Work hours calculator

Timesheets and payroll need exact worked hours, but subtracting clock times and breaks in your head, especially across midnight, is easy to get wrong. This calculator works out the time worked for each shift and gives the result in hours and minutes and as decimal hours for payroll systems.

How to use it

1. Enter the start time and end time of the shift.
2. Enter unpaid break time in minutes.
3. Read the worked time and decimal hours. Add more days to get a weekly total.

Worked examples

• Day shift: 08:45 to 17:30 with a 45-minute lunch = 8 h 45 min - 45 min = 8 h 00 min (8.00 hours).
• Overnight shift: 22:00 to 06:30 with a 30-minute break. Because the end time is earlier than the start, the shift crosses midnight: 8 h 30 min - 30 min = 8 h 00 min.
• Short shift: 09:10 to 13:25, no break = 4 h 15 min = 4.25 hours.

Hours and minutes vs. decimal hours

Payroll multiplies hours by an hourly rate, so it needs decimal hours: minutes / 60. 7 h 45 min is 7.75 hours, not 7.45. Common conversions: 15 min = 0.25, 20 min = 0.33, 30 min = 0.5, 45 min = 0.75.

Tips

• Agree on rounding rules, such as nearest 6 or 15 minutes, and apply them consistently; local labour law may restrict rounding.
• Record paid and unpaid breaks separately.
• For daylight saving changes during an overnight shift, the real worked time differs by one hour from the clock difference.
• Use the overtime calculator for hours beyond the standard working day or week.