Overtime, the way it is actually paid.
Repeating rotations, differentials folded into the regular rate, the 8/80 healthcare rule, and a paycheck check that tells you when the math does not agree. Estimates — not tax or legal advice.
Nursing overtime is not one rule. Most nurses are on the ordinary weekly 40, but plenty of hospitals elect the healthcare 8/80 agreement, and a handful of states add a daily 8 or 12 hour trigger on top. Differentials complicate it further: under the FLSA a night or weekend differential is part of your regular rate, so it has to raise the overtime rate rather than sit beside it. Most trackers multiply base pay by 1.5 and quietly understate what you are owed.
Shift Planner does the allocation properly, per employer and per workweek. It never combines two employers into one overtime calculation, because overtime is an obligation of each employer separately — a rule that surprises a lot of nurses working two jobs.
What RN PocketPal does
- Real overtime rules. Weekly 40, the 8/80 healthcare rule, and daily 8 or 12 hour state triggers — with night, weekend, holiday and charge differentials folded into the regular rate the way 29 CFR §778.115 requires. No pyramiding of overtime on double-time.
- Repeating rotations. 3-on-3-off, Pitman, every-other-weekend, or a cycle you define yourself, projected forward across the year.
- PTO kept separate from hours worked. Paid time off is income but not time on the clock, so it can never invent overtime you were not owed.
- Paycheck reconciliation. Enter what you were actually paid and see whether it matches the shifts you worked, with the difference broken out.
- “Worth picking up?” What one extra shift adds once overtime and the marginal tax bite are accounted for — often less, and occasionally much more, than the hourly rate suggests.
- Agenda view, calendar import, and a Next Shift widget so the next one is on your Home Screen without opening anything.
Who it’s for
Staff nurses on rotating schedules, nurses working two or more employers, per-diem and travel RNs reconciling variable contracts, charge nurses picking up extra coverage, and CNAs and LPNs paid hourly with differentials.
Educational reference only. Not a medical device. Verify with clinical judgment, facility policy, and primary sources. Read the full disclaimer.
Frequently asked questions
- Is this tax or legal advice?
- No. It produces estimates to help you check your own pay. Overtime law varies by state and by the agreement your employer has in place, and only your employer and your pay stub are authoritative. For a suspected underpayment, talk to your payroll department, your union representative, or an employment attorney.
- What is the 8/80 rule?
- A provision of the FLSA (§207(j)) available only to hospitals and residential care facilities. With a prior agreement in place, the employer pays overtime for hours beyond 8 in a day or 80 in a 14-day period, instead of the usual 40-per-week standard. It has to be elected — it is not automatic — so check which basis your facility actually uses.
- Why are my two jobs calculated separately?
- Because overtime is each employer’s separate obligation. Hours at one employer do not push hours at another into overtime, so combining them would show you money nobody owes you. The planner tracks each employer on its own workweek.
- Do differentials really change my overtime rate?
- Usually, yes. Shift differentials are generally part of the regular rate under the FLSA, so overtime is computed on base plus differential rather than base alone. This is the most common place a paycheck comes up short, and it is why the reconciliation feature exists.
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Reviewed by RN PocketPal Clinical Team, RN. Last reviewed .