Quick answer
- 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM = 8 hours; with a 30-minute unpaid break, 7.5 hours.
- 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM with a 30-minute break = 8 hours.
- Minutes to decimal hours: divide by 60. 15 min = 0.25 h, 30 min = 0.5 h, 45 min = 0.75 h.
Shifts that cross midnight
Night shifts are where manual timesheet math goes wrong: 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM is not “6 minus 10”. Tick overnight and the calculator counts across midnight, then subtracts your break.
A week of shifts, added up
| Day | In | Out | Break | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 8:30 AM | 5:00 PM | 30 min | 8.00 |
| Tuesday | 8:30 AM | 5:30 PM | 30 min | 8.50 |
| Wednesday | 8:00 AM | 6:00 PM | 45 min | 9.25 |
| Thursday | 8:30 AM | 5:00 PM | 30 min | 8.00 |
| Friday | 8:30 AM | 4:30 PM | 30 min | 7.50 |
| Week total | 41.25 |
Use add row for each shift and the calculator keeps a running total. Under the US Fair Labor Standards Act, non-exempt employees must receive at least one and a half times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek. In the example that is 1.25 overtime hours. Some states add daily overtime rules (California, for example, after 8 hours in a day), so check your state’s labor department.
Converting minutes to decimal hours
| Minutes | Decimal hours |
|---|---|
| 6 min | 0.1 |
| 15 min | 0.25 |
| 20 min | 0.33 |
| 30 min | 0.5 |
| 45 min | 0.75 |
Payroll systems usually expect decimal hours. Divide minutes by 60: 7 hours 45 minutes is 7.75 hours, not 7.45.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate hours worked?
Enter the clock-in and clock-out times, tick overnight if the shift passes midnight and enter any unpaid break. The result is shown in hours and minutes and in decimal hours.
Is a 30-minute lunch break paid?
In the US, federal law does not require meal breaks, and bona fide meal periods of 30 minutes or more are usually unpaid. Short rest breaks of 5–20 minutes are generally paid. State rules vary.
How do I add up hours for a whole week?
Add one row per shift. The total at the bottom adds them all, so you can compare it with 40 hours.
Why does 7:45 become 7.75?
Decimal hours count fractions of an hour: 45 minutes is three quarters of an hour, so 0.75.
Every date, offset and calculation on this page was checked against the sources below.