How Much Does an NHS Shift Pay? Nights, Weekends and Long Days

When you are swapping shifts, picking up bank work or deciding whether to take a night, it helps to know what one particular shift is worth. Agenda for Change pays enhancements by the hour depending on when you work, so two 12-hour shifts can pay very different amounts.

The building blocks

Every shift is made up of hours that fall into one of three groups:

• Plain time: weekday hours between 6am and 8pm.
• Saturday and night rate: all of Saturday, and weekday hours from 8pm to 6am.
• Sunday and public holiday rate: all of Sunday and public holidays.

For Bands 4 to 9 the enhancement is 30% for the second group and 60% for the third. Bands 1 to 3 get higher percentages, set out in the unsocial hours guide.

Shifts that cross midnight

When a shift runs past midnight, the hours after 12am are paid at the rate for the new day. So:

• A Friday night shift switches to the Saturday rate at midnight.
• A Saturday night shift switches to the Sunday rate at midnight.
• A Sunday night shift switches to the weekday night rate at midnight.

The night shift rule

If more than half of a shift falls between 8pm and 6am, the night rate covers the weekday part of the whole shift, including the first or last hour that would otherwise be plain time. A 7.30pm to 7.30am night shift is therefore paid at the night rate from start to finish.

Worked examples for Band 5

At Band 5 entry the basic hourly rate is £16.40.

Friday night, 7.30pm to 7.30am, one-hour unpaid break. That is 11 paid hours, all at the night or Saturday rate of 130%. The shift pays about £234.56 before tax.

Saturday long day, 7.30am to 8pm, 30-minute break. That is 12 paid hours, all on a Saturday, so all at 130%. The shift pays about £255.88.

Sunday long day, same times. 12 paid hours at the Sunday rate of 160% pays about £314.93.

Weekday long day, 7am to 7.30pm, 30-minute break. 12 paid hours of plain time pays about £196.83.

The Sunday shift pays about £118 more than the same hours on a weekday.

Breaks

Unpaid breaks are taken off the paid time. Where a break could fall in either a plain or an enhanced period, most payroll systems spread it across the shift, which is how our calculator handles it.

Is the shift overtime?

If a shift takes you beyond 37.5 hours in the week, it may be paid as overtime instead, at time and a half or double time on bank holidays. Overtime rates are not added on top of unsocial hours rates. The overtime tax guide shows what you keep from overtime.

Bank holiday shifts

On a public holiday, every hour is paid at the Sunday and public holiday rate, which is 60% extra for Bands 4 to 9. You also keep the public holiday hours in your leave entitlement, so you can take the time off another day. If a bank holiday shift is overtime, it is paid at double time instead.

Common questions

What if my break is unpaid but I cannot take it? If you are unable to take a break because of work, most trusts allow you to claim the time. Check your trust's policy and make sure it is recorded.

Is a Monday night after a bank holiday enhanced at the public holiday rate? Only the hours on the public holiday itself get the higher rate. Hours after midnight move to the new day's rate.

How are on-call hours paid? On-call availability and work done while on call are paid under separate local arrangements, so they are not included in this calculator.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Assuming every hour of a night shift is at plain time until 8pm. The night shift rule can apply to the whole shift.
• Forgetting that enhancements are usually paid a month in arrears.
• Treating an extra shift as overtime when you are part time and still under 37.5 hours that week.

Work out any shift

The shift pay calculator takes your band, the day, start and finish times and your break, and splits the shift into the right rates automatically, including shifts that run past midnight and the night shift rule.