Overnight shift calculator
Enter the date a shift starts, its start and finish, and any unpaid break. You get the paid hours on each side of midnight and the day each part falls on, and, if you add the next shift, how much time off there is in between.
A worked example
A Saturday night shift from 22:00 to 06:30 with a 30 minute unpaid break, and a shift at 14:00 on Sunday, where the least time off between shifts is 10 hours. The 10 is this example’s figure: enter the one your award or agreement sets.
| Worked out | Hours | |
|---|---|---|
| Saturday, before midnight | 22:00 to midnight, less the 30 minute break | 1h 30m (1.50) |
| Sunday, after midnight | Midnight to 06:30 | 6h 30m (6.50) |
| Paid hours | 8 hours 30 minutes, less 30 minutes | 8h 0m (8.00) |
| Time off before the next shift | 06:30 to 14:00 on Sunday | 7h 30m, shorter than 10 hours |
How it is worked out
A shift whose finish is earlier in the day than its start finishes on the next day. The minutes from the start to midnight belong to the day the shift starts, and the minutes from midnight to the finish belong to the next day.
The unpaid break comes off the part before midnight first. If the break is longer than that part, what is left comes off the part after midnight.
The time off runs from this shift’s finish, on the day it finishes, to the next shift’s start. A negative figure would mean the shifts overlap, and the calculator says so instead.
What this tool cannot tell you
- It does not decide which day an overnight shift counts on for penalty rates. That is set by the award or agreement.
- It does not know the least time off between shifts that applies to you. You enter that figure.
- It takes the unpaid break off the hours before midnight first. If the break was taken after midnight, work out each part separately.
- It does not apply night penalty rates or loadings.
Questions
Which day do the hours of an overnight shift fall on?
This calculator puts the hours before midnight on the day the shift starts and the hours after midnight on the next day. Which day counts for penalty rates is set by the award or agreement, so check yours.
Where does the unpaid break come off?
The hours before midnight first, and anything left over from the hours after midnight. If the break was taken after midnight, work out each part separately.
How much time off should there be between two shifts?
That is set by the award or agreement, and it differs between them. Enter the figure that applies, and the calculator flags a shorter break.
Does it work out night penalty rates?
No. It sorts the hours around midnight and measures the time off. Whether night work attracts a penalty or loading, and from what time, depends on the award or agreement.