Nova Scotia nursing pay rates
NSNU – Nova Scotia Council of Nursing Unions · Nov 1 2021 – Oct 31 2025
Expired — in bargaining
Like New Brunswick, Nova Scotia pays a flat $4.00/h for evenings, nights and weekends. Overtime starts at 1.5× and steps up to 2× once more than four overtime hours are worked. Nova Scotia is unusual on holidays: overtime worked on a statutory holiday pays 2.33×, rising to 2.5× when you are called in on less than 72 hours’ notice — but simply working your scheduled shift on a holiday pays 1.5× plus an alternate day off, which is what is set here. The agreement expired October 31 2025 and is in bargaining, so premiums may move retroactively.
Shift premiums and multipliers
| Item | Rate |
|---|---|
| Evening differentialPer hour, on qualifying evening shifts. | $4.00 |
| Night differentialPer hour, on qualifying night shifts. | $4.00 |
| Weekend premiumPer hour, on qualifying weekend hours. | $4.00 |
| In-charge / responsibility payPer hour while carrying the charge role. | $2.00 |
| Preceptor premiumPer hour while precepting. | $1.50 |
| Overtime — standard tourMultiplier on your base rate. | 1.5× |
| Overtime — extended tour, first hoursApplies to the first overtime hours on an extended tour. | 1.5× |
| Overtime — extended tour, remaining hoursApplies once the first overtime hours are used up. | 2× |
| Statutory holiday workedMultiplier for hours worked on a named holiday. | 1.5× |
| Super statutory holiday workedHigher rate on the agreement’s premium holidays. | 1.5× |
Tour lengths: 7.5 h and 11.25 h tours
Check this against your own cheque
onWard holds these Nova Scotia rates and applies them to the shifts you actually worked — evenings, nights, weekends, overtime at its own multiplier, statutory and super-stat pay, in-charge and preceptor hours, then deductions and net pay. Enter your own base rate and it works for RNs, RPNs and LPNs alike. Every figure is cited to the clause it comes from, so you can check the app’s work against your contract.
Sources
- National comparison of premiums, overtime, holidays and salary across all ten provincial agreements. Used to cross-check every province below.
- 2021–2025 provincial agreement. Expired Oct 31 2025, in bargaining.