Time Card Tools

Hours Worked Calculator

This hours worked calculator counts the time you actually worked on each day and across the week. Enter when you started, when you finished and how long your unpaid break was, and it subtracts the break and totals your work hours in hours and minutes and in decimal hours.

Time format
  1. Monday
    8:008.00 h
  2. Tuesday
    –
  3. Wednesday
    –
  4. Thursday
    –
  5. Friday
    –

Enter only unpaid breaks, such as a lunch you clock out for. An end time earlier than the start counts as an overnight shift.

Total hours worked
8:00
8.00 decimal hours
Days worked
1
Average per day
8:00
Over 40 hours
0:00
0.00 h

How do you calculate hours worked with a lunch break?

Subtract the start time from the end time, then subtract the unpaid lunch break. 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM is 8 hours 30 minutes on the clock; minus a 30-minute lunch, you worked 8 hours. Paid rest breaks of about 20 minutes or less are not subtracted, because they count as work time.

How to use the work hours calculator

  1. Choose 12-hour or 24-hour time. The calculator starts with five days, Monday to Friday; add up to seven or remove days you did not work.
  2. For each day, type your start and end time. 8, 8:00 and 800 all mean 8:00.
  3. Enter the unpaid break in minutes, or tap 0, 15, 30 or 60. Leave it empty if you worked straight through.
  4. Read each day's hours on the right and the weekly total, average per day and any hours over 40 below.

The formula for hours worked

For each day: hours worked = end time − start time − unpaid break. If the end time is earlier than the start, the shift crossed midnight and 24 hours are added, so 10:00 PM to 6:30 AM with a 30-minute break is 8 hours. The week is the sum of the days, so if you have been wondering how many hours you are working each week, this work time calculator answers it from your own start and end times.

To calculate hours and minutes worked into decimal form for a timesheet, divide the minutes by 60: 7 hours 45 minutes is 7 + 45 ÷ 60 = 7.75 hours. The daily hours calculator above shows both forms for every row.

Which breaks to subtract

Only subtract time you were not working and not paid for. Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act rules, a bona fide meal period, ordinarily 30 minutes or more during which you are completely relieved from duty, is not work time (29 CFR 785.19). If you eat at your desk while answering the phone, that lunch is still work time (U.S. DOL Fact Sheet #22: Hours Worked).

Short rest periods of about 5 to 20 minutes are common and must be counted as hours worked (29 CFR 785.18). So with a 30-minute unpaid lunch and two paid 10-minute breaks, enter 30, not 50. This makes the tool a simple 30 minute lunch break calculator: pick 30 and the lunch comes off every day you use it.

Planning an 8-hour shift

To work a full 8 hours with an unpaid 30-minute lunch, you need to be at work for 8 hours 30 minutes: 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM or 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM. With a one-hour lunch, the span is 9 hours, as in 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. If you already know your start time and want the exact time to leave, the time clock calculator works out your clock-out time.

Worked example: one week of work hours

DayStart – endUnpaid breakWorked
Monday8:00 AM – 4:30 PM30 min8:00
Tuesday7:45 AM – 4:15 PM30 min8:00
Wednesday9:00 AM – 6:00 PM60 min8:00
Thursday8:00 AM – 5:15 PM45 min8:30
Friday8:00 AM – 1:00 PMnone5:00
Week37:30 = 37.5 hours

The minutes add to 30 and the hours to 37, so this employee worked 37 hours 30 minutes. Type the same times into the calculator to check it.

Weekly hours and overtime

The weekly hours calculator also shows how far the total goes past 40, because under federal law hours over 40 in a workweek must be paid at least one and a half times the regular rate (29 U.S.C. § 207(a)(1)). This page only counts time. To turn your hours into pay, use the hours and pay calculator; to keep a full week of punches with overtime, saving and printing, use the time card calculator or the timesheet calculator.

This employee time calculator runs in your browser; the times you enter are not sent anywhere. Results are for your own records, not legal or payroll advice.

Frequently asked questions

How many hours did I work?

You worked the time from your start to your end, minus any unpaid break. Starting at 8:00 AM and finishing at 4:30 PM with a 30-minute unpaid lunch is 8 hours 30 minutes minus 30 minutes, or 8 hours. Enter each day above to get the week.

How do you calculate hours worked?

Hours worked equal the end time minus the start time minus unpaid breaks. Write both times in 24-hour form, subtract, add 24 hours if the shift ends after midnight, then subtract meal breaks you were not paid for. Short paid rest breaks stay in.

How do I calculate my work hours?

Calculate your work hours one day at a time, then add the days for the week. For each day, find the hours and minutes from clock-in to clock-out, take away your unpaid lunch, and write the result; the total in hours and minutes can be divided into decimal hours for a timesheet.

How do I add up my work hours?

Add up your work hours by summing the hours and the minutes of each day separately and turning every 60 minutes into an hour. Days of 8:00, 8:30, 7:45, 8:15 and 8:00 give 39 hours plus 90 minutes, which is 40 hours 30 minutes or 40.5 decimal hours.

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