Hours Calculator

Add up the hours on a time card: enter when each shift started and ended and any unpaid break, and get the total in hours and minutes, in decimal hours, and as pay.

Set to 0 to see hours only.

Federal overtime applies to hours over 40 in one workweek for non-exempt employees.

Total hours
42:30
42.5 decimal hours
Decimal hours
42.5
Total minutes
2,550
Gross pay
$875.00
Regular pay (40:00 h)
$800.00
Overtime pay (2:30 h at $30.00)
$75.00
  • Pay is before taxes and deductions. Overtime assumes these days fall in one workweek.

Time card

DayStartEndBreak (min)HoursDecimal
Day 18:00 AM5:00 PM308:308.5
Day 28:00 AM5:00 PM308:308.5
Day 38:00 AM5:00 PM308:308.5
Day 48:00 AM5:00 PM308:308.5
Day 58:00 AM5:00 PM308:308.5

How to total a time card

For each shift, subtract the start time from the end time, then subtract any unpaid break. Do it in minutes to avoid mistakes: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM is 9 hours, or 540 minutes; minus a 30-minute lunch leaves 510 minutes, which is 8 hours 30 minutes. Add the days together, then convert the total back to hours and minutes or decimal hours.

If a shift ends at a clock time earlier than it started, it ran past midnight. A shift from 10:00 PM to 6:30 AM is 8 hours 30 minutes on the clock: 2 hours to midnight plus 6 hours 30 minutes after. The calculator handles this automatically.

Hours and minutes versus decimal hours

Time cards show hours and minutes (42:30), but payroll multiplies decimal hours by the rate (42.5 × rate). Convert minutes to decimals by dividing by 60: 15 minutes is 0.25, 30 minutes is 0.5, 45 minutes is 0.75, and 20 minutes is about 0.33.

A common payroll mistake is reading 7:45 as 7.45 hours. It is 7.75 hours. At $20 an hour that is the difference between $149.00 and $155.00 for the day.

Which breaks are paid, and overtime

Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, short rest breaks — usually 20 minutes or less — count as hours worked and must be paid. Bona fide meal periods, typically 30 minutes or more, generally don't need to be paid, but only if you are completely relieved from duty. Only enter breaks here that are actually unpaid.

Non-exempt employees covered by the FLSA must get at least one and a half times their regular rate for hours worked over 40 in a workweek. A workweek is a fixed, recurring period of 168 hours (seven consecutive 24-hour periods) that the employer sets; it doesn't have to start on Monday, and hours can't be averaged across two weeks. Some states have their own overtime rules, so check your state labor department too.

How the hours are calculated

Shift minutes = (end − start) − unpaid breakIf end is earlier than start: shift minutes = (end + 24 h − start) − unpaid breakTotal hours = sum of shift minutes ÷ 60Pay = min(hours, 40) × rate + max(hours − 40, 0) × rate × 1.5
  • Hours are not rounded. Employers who round punches to the nearest 5, 6 or 15 minutes may get a slightly different total.
  • Overtime applies only with the 1.5× option selected, and assumes all entered days are in the same workweek.

Worked example

  1. Five days, each 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM with a 30-minute unpaid lunch, at $20 an hour.
  2. Each day: 5:00 PM − 8:00 AM = 9 hours = 540 minutes; 540 − 30 = 510 minutes = 8 hours 30 minutes (8.5 hours).
  3. The week: 5 × 510 = 2,550 minutes = 42 hours 30 minutes, or 42.5 decimal hours.
  4. Regular pay: 40 × $20 = $800.00. Overtime: 2.5 hours × $30 (1.5 × $20) = $75.00.
  5. Gross pay for the week: $875.00.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate hours worked?

Subtract the start time from the end time and take off any unpaid break. 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM with a 30-minute lunch is 8 hours 30 minutes, or 8.5 hours.

How do I calculate hours for an overnight shift?

Count the time to midnight, then the time after it. 10:00 PM to 6:30 AM is 2 hours plus 6 hours 30 minutes = 8 hours 30 minutes before breaks. With a 30-minute unpaid break, that is 8 hours.

What is 7 hours 45 minutes in decimal?

7.75 hours. Divide the minutes by 60 (45 ÷ 60 = 0.75) and add them to the hours.

Should breaks be subtracted from hours worked?

Only unpaid ones. Under federal law, short rest breaks (usually 20 minutes or less) are paid working time; bona fide meal breaks of about 30 minutes or more, when you are fully relieved from duty, generally are not.

When does overtime start?

Under the federal FLSA, after 40 hours worked in a workweek, at 1.5 times the regular rate, for non-exempt employees. 42.5 hours at $20 an hour pays $800 regular plus $75 overtime, $875 in total. Some states add daily or other overtime rules.

Sources

Last reviewed for 2026. How we calculate.