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Shift pay calculator: hours and pay a year by pattern
Pick your shift pattern and hourly rate to see the hours you work in a year, the overtime and your gross pay a year, a month and every two weeks. The table compares every pattern at the same rate.
Every pattern at the same rate
| Pattern | Hours a year | Overtime premium | Gross a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pitman (2-2-3) — Day shift | 2,196 | $2,500 | $58,300 |
| Pitman (2-2-3) — Night shift | 2,196 | $2,500 | $58,300 |
| Panama (rotating 2-2-3) | 2,196 | $2,500 | $58,300 |
| DuPont | 2,196 | $3,900 | $59,700 |
| 4 on 4 off — Days only | 2,208 | $2,600 | $59,000 |
| 4 on 4 off — Rotating days/nights | 2,208 | $2,600 | $59,000 |
| 3 on 3 off — Days only | 2,196 | $2,500 | $58,300 |
| 3 on 3 off — Rotating days/nights | 2,196 | $2,500 | $58,300 |
| 2 on 2 off — Days only | 2,196 | $2,500 | $58,450 |
| 2 on 2 off — Rotating days/nights | 2,196 | $2,500 | $58,450 |
| 4 on 3 off (4-3-3-4) — Days only | 2,196 | $2,600 | $58,550 |
| 4 on 3 off (4-3-3-4) — Rotating days/nights | 2,196 | $2,600 | $58,550 |
| 24/48 | 2,928 | $10,300 | $84,400 |
| 48/96 | 2,928 | $10,100 | $84,500 |
| Kelly | 2,952 | $10,600 | $85,900 |
| 24/72 | 2,208 | $3,900 | $60,300 |
| Southern swing | 2,192 | $2,600 | $58,200 |
| 4/10 (four 10s) | 2,090 | $0 | $53,375 |
| Continental (2-2-4) | 2,208 | $2,600 | $59,000 |
| 7 on 7 off — Days only | 2,196 | $6,500 | $62,600 |
| 7 on 7 off — Rotating days/nights | 2,196 | $6,500 | $62,600 |
| FIFO roster — 14 on 7 off | 2,952 | $14,000 | $88,850 |
| FIFO roster — 8 on 6 off | 2,508 | $10,400 | $74,300 |
| FIFO roster — 14 on 14 off | 2,196 | $10,400 | $66,050 |
| FIFO roster — 7 on 7 off | 2,196 | $6,500 | $62,600 |
| FIFO roster — 21 on 7 off | 3,288 | $17,550 | $101,100 |
| FIFO roster — 28 on 28 off | 2,352 | $13,300 | $73,150 |
How many hours a year does each shift pattern work?
| Pattern | Hours a week (average) | Hours a year | Shifts a year |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pitman Schedule | 42 | 2,190 | 182.5 |
| Panama Schedule | 42 | 2,190 | 182.5 |
| DuPont Schedule | 42 | 2,190 | 182.5 |
| 4 on 4 off Schedule | 42 | 2,190 | 182.5 |
| 3 on 3 off Schedule | 42 | 2,190 | 182.5 |
| 2 on 2 off Schedule | 42 | 2,190 | 182.5 |
| 4-3-3-4 Schedule | 42 | 2,190 | 182.5 |
| 24/48 Schedule | 56 | 2,920 | 121.7 |
| 48/96 Schedule | 56 | 2,920 | 121.7 |
| Kelly Schedule | 56 | 2,920 | 121.7 |
| 24/72 Schedule | 42 | 2,190 | 91.3 |
| Southern Swing Schedule | 42 | 2,190 | 273.8 |
| 4/10 Schedule | 40 | 2,085.7 | 208.6 |
| Continental Shift Pattern | 42 | 2,190 | 182.5 |
| 7 on 7 off Schedule | 42 | 2,190 | 182.5 |
| Hitch Rotation Schedule | 56 | 2,920 | 243.3 |
Hours a year = hours in one cycle × 365 ÷ days in the cycle. The exact number in a given year changes by a few shifts depending on where your crew starts. For comparison, a regular 40-hour week is 2,080 hours a year (40 × 52 weeks), and three 12-hour shifts a week (36 hours) are 1,872.
Annual salary to hourly rate
Hourly rate = annual salary ÷ (hours a week × 52). Departments on a 56-hour week often divide by 2,912 hours (56 × 52). Your contract may use a different divisor, for example to leave out overtime built into the schedule.
Shift differential and overtime: a worked week
Night and evening differentials are part of the regular rate, so they raise your overtime pay (29 CFR 778.207(b) and 778.109). Take a week with three 12-hour nights and one 12-hour day, $25 an hour and a $3 night differential:
| Straight-time pay | 48 h × $25 + 36 night h × $3 | $1,308 |
| Regular rate | $1,308 ÷ 48 h | $27.25 an hour |
| Overtime premium | 8 h over 40 × half of $27.25 | $109 |
| Total for the week | $1,417 |
Working the premium out on the base rate alone ($12.50 × 8 = $100) would pay $9 too little that week. Enter your night differential above and the calculator does this for every week of the year.
Overtime after 8 or 12 hours: federal and state rules
Federal law does not require overtime for long days, only for long weeks: there is no overtime for hours over 8 in a day as such (29 CFR 778.102). It pays time and a half after 40 hours in the workweek (29 CFR 778.105), on the regular rate, which includes night differentials (29 CFR 778.109). California also pays after 8 hours in a day and double after 12 (Labor Code 510); health care employers can adopt 12-hour alternative workweeks (IWC Wage Order 5). Alaska pays after 8 hours a day (AS 23.10.060) and Colorado after 12 hours in a workday or 12 hours in a row (COMPS Order #40). Fire and police departments often use a 7(k) work period instead: see the 7(k) calculator. If you work in another state, check its labor department: a few states have their own rules, and a union contract can also pay daily overtime.
Figures are worked out from each cycle; rules checked against official sources on . How we calculate
Questions
Which states pay overtime after 8 hours a day?
California pays time and a half after 8 hours in a workday and double time after 12 (Labor Code 510), and Alaska after 8 hours in a day (AS 23.10.060, with exemptions such as hospital employees who provide medical services). Colorado pays after 12 hours in a workday or 12 hours in a row (COMPS Order #40). Federal law only pays overtime after 40 hours in the workweek (29 CFR 778.102 and 778.105).
How much does a 12-hour Pitman schedule pay a year?
A Pitman schedule works about 2,190 hours a year, or 42 hours a week on average. At $25 an hour that is about $54,750 before overtime; with federal overtime on the weeks over 40 hours, a little more.
How many hours a year is a 48/96 schedule?
About 2,920 hours: 48 hours on and 96 off is an average of 56 hours a week.
Is overtime paid on a 24/48 schedule?
Firefighters at public departments are usually paid under the FLSA 7(k) exemption, with overtime after 212 hours in 28 days. Private employers pay overtime after 40 hours a week.