Free hours calculator
Work hours calculator
Enter a start time, an end time and any unpaid break. The calculator returns the hours worked as a decimal for payroll (like 7.50) and in hours and minutes (7:30), and handles shifts that run past midnight.
- Hours worked
- 8.00
- Hours and minutes
- 8:00
- Total minutes
- 480
- Break
- 30 min
8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, less a 30-minute break, is 8:00 — 8.00 hours for payroll.
Free, no signup. Made by TrackBadges, the QR badge time clock for crews.
How hours between two times are calculated
Subtract the start time from the end time, then take off any unpaid break. If the end time is earlier than the start, the shift crossed midnight, so add 24 hours to the end time first.
| Shift | Break | Hours worked | Decimal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 7:00 AM – 3:30 PM | 30 min | 8:00 | 8.00 |
| 8:00 AM – 4:45 PM | 45 min | 8:00 | 8.00 |
| 6:30 AM – 5:00 PM | 30 min | 10:00 | 10.00 |
| 9:15 AM – 1:40 PM | none | 4:25 | 4.42 |
| 10:00 PM – 6:30 AM | 30 min | 8:00 | 8.00 |
Decimal hours vs hours and minutes
Payroll software multiplies hours by a pay rate, so it needs decimal hours: 4 hours 25 minutes is 4.42 hours (25 ÷ 60 = 0.4167). Don't type it as 4.25 — that's 4 hours 15 minutes. The minutes to decimal converter has a full chart.
Paid and unpaid breaks
Under federal rules, short rest breaks (usually 20 minutes or less) are paid work time, and bona fide meal periods (usually 30 minutes or more, fully relieved of duty) can be unpaid. Only subtract breaks that are unpaid. Some states have their own meal and rest break rules.
For a full week with overtime, use the timesheet calculator.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours is 7 AM to 3:30 PM?
8 hours 30 minutes, or 8.5 hours. With a 30-minute unpaid lunch, it's 8 hours worked.
How many hours is 9 to 5?
8 hours. With a 30-minute unpaid lunch, it's 7.5 hours worked; with a 1-hour lunch, 7 hours.
Are breaks counted as hours worked?
Under the FLSA, short breaks of about 5 to 20 minutes are paid work time. Meal periods of 30 minutes or more where the employee is completely relieved from duty don't have to be paid. State laws can add rules.
Keep reading
- Timesheet calculatorFree weekly timesheet calculator: enter clock-in and clock-out times with lunch breaks to get total hours, overtime and gross pay. Rounding options too.
- Minutes to decimal converterConvert minutes to decimal hours for payroll (and back), with a full chart from 1 to 60 minutes. 15 minutes = 0.25, 30 = 0.50, 45 = 0.75.
- Overtime calculatorFree overtime calculator: enter an hourly rate and hours worked to get regular and overtime pay at 1.5× or 2×, plus the premium for no tax on overtime.
- How to track employee hoursCompare 6 ways to track employee hours by cost, accuracy and buddy-punch risk, build a free Excel timesheet with lunch-break formulas, and know what to keep.
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