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How Does Temp Dental Hygienist Pay Work?

Last updated: November 4, 2026. Last verified: November 4, 2026.

On GoTu, a temp hygienist is paid the rate the office posts or the rate the office accepts after a counteroffer, by direct deposit 24 hours after the shift as a contractor, with Express Pay available within 2 to 3 hours, or every Friday as a W-2 employee. The office pays a 22.5% service fee on top of the hygienist’s pay.

Figures come from GoTu’s own pages, checked November 4, 2026.

Key Takeaways

  • The office posts a rate, and the hygienist can counter it. The office accepts or rejects the counter. If declined, the hygienist can still apply at the posted rate.
  • Contractors are paid 24 hours after the shift. Direct deposit takes the bank 2 to 3 business days, and Express Pay to a debit card arrives in 2 to 3 hours.
  • W-2 hygienists are paid every Friday for shifts worked the previous Monday through Sunday, with taxes withheld.
  • The office pays 22.5% of the hygienist’s pay as the service fee. A W-2 shift adds 20% of pay, and card payments carry 3.5%.
  • Late cancellations are paid. If the office cancels 24 to 96 hours before, the hygienist receives 25% of the day’s pay, and inside 24 hours receives 100%.

How Pay Is Set

The posted rate and counteroffers

An office posts the hourly rate for the shift. If it does not match a hygienist’s standard rate, the hygienist can use the counter button and request it. The office can accept or reject. GoTu also has a dental hygienist salaries page.

Raising the rate to fill a shift

If a shift does not fill, GoTu’s guidance to offices is to adjust the hourly rate, modify the hours or pick another date. Most shifts are filled within a few hours.

The office’s side: what is charged

When a shift is confirmed, GoTu collects its service fee, and the professional’s pay is charged 7 days before the shift. The service fee is 22.5% of the hygienist’s shift rate. W-2 shifts add 20% of the professional’s pay for administration and employer payroll taxes, and credit or debit card payments carry a 3.5% fee. Offices pay GoTu, never the professional directly.

How and When a Hygienist Is Paid

Contractor shifts

GoTu pays by direct deposit 24 hours after the shift is complete, and the bank takes 2 to 3 business days to process. Express Pay, available only to a debit card, pays out 2 to 3 hours after the office confirms the hours or 24 hours pass. Taxes are not withheld, and GoTu issues a 1099 each tax year.

Employee shifts

W-2 employees are paid on a payroll schedule every Friday for shifts worked the previous Monday through Sunday, and taxes are withheld as the IRS requires. GoTu provides W-2 in California, Massachusetts and Minnesota, and offices in New Jersey and Connecticut can choose employee shifts.

If hours change

If the hours worked differ from what was confirmed, the office submits the update in the app within 24 hours of the shift ending, and the total is adjusted.

Benefits and coverage

Both contractors and W-2 professionals can elect medical benefits through GoTu’s vendor. GoTu provides malpractice coverage for all professionals, occupational accident coverage for contractors and workers’ compensation for employees.

What Affects Pay on the Hygienist’s Side

Confirmation and notice

After a hygienist applies, the office has until 7:00 PM the following day to confirm or decline (until 7:00 PM Monday for applications made Friday to Sunday). Pay is attached to confirmed shifts only.

If the hygienist cancels

Once a shift is accepted, the hygienist has committed to it. Cancelling with less than 96 hours notice results in a penalty on the account and a temporary restriction from new shifts. A no-call, no-show results in a 30-day restriction, and an attendance score below 50% results in being blocked. A 20-minute grace period after confirmation lets a hygienist cancel with no penalty if they would rather not work with that office.

Paying through GoTu

All payments are processed through GoTu, and neither side should pay the other directly. This is how GoTu keeps pay records, issues 1099s and W-2s and applies cancellation pay.

Worked Examples

Both examples use one 8-hour hygienist shift at $60 an hour, so professional pay is $480. These are illustrations of GoTu’s published terms, not quotes.

Office view

Item Contractor shift W-2 shift
Professional pay $480.00 $480.00
Service fee, 22.5% $108.00 $108.00
W-2 charge, 20% of pay None $96.00
Total before any card fee $588.00 $684.00

A 3.5% fee applies to card and debit payments.

Professional view

A contractor hygienist earns $480 gross. Taxes are not withheld, so the hygienist sets money aside for self-employment tax, which the IRS lists at 15.3%, plus income tax. A W-2 hygienist earns the same $480 gross with taxes withheld by payroll.

If the office cancels

When the office cancels Hygienist receives Office refund
168+ hours before Nothing; the shift is removed Full refund of fee and pay
96 to 168 hours before Nothing Pay refunded, service fee kept
24 to 96 hours before 25% of day pay, $120 75% of pay refunded ($360), fee kept
Under 24 hours before 100% of day pay, $480 No refund

A 20-minute grace period after confirming gives the office a full refund. Cancellations outside GoTu’s control, such as a catastrophic event, can change the outcome.

Other Roles

Assistants, front desk staff and associate dentists use the same pay timing and cancellation schedule. The office’s service fee is a flat amount per completed shift, $60 for assistants, $70 for front desk and $300 for associate dentists, and a W-2 shift adds 20% of professional pay. As an illustration, an 8-hour assistant shift at $30 an hour is $240 in professional pay plus the $60 fee, or $300 on a contractor shift. A W-2 shift adds $48, for $348. A 3.5% fee applies to card payments.

Frequently Asked Questions

How do temp hygienists get paid? On GoTu, contractors are paid by direct deposit 24 hours after the shift, or in 2 to 3 hours with Express Pay to a debit card. W-2 hygienists are paid every Friday for the previous week.

Who decides how much a hygienist earns on a shift? The office posts the rate. The hygienist can counter, and the office accepts or rejects.

Are taxes taken out of the pay? Not for contractors. GoTu issues a 1099 and the hygienist handles taxes. W-2 employees have taxes withheld.

What does the office pay on top of the hygienist’s pay? A 22.5% service fee, plus 20% of pay on W-2 shifts, plus a 3.5% fee on card and debit payments. See which platforms use W-2 or 1099 and what they charge.

What if the office cancels late? The hygienist receives 25% of the day’s pay at 24 to 96 hours, and 100% inside 24 hours.

Does a hygienist pay anything to use GoTu? No. GoTu is free for dental professionals, and the fee is paid by the office.

Is pay different for assistants and front desk? The pay timing is the same. The office pays a flat service fee of $60 for assistants and $70 for front desk instead of a percentage.

Conclusion

A GoTu hygienist sets the rate by countering a posted rate, is paid within a day as a contractor or on Friday as a W-2 employee, and is protected by published cancellation pay. The office pays a 22.5% service fee on top, with extra charges only for W-2 shifts and card payments. Compare other apps in the best apps for dental professionals to pick up temp shifts.

Related Pages

Sources

All checked November 4, 2026.