HoursCalc

Hours Calculator

Type when you started and when you finished. You get hours and minutes, decimal hours for payroll, and the right answer for shifts that run past midnight.

Any format works: 9, 9:30, 930, 9:30pm, 21:30.

Hours worked8:008 h after a 30-minute break
Decimal hours
8.00
Total minutes
480
Clock span
8:30
Ends
5:30 PM
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM

How the hours calculator works

It turns both times into minutes after midnight, subtracts start from end, and adds 24 hours when the result is negative, because a finish that is “earlier” than the start can only mean the shift ran past midnight. Then it takes off your unpaid break and shows the result three ways: hours:minutes (what you would say out loud), decimal hours (what payroll software and invoices use) and total minutes.

Need a whole week? The time card calculator totals up to 14 days, rounds punches the way many time clocks do, and splits overtime. For a day with several clock-ins, use the work hours calculator; for spans of more than a day, the time duration calculator.

Why 8:45 is not 8.45 hours

The most common timesheet mistake is typing minutes where payroll expects a fraction of an hour. Slide the minutes and watch the decimal change.

You worked
8 h 45 min
Payroll decimal
8.75 h

45 ÷ 60 = 0.750. If you typed “8.45” instead, payroll would read it as 8 h 27 min — 18 minutes of pay lost on one shift. Our decimal hours chart lists every minute from 1 to 59.

Overnight shifts and daylight saving time

Night-shift maths trips people up twice a year. On the Sunday in March when US clocks jump from 2:00 to 3:00 AM, a shift written as 10 PM–6 AM lasts 7 real hours. On the first Sunday in November, when 1:00–2:00 AM happens twice, the same shift lasts 9. The Fair Labor Standards Act pays for hours actually worked, so the 9-hour night should be paid as 9 hours. Tick the daylight-saving box above, pick the date, and the calculator uses your time zone’s real rules instead of the clock faces.

Worked examples

Quick answers for common shifts: 9 to 5, 8 to 5, 8 to 4, 7 to 3, 7 to 7, 11 PM to 7 AM, or the full shift length chart.

StartEndBreakHoursDecimal
8:00 AM4:30 PM30 min8:008.00
9:15 AM5:45 PM30 min8:008.00
7:00 AM7:30 PM30 min12:0012.00
10:00 PM6:30 AM30 min8:008.00
11:00 AM2:20 PM0 min3:203.33

Questions people ask

How do I calculate hours between two times?

Convert both times to a 24-hour clock, subtract the start from the end, and if the answer is negative add 24 hours (the shift crossed midnight). Then subtract any unpaid break. 9:15 AM to 5:45 PM is 17:45 − 9:15 = 8 h 30 min; minus a 30-minute lunch leaves 8 h 0 min.

How do I calculate hours for an overnight shift?

When the end time is earlier than the start time, the shift ran past midnight, so add 24 hours to the end before subtracting. 10:00 PM to 6:30 AM is (6:30 + 24:00) − 22:00 = 8 h 30 min. This calculator does that automatically.

Why is 8 hours 45 minutes written as 8.75 hours?

Payroll systems count hours in decimals of an hour, not minutes. 45 minutes is 45 ÷ 60 = 0.75 of an hour, so 8 h 45 min = 8.75 hours. Writing 8.45 would mean 8 hours and 27 minutes.

Does daylight saving time change how many hours I worked?

Yes, for a shift that spans the changeover night. In the US, a 10 PM–6 AM shift on the night clocks spring forward is 7 real hours, and on the night they fall back it is 9. Tick “Shift crosses a DST change?” and enter the date to see the real elapsed time.

How many hours is 9 to 5?

9 AM to 5 PM is 8 hours on the clock. With a 30-minute unpaid lunch it is 7 h 30 min (7.5 hours); with a 1-hour lunch, 7 hours. Five days of 9 to 5 with a 30-minute lunch is 37.5 paid hours.

How do I calculate hours worked with lunch?

Find the clock span from start to end, then subtract the unpaid lunch. 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM is 9 hours; minus a 30-minute lunch is 8 h 30 min, or 8.5 decimal hours.

Should I subtract my lunch break?

Subtract unpaid meal breaks. Under US federal rules, short rest breaks (typically 5 to 20 minutes) count as paid work time, while a bona fide meal period of 30 minutes or more when you are fully relieved of duty usually does not (U.S. Department of Labor, 29 CFR 785.18–785.19).

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