Hours Calculator (Time Card)
Enter when you started, when you finished and how long the break was. It gives the hours worked in hours and minutes, the same figure in decimal hours for a timesheet, and the pay at your hourly rate.
| Start time | |
| End time | |
| Unpaid break | minutes |
| Hourly rate | $ |
Result
Your result will appear here.
How it works
Clock times are converted to minutes, subtracted, and then adjusted for the unpaid break. If the end time is earlier than the start time, the shift is assumed to run past midnight and a full day of 1,440 minutes is added, so a 22:00 to 06:00 shift comes out as eight hours rather than minus sixteen.
Payroll systems almost never use hours and minutes; they use decimal hours, where each minute is one sixtieth of an hour. Seven hours and thirty minutes is 7.50, not 7.30, and mixing the two is the most common timesheet error.
Formula
Everything is done in minutes and converted at the end.
- Minutes worked = end time − start time (add 1,440 if end is earlier than start)
- Minutes worked = minutes worked − break minutes
- Decimal hours = minutes worked ÷ 60
- Pay = decimal hours × hourly rate
Worked example
9:00 to 17:30 with a 30-minute unpaid break: 510 minutes minus 30 is 480 minutes, which is exactly 8.00 hours — $160.00 at $20 an hour. The same shift with a 45-minute break would be 7.75 hours, not 7.45.
Assumptions
The break is unpaid and taken in one block. Overtime rules, shift premiums, rounding to the nearest quarter hour and multiple shifts per day are not applied. Some employers round each clock-in and clock-out to the nearest five or fifteen minutes, which can move a weekly total by a noticeable amount.
Reading the result
Check the decimal figure against your payslip rather than the hours-and-minutes one. If they disagree, the usual culprits are a break that was actually paid, a shift that crossed midnight, or rounding rules applied in the payroll system. For a week, run each day separately and add the decimal hours — adding up hours and minutes first and converting at the end gives the same answer only if you carry the minutes correctly.
For general information only. Your employer's rounding and overtime rules apply.
How to use the Hours Calculator (Time Card)
It takes a few seconds, and every figure is calculated in your browser.
- Enter the start time.
- Enter the end time.
- Enter any unpaid break, in minutes.
- Enter the hourly rate.
- Press Calculate — the result appears in the dark panel beside the form.
- Use Copy, CSV, Share or Print under the result if you want to keep it.
Hours Calculator (Time Card) — frequently asked questions
What formula does the Hours Calculator (Time Card) use?
Everything is done in minutes and converted at the end. Minutes worked = end time − start time (add 1,440 if end is earlier than start) Minutes worked = minutes worked − break minutes Decimal hours = minutes worked ÷ 60 Pay = decimal hours × hourly rate
How does the Hours Calculator (Time Card) work?
Clock times are converted to minutes, subtracted, and then adjusted for the unpaid break. If the end time is earlier than the start time, the shift is assumed to run past midnight and a full day of 1,440 minutes is added, so a 22:00 to 06:00 shift comes out as eight hours rather than minus sixteen. Payroll systems almost never use hours and minutes; they use decimal hours, where each minute is one sixtieth of an hour.
What assumptions and limitations should I know about?
The break is unpaid and taken in one block. Overtime rules, shift premiums, rounding to the nearest quarter hour and multiple shifts per day are not applied. Some employers round each clock-in and clock-out to the nearest five or fifteen minutes, which can move a weekly total by a noticeable amount.
Can you walk through a worked example?
9:00 to 17:30 with a 30-minute unpaid break: 510 minutes minus 30 is 480 minutes, which is exactly 8.00 hours — $160.00 at $20 an hour. The same shift with a 45-minute break would be 7.75 hours, not 7.45.
Last updated 10 November 2026 · Formula, worked example and assumptions are documented above, and every result is calculated in your browser.