Estimate only — not payroll, tax, or employment advice. Numbers stay in your browser.
Shift roster
Shift differential vs overtime: which pays more on paper?
Sometimes nights with a fat differential beat a day OT pickup — sometimes not. Enter both scenarios; see which week wins before you text yes.
Shift roster
Shared base
Paths
Shift stack
Live- Diff path
- —
- OT path
- —
- Delta (diff − OT)
- —
- Gross
- compare above
When to use
Choosing nights vs OT day; arguing with a pickup offer.
When not to
Burnout and safety decisions.
Assumptions: Side-by-side independent week math; no taxes.
Worked examples
Input
Night path: $42 base · 36 hrs · +$6 night on 36
Output
Gross $1,728 ($1,512 base + $216 diff)
All hours on night shift with a flat $6/hr premium.
Input
Day+OT path: $42 base · 36 hrs · +8 OT at 1.5×
Output
Gross $1,764 OT path wins by $36 on paper
Common traps
- Regular rate rules may blend differentials into the OT multiplier — side-by-side math can oversimplify.
- Fatigue and safety on night blocks vs extra day shifts are real — this is dollars only.
- Benefits and PTO don't change when you pick one path — gross comparison ignores quality-of-life tradeoffs.
Next metric
Common questions
Depends on your rates and hours — run both scenarios. A fat night diff on 36 hrs can beat a modest OT pickup, or vice versa.
No — this compares gross week paths. Withholding is the same structure either way at similar gross levels.
Yes in real life, but this page compares two independent paths. Use nurse pay or gross estimator to model a combined week.
No — on-paper dollar comparison only. Burnout, commute, and patient load are yours to weigh.