Premium Payments

A night duty premium of time + ¼ is payable to nurses/midwives rostered for night duty on a rotational basis.  Night duty is normally defined as hours worked between 8pm and 8am. A night duty roster is defined as one where the nurse/midwife works at least three hours between midnight and 7am.  This rule does not apply to those who were in receipt of alternative arrangements prior to January 2012 (HSE Circular 003/2012).   

The twilight payment of time + 1/6 is currently paid to nurses/midwives in the acute hospital sector for hours worked between 6pm and 8pm. However, the time + 1/6 payment continues to apply for hours worked between 8pm and 12 midnight except where alternative arrangements exist.  

How to calculate Time + ¼ 

Example 

If annual salary is equal to  €54,013

How to calculate Time + 1/6th 

Example 

If annual salary is equal to €54,013

Unsocial hours premium payments for holiday purposes are based on an average of premium earnings (exclusive of overtime), calculated over the 12-month period preceding the current annual leave year. 

Unsocial hours premiums are payable to nurses/midwives as follows. 

Sunday                  Time + Time (double time) in respect of every hour worked. 

Night Duty            Time + ¼ + Time in respect of each hour rostered night duty. 

How to calculate Time x 2 (double time)  

Example               

 If annual salary is equal to                       €54,013

A nurse/midwife who works a ‘5 over 7’ roster and is scheduled to work on Saturday is entitled to a premium payment of €18.27.  This is a fixed amount and is payable irrespective of the number of hours worked. 

The twilight payment of time + 1/6 is currently paid to nurses/midwives for hours worked between 6pm and 8pm.   

An ‘unsocial hours premium’ is payable to nurses/midwives as follows:

Time x 2 (double time) for every hour worked. 

In addition, nurses/midwives employed in the health service who work a '5 over 7' roster receive additional annual leave in lieu of their liability to work on public holidays. This amounts to ten days in the case of full-time nurses and five days in the case of job-sharing nurses/midwives.