BC nurse shift premiums
Premiums are paid per hour on top of your base rate. Several can apply to the same hour: a Saturday night can carry five at once.
| Premium | Per hour | When it applies |
|---|---|---|
| EveningArticle 28.01(A) | $1.40 | Shifts mostly between 15:30 and 23:30 |
| NightArticle 28.01(B) | $5.00 | Shifts mostly between 23:30 and 07:30 |
| WeekendArticle 28.02 | $3.50 | Every hour from 23:00 Friday to 23:00 Sunday |
| Super shiftArticle 28.03 | $1.85 | 23:30 to 07:30 on Friday and Saturday nights, on top of night and weekend |
| Short noticeArticle 28.04 | $2.00 | A straight-time shift accepted within 24 hours of its start |
| Regular employeeArticle 28.05 | $2.15 | Every hour a regular nurse works, except overtime |
| OR, PAR, ER, ICU, CCUArticle 28.06 | $2.00 | Regular nurses permanently assigned to those units |
The current agreement ran from April 1, 2022 to March 31, 2025 and stays in force until a new one is reached (Article 61(A)), so its last published rates are the ones being paid today. When the next agreement sets new rates, this page updates.
Evening and night on a standard shift
On a shift of 8 hours or less, the whole shift is an evening or night shift when half or more of its hours fall in that window, and the premium is paid on every hour of it (Article 28.01). Evening and night premiums are also paid on overtime hours worked during those shifts.
Evening and night on a 12-hour rotation
On an extended work day rotation, a shift longer than 8 hours is paid evening premium only for the hours actually worked between 15:30 and 23:30, and night premium only for the hours between 23:30 and 07:30 (Article 28.01 of the Extended Work Day memorandum). A 19:00 to 07:00 night shift earns some of each.
Worked example: a Saturday night
A regular full-time Level 3 nurse at step 7, permanently assigned to ICU on a 12-hour rotation, works Saturday 19:00 to Sunday 07:00 with an hour's unpaid break at midnight.
| Line | Hours | Rate | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|
| Level 3, step 7 | 11 h | $51.06 | $561.66 |
| Evening premium | 4.5 h | $1.40 | $6.30 |
| Night premium | 6.5 h | $5.00 | $32.50 |
| Weekend premium | 11 h | $3.50 | $38.50 |
| Super shift premium | 7 h | $1.85 | $12.95 |
| Regular employee premium | 11 h | $2.15 | $23.65 |
| ICU specialty unit premium | 11 h | $2.00 | $22.00 |
| Shift total | 11 h | $697.56 |
Gross pay before deductions, worked out by the qNurse pay engine. The premiums add $135.90 to the base pay for this one shift.
Exceptions
A nurse on a flexible work schedule who chooses to work hours that would otherwise earn a shift or weekend premium does not get that premium (Article 25.07(H)). The regular employee and specialty unit premiums are for regular nurses only; casual nurses do not receive them.
qNurse is independent and is not affiliated with the BC Nurses' Union, the Nurses' Bargaining Association, HEABC or any employer. Your paystub and your employer's records are the authority. Rates current as of October 16, 2026.