Hours Calculator
Calculate total work hours and net pay between clock-in and clock-out times including break deductions.
| Day | In | Out | Break (min) | Hours |
|---|
This Week
Shifts, breaks, and decimal payroll
Calculating worked hours means subtracting a start time from an end time, deducting unpaid breaks, and converting the result into whatever unit payroll expects. The subtraction is base 60, so convert both times to minutes first, subtract, then convert back — it removes every carrying error at once.
Two situations need care. A shift crossing midnight gives a negative result if subtracted directly; add 24 hours to the end time before subtracting, so 22:00 to 06:00 correctly yields eight hours. And unpaid breaks must be deducted explicitly — a nine-hour span with a one-hour lunch is eight paid hours, and whether breaks are paid is a matter of jurisdiction and contract rather than arithmetic.
Payroll works in decimal hours, and the conversion is division by 60, not a decimal point shift. 8 hours 45 minutes is 8.75, and 8 hours 20 minutes is 8.33 rather than 8.20 — a mistake that quietly underpays. Rounding rules also vary: some employers round to the nearest quarter hour, which is generally permitted only where it does not systematically favour the employer over time.
Frequently asked questions
How to calculate work hours?
Total Work Hours = (Clock Out Time - Clock In Time) - Unpaid Break Minutes.
How do I convert minutes into decimal hours for payroll?
Divide minutes by 60: 15 minutes is 0.25 hours, 30 is 0.5, and 45 is 0.75. Payroll systems work in decimal hours, so 7 hours 20 minutes is 7.33 and not 7.20 - treating the minutes as decimals directly is one of the most common timesheet errors.
How are overnight shifts handled?
When the clock-out time is earlier than the clock-in time, the shift is assumed to cross midnight and 24 hours is added before subtracting. A shift from 22:00 to 06:00 is therefore 8 hours, not a negative number.
Should unpaid breaks be deducted?
Under the US Fair Labor Standards Act, short breaks of 5-20 minutes are generally compensable, while bona fide meal periods of 30 minutes or more during which the employee is fully relieved of duty are not. Rules differ substantially by country and by state, so check your local regulations rather than assuming.