Work, pay & shifts
Pay When Saturday and Sunday Have Different Premiums
Many weekend policies pay Sunday more than Saturday — for example 10% on Saturdays and 25% on Sundays. The reliable way to work it out is one day at a time. Averaging the two percentages first is a common shortcut that only works when you work the same hours on both days. This guide shows the day-by-day method, when the shortcut fails, and how to mix flat and percentage premiums.
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Work out each day separately
$21.00 an hour, 8 hours on Saturday at 10%, 8 hours on Sunday at 25%:
- Saturday premium: $21.00 × 10% = $2.10 an hour × 8 = $16.80.
- Sunday premium: $21.00 × 25% = $5.25 an hour × 8 = $42.00.
- Total weekend premium: $16.80 + $42.00 = $58.80.
- Normal earnings for 16 hours: $336.00. Weekend total: $394.80.
Why averaging the percentages can be wrong
With equal hours on both days, the average of 10% and 25% — 17.5% — happens to give the right answer. With unequal hours it doesn’t. Say you work 4 hours on Saturday and 8 on Sunday:
- Day by day: $2.10 × 4 = $8.40, plus $5.25 × 8 = $42.00, for $50.40 of premium.
- Averaged: 17.5% of $21.00 × 12 hours = $44.10 — $6.30 too low.
- The true blended premium is $50.40 ÷ ($21.00 × 12) = 20%, because more of the hours fall on the higher-paid day.
Examples
| Saturday | Sunday | Premium | Weekend total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8 h at 10% | 8 h at 25% | $58.80 | $394.80 |
| 4 h at 10% | 8 h at 25% | $50.40 | $302.40 |
| 8 h at $1.50/hr | 8 h at 20% | $45.60 | $381.60 |
All at a $21.00 base rate.
Mixing flat and percentage premiums
The same method works when one day is a flat amount and the other a percentage. At $21.00, $1.50 an hour for 8 Saturday hours is $12.00, and 20% for 8 Sunday hours is $4.20 × 8 = $33.60 — $45.60 of premium.
Doing it with the calculator
The Weekend Pay Premium Calculator applies one premium to all the weekend hours you enter. Run it once with Saturday’s hours and premium, then again with Sunday’s, and add the two premiums. Holidays that fall on a weekend work the same way: treat them as their own block with their own premium, according to your policy.
Different Saturday and Sunday Premiums FAQ
- How do I calculate pay with different Saturday and Sunday rates?
- Calculate each day’s premium from its own hours and rate, then add them together with your normal earnings.
- Can I average the Saturday and Sunday percentages?
- Only if you work the same hours on both days. Otherwise, weight by hours or calculate each day separately.
- What is my blended weekend premium?
- Total premium ÷ (base rate × weekend hours). 4 hours at 10% and 8 at 25% on $21.00 blends to 20%.
- Can one day be flat and the other a percentage?
- Yes. Convert each to dollars per hour, multiply by that day’s hours, and add.
- What if a holiday falls on a Sunday?
- Your policy decides which premium applies. Treat those hours as a separate block with that premium and add it to the rest.
Related guides
- Calculating Weekend Premium PayWorked examples for percentage, flat, and combined weekend premiums, separating normal earnings from the premium and adding the rest of the week.
- Multipliers vs. PremiumsConvert pay multipliers such as 1.5× and 2× into premium percentages and back, and read pay stubs that split the premium onto its own line.
Open the tool
Jump into Weekend Pay Premium Calculator when you are ready to process your files.
