Nurse Overtime + Shift Differential Calculator

Hospital RNs see a base hourly rate on their offer letter but actual take-home runs 30-60% higher once night, weekend, holiday, on-call, and overtime differentials stack. A $45/hour base nurse working a typical 36-hour ICU schedule with night and weekend coverage often earns an effective $60-72/hour. This calculator layers all the differentials so you can compare staff jobs, travel contracts, and per-diem opportunities apples-to-apples.

How Differentials Stack

Most hospitals apply differentials as a percentage uplift to the base rate, paid only for the qualifying hours. Night shift: 10-25% (typical $5-15/hour extra). Weekend: 5-15%. Holiday: 50-100% (paid on top of regular pay for the calendar holiday). On-call: $3-10/hour while actively on call, $1-3/hour standby, plus minimum 2-4 hours regular pay when called in. Specialty: ICU, ED, OR, L&D, and Trauma typically pay 5-15% additional. Stacking matters: a night-weekend-ICU nurse earning $45 base often nets $58-65 effective.

Travel Nursing vs Staff Comparison

Travel nurse contracts advertise $2,500-4,000/week gross — that includes a non-taxable lodging and meal stipend (typically $1,000-1,500/week). Once you net out the stipend (only tax-free if you maintain a permanent tax home), the actual hourly is comparable to a strong staff position. What travel loses: employer health insurance subsidy ($14K+/year), 401(k) match (~$8K/year), accrued PTO (~$5K/year), pension if applicable, and tenure-based protections. What travel gains: schedule flexibility, location variety, and quick high-cash bursts. For most nurses with families, the all-in math favors staff once differentials and benefits are counted properly.

Last updated May 2026. Sources: BLS RN Wages, American Nurses Association.