Overnight & weekend posts
Security Guard Shift Pay Calculator
Security officers working overnight and weekend shifts earn differential pay on top of their base rate — but it can be hard to know exactly how much. Enter your schedule to calculate your total pay including all differentials and overtime.
Weekly schedule
Enter your total hours for each day. If the shift included overtime or a differential (evening, night, weekend, or holiday), use the dropdown to select the shift type — the pay split is calculated automatically.
Gross pay summary
Regular pay
40.0 hrs × base rate
Total differential pay
$99.36Night differential
$64.80Weekend differential
$34.56Gross pay
$819.36
Annual estimate: $21,303.36
How Security Guard Shift Pay Is Calculated
Typical Security Guard Differential Rates
- • Evening shift (4pm–midnight): 5%–15% or $0.50–$1.50/hr flat
- • Overnight shift (midnight–8am): 10%–25% or $1.00–$2.00/hr flat
- • Weekend shifts: 5%–15% additional or $0.50–$1.00/hr flat
- • Armed guard premium: $1.00–$3.00/hr above base (add to your base rate before calculating)
- • Government/federal contract sites: often require higher premiums by contract
How Overtime Works for Security Guards
Non-exempt security guards earn overtime at 1.5× their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. Shift differentials are included in your regular rate of pay for FLSA overtime purposes — so a $1.50/hr overnight premium slightly increases your effective overtime rate. Many security positions require 12-hour shifts or mandatory overtime, making accurate pay calculation especially important.
Contract Sites and Variable Pay Rates
Security guards working multiple client sites sometimes have different pay rates per site. If you earn different base rates for different posts, calculate each block of hours separately. Enter the base rate for one site, calculate your pay, note the gross total, then repeat for the other site and add the totals. A future Pro feature will allow saving multiple schedules for easy comparison.
Holiday Pay for Security Guards
Holiday pay in security is contract-driven. Guards working hospital, airport, or government contracts are often guaranteed time-and-a-half or double time for major holidays per the service contract. Private commercial site guards may not have the same guarantee. Log holiday hours under the "holiday" shift type and set your holiday differential to 50% for time-and-a-half, or 100% for double time.
Questions, answered
Frequently asked questions
What shift differentials do security guards typically receive?
Security guard shift differentials vary by employer and contract. Evening shifts (typically 4pm–midnight) commonly pay 5%–15% extra; overnight shifts (midnight–8am) often pay 10%–25%. Contract security firms may offer flat-rate premiums ($0.50–$2.00/hr) instead of percentages. Some clients — particularly hospitals and government facilities — require higher overnight premiums.
How is overnight security guard pay calculated?
Enter your base hourly rate, log the hours for each shift type (evening, night, weekend), and set your differential rates in Adjust Differentials. If your employer pays a flat dollar amount per hour rather than a percentage, toggle to $/hr mode. The calculator shows your gross pay including all differentials and any overtime.
Do armed security guards receive higher differentials than unarmed guards?
Typically yes — armed security positions carry higher risk and licensing requirements, and most employers pay a higher base rate and/or separate armed differential ($1–$3/hr is common). If you receive a separate armed differential, you can add it to your base rate before entering it into the calculator, or use one of the differential fields to account for it.
Is holiday pay required for security guards?
Federal law does not require holiday pay. However, many security contracts — especially those covering hospitals, government buildings, and corporate campuses — specify holiday pay rates ranging from time-and-a-half to double time. If your employer's policy includes holiday pay, log those hours as 'holiday shift' and set the holiday differential accordingly.
I work both day and overnight shifts in the same week — how do I figure out my gross pay?
Log each day separately with its correct shift type. For example, Monday and Tuesday on day shift, Wednesday and Thursday on overnight (night shift), and Friday on weekend. Set your differential rates for each shift type and your base rate. Shift Diff Calculator totals all differentials, applies overtime if you exceed 40 hours, and gives you your weekly gross pay.
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