Work Hours Calculator
Enter start and end times and a break to get today’s hours worked or a weekly total over several days instantly. Shifts that run past midnight are handled automatically.
The break is subtracted from the time worked.
How to use
How this work hours calculator works
This work hours calculator adds up the time you worked from your start time, end time and break. Enter when you clocked in and out and how many minutes you took for breaks, and it shows the hours and minutes worked for that day. Add more days with Add day to build a weekly total, then see how it compares with a 40-hour week. If you enter an hourly rate it estimates your pay before tax. The tool understands shifts that run past midnight: a start of 10:00 PM and an end of 6:00 AM is treated as an eight-hour shift that ends the next morning. A colored band under each day shows the worked time, the break and any overnight hours, so you can see the shape of the shift at a glance.
How the hours are figured
For each day, the calculator finds the time between the start and the end (adding 24 hours if the end is earlier than the start), subtracts the break, and reports the remainder. If the break is longer than the shift, it warns you instead of showing a negative number. Take a 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM day with a 60-minute unpaid lunch: the span is 8 hours, the break is 1 hour, so you worked 7 hours. Two such days give 14 hours, which is 26 hours short of a 40-hour week. The total is shown as hours and minutes, and the average per day is calculated from the days you filled in.
Pay estimates and overtime
With an hourly rate, the estimate is simply the rate multiplied by the total hours worked. At $20.00 an hour, 14 hours is $280.00. The estimate is before tax and does not add overtime or shift premiums. Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, most non-exempt employees must be paid at least one and a half times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek, and some states also require daily overtime. For example, 45 hours at $20.00 is 40 × $20.00 plus 5 × $30.00, or $950.00 in total. Exempt employees, such as many salaried managers and professionals, are not covered by the overtime rule. Check your state and employer policy for the details that apply to you.
Breaks and meal periods
Federal law does not require employers to give meal or rest breaks to adult workers, though many states do. Short rest breaks of about 5 to 20 minutes are generally counted as paid working time, while a genuine meal period of 30 minutes or more, when you are completely relieved of duty, can be unpaid. This calculator treats the break you enter as unpaid and subtracts it. If your employer pays for your breaks, enter 0 minutes for the break field. The rules differ by state, so confirm with your employer or your state labor department.
Overnight hours
The tool also counts how many of your hours fall between 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM and shows them as a separate overnight line, plus a dark band under the shift. Federal law does not require extra pay for night work, but many employers pay a shift differential for evenings or overnights, and some industries have their own rules. Use the overnight figure as a reference when you ask about a differential or when you plan for fatigue and rest.
Timesheet tips
- Record times as they happen. Writing down start, end and break times each day is more accurate than reconstructing a week from memory.
- Check rounding rules. Some employers round to the nearest quarter hour. If yours does, enter the rounded times to match your payroll.
- Mind the workweek. Overtime is measured across your employer’s fixed workweek, which may not run Monday to Sunday.
- Keep your own record. A copy of your hours helps you spot errors in a paycheck.
- Use the quick buttons. One tap fills a common schedule such as 9 AM to 5 PM with a one-hour break.
Converting minutes to decimal hours
Payroll systems often want hours in decimals rather than hours and minutes. Divide the minutes by 60 and add them to the hours: 15 minutes is 0.25, 30 minutes is 0.5, 45 minutes is 0.75, and 20 minutes is about 0.33. So 7 hours and 30 minutes is 7.5 hours, and at $20.00 an hour that is $150.00. If you prefer to calculate pay by hand, convert the total first and then multiply by your rate.
A sample week
Suppose you work Monday to Thursday from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM with a 30-minute break, which is 8 hours a day, and on Friday you work 8:00 AM to 12:00 noon with no break, which is 4 hours. Enter the five rows and the total is 36 hours, which is 4 hours under a 40-hour week. At $22.50 an hour the estimated pay before tax is $810.00. If you stayed until 6:00 PM on Wednesday, the tool would show 37.5 hours and you would be 2.5 hours under 40 for the week. Use a sample like this to check a paycheck or to plan how many extra hours you need to reach a full-time schedule.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate hours worked?
Subtract the start time from the end time, then subtract your unpaid break. From 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM with a 30-minute break you worked 7.5 hours, or 7 hours and 30 minutes. Enter the times here and the tool does it for you and adds the days together.
How does the calculator handle shifts that go past midnight?
If the end time is earlier than the start time, the tool assumes the shift ended on the next day and adds 24 hours before subtracting. A 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM shift is therefore counted as 8 hours.
Is the break subtracted from my total?
Yes. The break you enter is treated as unpaid time and is removed from the hours worked. If your breaks are paid, enter 0 for the break.
What does the “vs. 40-hour week” line show?
It compares your total with 40 hours, the standard full-time week in the U.S. A plus sign means you are over 40, which may be overtime for non-exempt employees. A minus sign means you are under.
Does the estimated pay include overtime, taxes or night pay?
No. It multiplies your hourly rate by your total hours and shows the pre-tax amount. Overtime, shift differentials, bonuses and deductions are not included.
Can I enter more than one day?
Yes. Use the add-day button to add up to 14 rows, one for each day or shift. The summary shows the total, the average per day and the overnight hours across all rows.
Are my entries stored anywhere?
Your times and hourly rate are saved only in your own browser so the form is filled when you return. Nothing is sent to a server, and the Clear all button removes them.