What the hours calculator does
Enter a start time, an end time and any unpaid break, and the calculator returns the hours worked — as hours and minutes and as decimal hours for a timesheet or invoice. It handles shifts that cross midnight, so a 22:00 to 06:00 night shift gives 8 hours, not −16. It is the quickest way to check a payslip, fill in a timesheet, or total a freelance day without arithmetic mistakes.
The calculation
Hours worked = (end − start) − break
If end is earlier than start, add 24 hours (overnight shift).
Start 08:30, end 17:15, break 45 min:
17:15 − 08:30 = 8 h 45 min
− 45 min = 8 h 00 min = 8.00 hours
Start 22:00, end 06:30, break 30 min:
06:30 + 24 h − 22:00 = 8 h 30 min
− 30 min = 8 h 00 minDecimal hours for payroll
| Hours : minutes | Decimal | Hours : minutes | Decimal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7:15 | 7.25 | 8:20 | 8.33 |
| 7:30 | 7.50 | 8:40 | 8.67 |
| 7:45 | 7.75 | 9:10 | 9.17 |
| 8:06 | 8.10 | 9:50 | 9.83 |
Decimal hours are minutes ÷ 60, so 8:06 is 8.10 and 8:30 is 8.50. Many payroll systems round to the nearest quarter hour (0.25) or tenth (0.10); the calculator shows two decimals and lets you apply your employer's rounding rule.
Breaks and what counts as work
- Unpaid meal breaks — typically 30–60 minutes — are deducted. Enter the total break minutes for the shift.
- Paid rest breaks (short 10–15 minute breaks) are usually counted as work and should not be entered.
- Rules vary. In the US, breaks under 20 minutes are generally paid under federal law; in the UK, workers get a 20-minute unpaid break after 6 hours; many EU countries mandate longer. Check your contract and local law.
- Auto-deducted breaks on some payroll systems remove 30 minutes whether or not you took them — worth checking against your own record.
Weekly totals and overtime
Run the calculator once per shift and add the decimal results. Overtime rules are usually weekly: in the US, hours over 40 in a week are paid at 1.5× for non-exempt employees; some states (California, for example) also apply daily overtime after 8 hours. The UK has no statutory overtime rate but a 48-hour average weekly limit unless opted out. For the pay itself, multiply decimal hours by your hourly rate — or use the Salary Calculator to convert between hourly, monthly and annual figures.
Common uses
- Filling in a weekly timesheet from clock-in and clock-out times.
- Checking that a payslip matches the hours actually worked.
- Freelancers and contractors totalling billable time for an invoice.
- Managers checking rota hours against contracted hours.
- Students and volunteers logging placement hours.