How are total hours worked calculated?

The calculator converts start and end clock times to minutes, treats an end time earlier than the start as an overnight shift, subtracts the break, then converts the remaining minutes to decimal hours and HH:MM format.

How is overtime calculated?

Regular hours are capped at the overtime-after threshold. Overtime hours are any remaining worked hours, and overtime pay uses the multiplier you enter. This is a calculator setting, not a legal determination.

Can I use this for payroll records?

Use it as a worksheet only. Payroll rules, rounding policies, meal periods, overtime law, and recordkeeping requirements depend on jurisdiction and employer policy.

Hours Calculator: Time Card & Work Hours

Quick Answer

To calculate hours worked, subtract the clock-in time from the clock-out time, then subtract any unpaid breaks. For example, 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM with a 30-minute lunch is 8 hours. Enter your start and end times above to get total hours, overtime, and pay automatically — shown in both hours-and-minutes and decimal format.

How the Hours Calculator Works

This page models one shift. If you are totaling a full week of punches, the time card calculator handles all seven days with weekly overtime.

The calculator converts the start and end clock times into minutes. If the end time is earlier than or equal to the start time, it treats the shift as crossing midnight and adds 24 hours to the elapsed time. It then subtracts the break duration and reports worked time as decimal hours and HH:MM.

With the default 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM shift and a 30-minute break, elapsed time is 8.00 hours and worked time is 7.50 hours. At $25 per hour with overtime after 8 hours, the default result is $187.50 regular pay and no overtime pay.

Overtime and Pay Formula

Regular hours are the smaller of worked hours and the overtime threshold. Overtime hours are worked hours above that threshold. Regular pay is regular hours times hourly rate. Overtime pay is overtime hours times hourly rate times the overtime multiplier. These settings let you model a single shift, but they do not decide whether a worker is legally entitled to overtime.

Decimal Hours Reference

Common minute-to-decimal conversions
Minutes	Decimal Hours	Minutes	Decimal Hours
15	0.25	45	0.75
20	0.33	50	0.83
30	0.50	55	0.92

Payroll Caveats

Some employers round time records to the nearest 5 minutes, tenth of an hour, or quarter hour. The federal rounding regulation accepts rounding only when it averages out and does not fail to compensate employees for time actually worked. State law, union contracts, company policy, meal-period rules, and exempt/nonexempt status can change the real payroll result.

Sources

Frequently Asked Questions

The calculator converts the clock times to minutes, handles overnight shifts, subtracts the break, then reports the remaining worked time.

Regular hours are capped at the overtime-after threshold. Any worked hours above that threshold are multiplied by the overtime multiplier for pay.

Decimal hours convert minutes to a fraction of an hour. For example, 30 minutes is 0.50 hours and 45 minutes is 0.75 hours.

Use it as a worksheet only. Payroll rules, rounding, meal periods, overtime law, and records depend on jurisdiction and employer policy.