Time card calculator for security guards: 12-hour and overnight shifts
Guards work 12-hour posts, often overnight, and many cannot leave the post to eat. Those two facts decide the overtime. Here is how to record overnight posts and a real week.
What matters for security guard companies
Overnight shifts stay on the start day
A 7 pm to 7 am post is one 12-hour shift on the day it started. That keeps every hour in the right workweek.
A meal at the post is paid
A meal period can be unpaid only when the worker is completely relieved of duty. A guard who must stay at the post and respond if something happens is working, so do not deduct that time.
Four 12s means overtime
Federally, three 12-hour shifts (36 hours) have no overtime, but four (48 hours) have 8. In California each 12-hour shift already includes 4 hours of daily overtime, and anything past 12 hours in a day is double time.
Worked example
Four 12-hour overnight posts with paid on-post meals, $21.00/hour, federal weekly overtime after 40 hours at 1.5×.
| Day | Shifts | Unpaid break | Worked | Regular | Overtime | Double time | Note |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon Oct 5 | 7:00 PM–7:00 AM (+1) | 12:00 | 12:00 | Night post, not relieved | |||
| Tue Oct 6 | 7:00 PM–7:00 AM (+1) | 12:00 | 12:00 | Night post | |||
| Wed Oct 7 | off | ||||||
| Thu Oct 8 | off | ||||||
| Fri Oct 9 | 7:00 PM–7:00 AM (+1) | 12:00 | 12:00 | Night post | |||
| Sat Oct 10 | 7:00 PM–7:00 AM (+1) | 12:00 | 4:00 | 8:00 | Night post | ||
| Sun Oct 11 | off |
How to set it up in Hoursprig
- Enter the guard's rate and the week.
- Type overnight posts as 7p in, 7a out; Hoursprig marks them as overnight.
- Leave the break empty for posts where the guard is not relieved; enter it only for real off-duty meals.
- In California, turn on daily overtime after 8 h and double time after 12 h (Pro).
Limits
- Hoursprig does not add shift differentials for nights; if you pay one, the overtime rate must include it (the regular rate), which you would work out separately.
FAQ
Is a 12-hour shift overtime?
Not by itself under federal law; it depends on the week's total. In California, hours 9 to 12 of a day are overtime.
Do guards get paid for meal breaks?
If they must stay on post and respond, yes: that is work time. An unpaid meal needs the guard to be fully relieved.
Which day does a 7 pm to 7 am shift count on?
Hoursprig counts it on the start day, the usual payroll practice.
Sources
- 29 CFR 785.19 (meal periods)
- US DOL Fact Sheet #23: Overtime Pay
- California Labor Commissioner: Overtime FAQ