Hours Calculator
Turn a clock-in, clock-out, and break into hours worked — as H:MM and as a decimal.
8 h 00 min on the clock. That is 8.00 decimal hours after a 30-minute unpaid break.
To find hours worked, subtract the clock-in time from the clock-out time, then subtract the unpaid break. A shift from 09:00 to 17:30 is 8 h 30 min gross; take off a 30-minute lunch and you have worked 8 h 00 min, or 8.00 decimal hours (480 minutes ÷ 60).
How a time card converts to hours
A time card records when you clock in and clock out. The gap between them is your gross time on the clock. Most jobs then remove an unpaid break — a lunch or rest period you are not paid for — to leave your net hours worked. This tool does both steps and shows the answer two ways: as hours and minutes (H:MM) for a human, and as decimal hours for payroll, which multiplies cleanly by an hourly rate.
If the end time is earlier than the start time, add 24 hours first (overnight shift).
Why decimal hours differ from the clock
Decimal hours are not the same as the minutes you read on a clock. Half an hour is 0.5 hours, not 0.30, because there are 60 minutes in an hour, not 100. To convert, divide the minutes by 60: 15 min ÷ 60 = 0.25, 45 min ÷ 60 = 0.75. Payroll systems use the decimal form so that pay is simply decimal hours × hourly rate.
- 1 Note the clock-in and clock-out times. For example, clock in at 09:00 and clock out at 17:30.
- 2 Find the gross span. 17:30 − 09:00 = 8 h 30 min. If the end time is earlier than the start (a shift past midnight), add 24 hours first.
- 3 Subtract the unpaid break. With a 30-minute lunch: 8 h 30 min − 30 min = 8 h 00 min of worked time.
- 4 Convert to decimal hours. 8 h 00 min is 480 minutes; 480 ÷ 60 = 8.00 decimal hours for payroll.
Minutes to decimal hours
Divide any number of minutes by 60 to get its decimal-hour value.
| Minutes | Decimal hours |
|---|---|
| 15 min | 0.25 |
| 20 min | 0.33 |
| 30 min | 0.50 |
| 45 min | 0.75 |
| 50 min | 0.83 |
| 60 min | 1.00 |
Overnight shifts and unpaid breaks
Overnight shifts. When a shift crosses midnight the clock-out time reads earlier than the clock-in — for example, 22:00 to 06:00. The calculator detects this and adds 24 hours before subtracting, so 22:00 to 06:00 counts as 8 hours rather than a negative span. It never assumes a shift is longer than 24 hours.
Unpaid breaks. Only breaks you are not paid for should be entered here. A paid rest break stays part of your worked hours, so leave it out. If the break you enter is longer than the whole shift, worked time would be negative and the tool flags it instead of showing a wrong number. Rounding to the exact minute keeps the decimal hours precise; payroll may round to the nearest quarter-hour, which can shift the final figure slightly.