How to add up your hours
- Enter the start and finish time for each day you worked. Write them as 9:00, 9am or 17:30.
- Add the unpaid break in minutes. Paid breaks are part of the shift, so leave those out.
- Set the overtime rules, if they apply. Leave the weekly limit at 40 and the daily limit at 0 for the common weekly rule.
- Read the total. Add an hourly rate to see gross pay.
For example, five days from 9:00 to 17:30 with a 30 minute break are 8 hours a day and 40 hours in the week. If one day runs to 19:00, that day is 9 hours 30 minutes, the week is 41 hours 30 minutes, and 1 hour 30 minutes of it is weekly overtime.
Night shifts and overnight work
When the finish time is earlier than the start time, the shift runs past midnight and counts as one shift. 22:00 to 06:00 is 8 hours. A shift that starts at 9:00 and finishes at 9:00 is not counted, because it is not clear whether it means no time or 24 hours; enter 24 hour shifts as two shifts instead.
Regular hours and overtime
Two common overtime rules are weekly (hours beyond a weekly limit, often 40) and daily (hours beyond a daily limit, often 8). When both are set, the calculator counts the daily overtime first, then treats any remaining regular time beyond the weekly limit as overtime too, so the same hour is never counted twice. Overtime pay is the hourly rate times the multiplier you choose. The rules that apply to you depend on your country, region, job type and contract, so use this as a calculation aid and check your own rules.
Hours and minutes or decimal hours
Timesheets and payroll often want decimal hours, where 15 minutes is 0.25 and 30 minutes is 0.5. The calculator shows the total both ways. Multiplying decimal hours by a rate is the usual way to get pay: 8.5 hours at 20.00 an hour is 170.00.
Related tools
Counting days rather than hours? Use the business days calculator. To see what a meeting costs in working time, try the meeting cost calculator.
Questions people ask
How do you calculate hours worked from start and finish times?
Subtract the start time from the finish time, then subtract any unpaid break. A shift from 9:00 to 17:30 with a 30 minute break is 8 hours. If the finish is earlier than the start, the calculator treats it as the next day, so 22:00 to 06:00 is 8 hours.
How do I turn hours and minutes into decimal hours?
Divide the minutes by 60 and add them to the hours. 8 hours 30 minutes is 8.5 hours, and 7 hours 20 minutes is 7.33 hours. The calculator shows both forms, since payroll often uses decimals.
How is overtime worked out?
You choose the rules. Weekly overtime counts hours beyond a weekly limit, such as 40. Daily overtime counts hours beyond a daily limit, such as 8, and is counted first. Any regular time left over the weekly limit is overtime as well. Overtime rules differ by country, state and contract, so check the rules that apply to you.
Does the calculator work out pay?
If you enter an hourly rate, it multiplies regular hours by the rate and overtime hours by the rate and your overtime multiplier, such as 1.5. The result is gross pay before tax and deductions.
Are my times and pay rate stored anywhere?
No. Everything runs in your browser. A share link carries the times in the part after the # in the address, which browsers never send to a server.