Work Hours Calculator
Enter clock-in and clock-out times and the break. Add as many periods as you need — the total comes out in both h:mm and the decimal hours payroll asks for.
How the calculation works
For each period the calculator takes the end time minus the start time, adds 24 hours if the shift crossed midnight, and subtracts the break. Then it adds every period together.
Everything is done in whole minutes and converted at the end, so a week of entries adds up exactly. The decimal-hours figure is what payroll systems want: net minutes ÷ 60.
Overnight shifts
If the end time is earlier than the start time, the shift is assumed to run into the next day. 22:00 to 06:00 is eight hours, not minus sixteen. The result labels those rows so you can see the assumption was made.
The one case that stays ambiguous is a start and end that are identical. Rather than guess between "zero hours" and "a full 24-hour shift", the calculator asks you to make it explicit — use 00:00 to 23:59 if you really did work around the clock.
Daylight-saving changeovers are not applied. Twice a year an overnight shift is really 7 or 9 hours rather than 8. If that matters for your payroll, adjust that one shift by hand — assuming a time zone you might not be in would cause more errors than it fixed.
Breaks: paid, unpaid, and what to enter
Enter the break minutes you are not paid for. In most US workplaces a 30-minute unpaid meal break is standard, while short rest breaks of 5–20 minutes are usually paid and should not be entered here.
If you take several breaks in one period, add them up and enter the total. If a break splits your day into two genuinely separate blocks — a long midday gap, a split shift — enter them as two periods instead. The totals are the same, but the record is clearer.
| What you worked | How to enter it |
|---|---|
| 9 to 5 with an unpaid half-hour lunch | One period, 09:00 → 17:00, break 30 |
| Split shift: 09:00–13:00 and 17:00–21:00 | Two periods, no break on either |
| Night shift 22:00 → 06:00 with a 45-minute break | One period, break 45 — the overnight roll is automatic |
| A whole week | One period per day, up to twelve |
Worked examples
09:00 to 17:30, 30-minute unpaid lunch
8 h 30 m gross, minus 30 minutes = 8h 00m net, which is 8.00 decimal hours.
Night shift 22:00 to 06:00, no break
The end is earlier than the start, so a day is added: 8h 00m.
Three periods in one day: 09:00–13:00, 14:00–18:00, 20:00–22:30 with a 15-minute break
4 h + 4 h + 2 h 15 m = 10h 15m, or 10.25 decimal hours.
Turning hours into pay
Gross pay is decimal hours × hourly rate. 8.00 hours at $18.50 is $148.00. The optional rate box does this for you, and it uses net hours — breaks are not paid.
What it deliberately does not do is overtime, shift differentials, tax or deductions. Overtime rules vary by country, state and contract; a number that looked authoritative but used the wrong rule would be worse than no number at all. Treat the figure as gross pay for regular hours.
Common uses
- Checking a paycheque against the hours you actually worked.
- Freelance invoicing where clients want decimal hours.
- Small-team timesheets without payroll software.
- Shift work with nights and split shifts.
- Contract compliance — checking break entitlements and weekly totals.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate hours worked with a lunch break?
How does it handle a night shift that crosses midnight?
What are decimal hours and why does payroll want them?
Can I add up a whole week?
Does the pay estimate include overtime or tax?
Why can't the start and end time be the same?
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