What are 2nd shift hours?
2nd shift is the evening shift. It picks up where the day shift ends, usually in the middle of the afternoon, and runs until around midnight. Typical 2nd shift hours are:
- 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- 2 p.m. to 10 p.m.
- 4 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. (8 paid hours plus a 30-minute unpaid meal break)
No law sets these times. Each employer picks its own shift start, often to match when machines, phones or patients need coverage. The job posting or the recruiter can tell you the exact hours.
1st, 2nd and 3rd shift hours compared
A 24-hour operation on 8-hour shifts splits the day into three blocks. These are common examples:
| Shift | Other names | Common hours | BLS category |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st shift | Day shift, first shift | 7 a.m. to 3 p.m., 6 a.m. to 2 p.m., 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. | Daytime: most hours between 6 a.m. and 6 p.m. |
| 2nd shift | Evening shift, second shift, swing shift | 3 p.m. to 11 p.m., 2 p.m. to 10 p.m., 4 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. | Evening: most hours between 2 p.m. and midnight |
| 3rd shift | Night shift, overnight, graveyard shift | 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., midnight to 8 a.m. | Night: most hours between 9 p.m. and 8 a.m. |
The BLS category column comes from the definitions in the Bureau of Labor Statistics work schedule survey. A shift counts as evening or night work based on where most of its hours fall, not when it starts.
Why some shifts are 8.5 hours long. Under Department of Labor rules, a bona fide meal period, typically 30 minutes or more, generally does not have to be paid if you are completely relieved of duty. Short rest breaks of about 20 minutes or less must be paid. So an employer that wants 8 paid hours and an unpaid half-hour lunch schedules the shift for 8.5 hours, such as 7 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
If your timesheet logs a shift like 3:52 p.m. to 12:21 a.m., the time to decimal calculator converts it into payroll hours.
How common is 2nd and 3rd shift work?
Less common than days. In the BLS Job Flexibilities and Work Schedules survey for 2024-25, 85 percent of wage and salary workers had a regular daytime schedule. About 5 percent worked evenings and 3 percent worked nights. The rest worked a rotating shift, a split shift, an irregular schedule or some other schedule.
When BLS asked people on non-daytime schedules why, 37 percent said it was the nature of the job, 24 percent said personal preference, and 13 percent said the hours allowed better arrangements for family.
What is swing shift?
Employers use the term in two ways:
- As another name for 2nd shift. The evening block “swings” between the day and night crews, so a swing shift posting often means something like 3 p.m. to 11 p.m.
- For a rotating or relief role. Some workplaces call a worker on swing when that person covers different shifts across the week, filling in for days off on the fixed crews.
If a posting says swing shift without listing hours, ask which meaning applies before you accept.
What is a rotating shift?
BLS defines a rotating shift as one where hours change periodically from days to evenings or nights. One pattern moves a crew from 1st shift to 2nd shift to 3rd shift every week or every few weeks, so that no one is stuck on nights permanently.
A split shift is different. BLS defines it as a day made up of two distinct work periods, such as a bus driver who covers the morning and evening rush with time off in between.
How do 12-hour shifts work?
Some round-the-clock operations, such as hospitals and factories, run two 12-hour shifts instead of three 8-hour ones, for example 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. The total hours depend on the rotation:
| Schedule | Pattern | Hours in a workweek | Federal overtime |
|---|---|---|---|
| Three 12s | 3 shifts per workweek | 36 | None |
| 4 on, 3 off | 4 straight shifts, then 3 days off | 48 | 8 hours every week |
| 4 on, 4 off | 8-day cycle | 36 or 48, averaging 42 | 8 hours in the 48-hour weeks |
| 2-2-3 | 14-day cycle: 2 on, 2 off, 3 on, 2 off, 2 on, 3 off | Varies by week, averaging 42 | Any week over 40 |
The FLSA requires overtime for hours over 40 in a workweek, and the Handy Reference Guide says the law does not limit how many hours a day a worker 16 or older can be scheduled. A 12-hour day, by itself, does not earn federal overtime.
Example: Jordan Lee earns $22 an hour at Fabrikam on a 4 on, 3 off rotation. Each 48-hour workweek pays 40 x $22 ($880) plus 8 x $33 ($264), for $1,144 before taxes.
Hospitals are a special case. Hospitals and residential care facilities may agree with employees to use a 14-day work period instead of a 7-day workweek. Under that “8 and 80” system, overtime is owed for hours over 8 in a day or over 80 in the 14 days, whichever gives more overtime hours.
State and local laws can give more protection than the FLSA, so check your state’s rules. Plug your own schedule into the overtime calculator to see what a long week pays.
A 36-hour week of three 12s still counts as full time for ACA health coverage and in BLS data. Our guide on how many hours is full time explains each definition.
Do you get paid more for 2nd or 3rd shift?
Sometimes, but not because federal law requires it. A shift differential is extra pay for working less popular hours, either a flat amount per hour (such as $1.50) or a percentage of base pay.
The Department of Labor is clear on the federal rules:
- The FLSA does not require extra pay for night work. Night shift pay is a matter of agreement between the employer and the employee or the employee’s representative.
- The FLSA also does not require extra pay for weekend work or double time.
- If an employer does pay a shift differential, it must be included in the employee’s regular rate of pay when overtime is calculated.
That last rule matters in long weeks:
Example: Taylor Brooks earns $18 an hour at Northwind Logistics plus a $1.50 2nd shift differential and works 45 hours, all on 2nd shift. The regular rate is $19.50, so overtime is $29.25 an hour. Pay is 40 x $19.50 ($780) plus 5 x $29.25 ($146.25), for $926.25. Leaving the differential out of the overtime rate would underpay Taylor by $3.75 that week.
Union contracts and company policy can set differentials, and state or local laws can add protections, so read your offer letter. If you think your overtime left out a differential, your state labor department or the DOL Wage and Hour Division can explain your options.
Ask about pay before you accept a night or evening role:
“Thanks for the details on the 2nd shift opening. Could you tell me the exact shift hours, whether there is a shift differential, and how often schedules rotate?”
Our list of questions to ask at the end of an interview has more ways to raise scheduling before an offer.
How do you stay healthy on evening and night shifts?
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) says shift work and long hours raise health and safety risks by disturbing sleep and circadian rhythms and by cutting into time for family and other responsibilities. Its training materials for shift workers offer practical habits:
- Nap before a night shift if you can, as NIOSH recommends.
- Go straight to bed when you get home after a night shift.
- Keep the bedroom very dark. NIOSH notes that a very dark bedroom helps sleep, and a dim red nightlight is less likely to disturb it.
- Use light on purpose. More light during the first half of a night shift can help alertness, and less light in the second half makes it easier to sleep afterward.
- Skip sunglasses on the drive home unless someone else is driving, since they can add to drowsiness.
- Time caffeine and alcohol. NIOSH advises avoiding caffeine for several hours before sleep and notes that alcohol helps you fall asleep but causes early waking.
This is general information. If you have trouble sleeping or a health condition that shift work affects, talk with a doctor before changing your schedule or habits.
How many hours a year do shift workers work?
The same as day workers on the same schedule: 40 hours a week is 2,080 hours over 52 weeks, and 36 hours a week is 1,872. Rotations that average 42 hours come to 2,184 hours a year, with overtime in the longer weeks. For calendar-based counts, including 2026 holidays, see how many work hours are in a year.