Q&A: With the time change coming, how do we calculate hours worked for the graveyard shift?

Employees must be paid for actual hours worked, regardless of time clock settings. If a timekeeping system does not adjust for daylight saving time, employers must manually correct hours.

When a shift spans the time change, adjustments must be made to the schedule or timekeeping method.

In the spring, employees typically work seven hours and are paid for seven hours. In the fall, employees work nine hours and must be paid for nine hours.

Overtime Considerations (Fall Shift)

Overtime is owed for hours worked over eight in a workday.
Determine whether the nine hours fall within the employer’s defined 24-hour workday.

Example (midnight-to-midnight workday):

11 p.m. to midnight = 1 hour (first workday).
Midnight to 2 a.m. = 2 hours (second workday).
Clock resets to 1 a.m.; employee works 1 a.m. to 7:30 a.m. (less 30-minute meal) = 6 hours.
Total = 8 hours in the second workday.
If the employee works no more than eight hours in the second workday, no overtime is owed.
If the employee exceeds eight hours in that workday, overtime applies.

Another example: If the employee works an additional hour later that day (let’s say at 11 p.m.), the total hours reach nine, and one hour of overtime is owed.

Read about Overtime in the HR Library.

With the time change coming, how do we calculate hours worked for the graveyard shift?

Q&As