Enter start time, end time and unpaid break for each day you worked. Shifts that run past midnight are handled.
About this tool
This hours calculator works out how many hours you worked from your start and end times, minus unpaid breaks. Fill in a day for a single shift, or the whole week for a timesheet. It shows the total in hours and minutes and in decimal hours, which is what most payroll systems ask for. It also splits out overtime and estimates pay if you add an hourly rate. Everything runs in your browser and nothing is stored.
How to use it
- For each day worked, enter the start time and end time.
- Enter any unpaid break in minutes, such as 30 for a half-hour lunch.
- Optionally enter the weekly hours after which overtime starts, and your hourly rate.
- Read the daily hours and the weekly total.
How hours worked are calculated
Hours worked are the end time minus the start time, minus the break. A 9:00 to 17:30 shift with a 30-minute break is 8.5 hours minus 0.5, which is 8 hours. If the end time is earlier than the start time, the calculator treats the shift as running past midnight and adds 24 hours, so 22:00 to 06:00 is 8 hours.
Converting minutes to decimal hours
Payroll often wants decimal hours, not hours and minutes. Divide the minutes by 60: 15 minutes is 0.25, 30 minutes is 0.5, 45 minutes is 0.75, and 10 minutes is 0.17. So 7 hours 45 minutes is 7.75 hours. The calculator shows both forms so you can copy whichever your employer needs.
Overtime and pay
Many places pay overtime for hours beyond a weekly or daily threshold, often 40 hours a week in the US and 40 or 44 in Canadian provinces, at 1.5 times the normal rate. This tool counts hours above your weekly threshold as overtime and, if you enter a rate, estimates gross pay with overtime at 1.5 times. Rules differ by country, province, state and contract, and some places count daily overtime too, so treat the pay figure as a rough estimate.
Where people use it
- Timesheets: totalling a week of shifts before submitting hours.
- Freelancers and contractors: checking billable hours for an invoice.
- Shift workers: adding up night shifts that cross midnight.
- Checking a paycheque: comparing your own record with what you were paid for.
Things to watch out for
Use 24-hour times or check AM and PM carefully, since a wrong AM or PM changes a shift by 12 hours. Count only unpaid breaks, because paid breaks are part of your hours. Rounding rules vary: some employers round to the nearest 15 minutes, which changes the total slightly. This tool does not apply daily overtime, double time or holiday pay. For the time between two dates, use the time duration calculator.
Frequently asked questions
Subtract the start time from the end time, then subtract unpaid breaks. For example, 9:00 to 17:30 with a 30-minute break is 8 hours.
Divide the minutes by 60. So 15 minutes is 0.25 hours, 30 minutes is 0.5 hours and 45 minutes is 0.75 hours.
Yes. If the end time is earlier than the start time, it adds 24 hours, so 22:00 to 06:00 counts as 8 hours.