is about $54,080 a year before tax.
How much overtime do you get on a Pitman or DuPont schedule?
Pitman, DuPont, and 2-2-3 schedules work 84 hours every two weeks, usually split into a 36-hour week and a 48-hour week. Under the federal weekly rule you get 8 overtime hours in the 48-hour week, or about 4 overtime hours a week on average.
Is overtime paid after 8 hours in California?
In California, overtime is generally paid after 8 hours in a day at 1.5 times your rate, and double time after 12 hours. Some healthcare workers on approved alternative workweek schedules have different daily rules, so check your agreement.
What is the hospital 8/80 overtime rule?
The 8/80 rule lets hospitals and residential care facilities pay overtime after 8 hours a day or 80 hours in 14 days, instead of after 40 hours a week. If your employer uses it, each 12-hour shift has 4 overtime hours.
Does a night shift differential count toward overtime?
Yes. A shift differential is part of your regular rate, so your overtime rate is higher too. A $25 wage with a $3 night differential gives a $28 regular rate and a $42 overtime rate at time and a half.
Do unpaid breaks count toward overtime?
No. Only paid hours count. A true unpaid meal break of about 30 minutes or more is usually not counted, so it lowers your paid hours and your overtime. Short rest breaks are usually paid and do count.
How many hours do you work in a year on 12-hour shifts?
Three 12-hour shifts a week is 36 hours, or 1,872 hours in 52 weeks. Four 12-hour shifts a week is 48 hours, or 2,496 hours a year. An alternating 3 and 4 schedule is 42 hours a week on average, or 2,184 hours a year.
How accurate is this 12-hour shift overtime calculator?
It is a close estimate of gross pay for the rules it shows. It treats every week as a separate workweek and counts 52 weeks a year. It does not include taxes, weekend or holiday premiums, bonuses, or special union and state rules, so your real pay may differ.
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Designed & developed by
Syed Osama
Syed Osama is a digital publishing specialist who builds career metrics, financial calculators, and interactive web tools. He focuses on developing practical calculation resources to help remote workers, freelancers, and professionals make quick, accurate financial estimations.