Hours Calculator
Hours worked = elapsed time between start and end - unpaid break time.
Enter work start and finish
Enter the start time, end time and any unpaid break minutes. The calculator returns total hours worked in hours and minutes, and often as decimal hours.
Use it for time cards, shift checks, freelance logs and study blocks. If your shift crosses midnight, make sure the overnight setting or date fields are correct.
If you are checking a timesheet, keep the original clock times visible. That makes it easier to explain the final total.
Hours worked after breaks
Gross hours are the full time from start to end. Net hours are gross hours minus breaks. A lunch break only comes out of the result if you enter it as unpaid break time.
Decimal hours convert minutes into parts of an hour. For example, 7 hours 30 minutes becomes 7.5 hours. This is usually the format payroll systems expect.
How work hours are counted
The calculator finds elapsed minutes between start and end. It then subtracts break minutes. The remaining minutes are divided by 60 for decimal hours or split into hours and minutes for readable time.
If a range crosses midnight, the end time is treated as occurring the next day. Without that rule, a night shift would look negative.
This also keeps break subtraction honest. The break should reduce the finished duration, not change the start or end clock time.
A simple timesheet example
A shift from 8:45 AM to 5:15 PM is 8 hours and 30 minutes. If the unpaid break is 30 minutes, the net time is 8 hours.
In decimal format, 8 hours is 8.00. If the net time were 8 hours 15 minutes, the decimal value would be 8.25 because 15 minutes is one quarter of an hour.
Breaks and overnight shifts
The most common mistake is subtracting a break twice. If your time card already excludes lunch, do not enter the lunch break again.
Another mistake is writing minutes as decimals without conversion. 8 hours 45 minutes is 8.75 hours, not 8.45 hours.
Also check whether the end time belongs to the next day. Night shifts need that detail or the result can be wrong.
Hours Calculator FAQ
How do I calculate hours worked with a lunch break?
Find the time between clock in and clock out, then subtract the unpaid lunch break. A 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM shift is 8 hours 30 minutes gross.
If lunch is 30 minutes unpaid, the net work time is 8 hours. If the break is paid, do not subtract it.
How do I calculate overnight work hours?
Treat the clock out time as happening on the next day. For 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM, count 2 hours to midnight and 6 hours after midnight.
The total is 8 hours before breaks. If the calculator gives a negative value, the overnight setting is probably missing.
What are decimal hours?
Decimal hours express minutes as a fraction of an hour. Thirty minutes is 0.5 hours. Fifteen minutes is 0.25 hours. Forty five minutes is 0.75 hours.
Payroll systems often use this format because it is easier to multiply by an hourly rate.
When you see a decimal result, read it as a math value. Do not read the digits after the decimal as minutes.
Should I round work hours?
Only round if your workplace or project rule says to round. Some systems use exact minutes, while others round to 5, 6, 10 or 15 minute blocks.
A calculator can show the exact duration, but policy decides whether rounding is allowed.
For personal records, exact minutes are the cleanest backup. You can always apply rounding later if a system requires it.
Why does 8:30 not mean 8.30 hours?
8:30 is time format, meaning 8 hours and 30 minutes. In decimal hours, 30 minutes is half an hour, so the value is 8.5.
This matters when multiplying by pay rate. Using 8.30 would undercount the time.
A quick check is to convert the minutes alone. Since 30 / 60 = 0.5, the decimal must end in .5.