Time Card Calculator

This work hour calculator handles one shift at a time:

• Enter your clock-in time and clock-out time.
• Enter your unpaid break in minutes.
• Enter your hourly rate if you want the pay for the shift.
• Set the daily overtime threshold and multiplier. The default pays hours past 8 in a day at 1.5×; set the threshold to 0 to switch daily overtime off.
• Read the net paid hours, overtime hours and total pay. The results update as you type.

Example input (Monday): start 9:00 AM, end 5:00 PM, unpaid break 30 minutes.

Run each day through the calculator and add the results to get a weekly total, or log the whole week at once with the timesheet calculator, which also applies the 40-hour weekly overtime rule.

Shifts that cross midnight work too: if the clock-out time is earlier than the clock-in time, the calculator treats it as an overnight shift and counts through to the next day.

A time card calculator (also called a timesheet calculator or work hours calculator) works out how many hours you have worked from your start time, end time and break duration.

What it calculates:

• Daily work hours
• Overtime hours
• Regular pay, overtime pay and total pay
• Hours and minutes converted to decimal hours

Who uses it:

• Employees checking their hours before payday
• Employers processing payroll
• Freelancers billing clients by the hour
• Contractors tracking time on projects
• Anyone paid hourly

Real-world example: an employee works 42 hours in a week. Without tracking, they might not notice the 2 hours of overtime. With a time card, they can claim the correct overtime pay.

• Step 1: Identify your start time. Example: 9:00 AM.
• Step 2: Identify your end time. Example: 5:00 PM.
• Step 3: Calculate gross hours. 5:00 PM − 9:00 AM = 8 hours.
• Step 4: Subtract unpaid breaks. A 30-minute break is 0.5 hours, so net hours = 8 − 0.5 = 7.5 hours.

Answer: you worked 7.5 hours.

If your times include minutes, it is easiest to count everything in minutes first. For 8:45 AM to 5:15 PM with a 45-minute lunch: 5:15 PM is 1,035 minutes after midnight and 8:45 AM is 525, so the shift is 510 minutes. Take off the 45-minute lunch to get 465 minutes, and 465 ÷ 60 = 7.75 hours.

Standard workday: 5:00 PM − 8:30 AM = 8.5 hours. The 45-minute break is 45 ÷ 60 = 0.75 hours, so net hours = 8.5 − 0.75 = 7.75 hours.

Early start: 3:30 PM − 7:00 AM = 8.5 hours. Take off 0.5 hours for the break to get 8.0 hours.

Late shift: 10:30 PM − 2:00 PM = 8.5 hours. Take off 0.5 hours for the break to get 8.0 hours.

This is one of the most common mistakes in time tracking. The formula is:

Decimal hours = minutes ÷ 60

Example: 2 hours 27 minutes. 27 ÷ 60 = 0.45, so the total is 2.45 hours.

Important: 1 hour 18 minutes is not 1.18 hours. It is 1 + 18 ÷ 60 = 1.3 hours. The converter under the calculator does this in both directions.

Formula: end time − start time = work hours, then subtract any unpaid break.

Overtime is paid at a higher rate, usually 1.5× your regular rate.

Overtime pay = overtime hours × hourly rate × 1.5

Example: hourly rate $20, 40 regular hours and 5 overtime hours.

• Overtime pay: 5 × $20 × 1.5 = $150
• Regular pay: 40 × $20 = $800
• Total pay: $800 + $150 = $950

Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, overtime is counted by the week: hours over 40 in a workweek. A few states, California among them, also count overtime by the day, for hours over 8 in a workday. This calculator applies the daily rule to a single shift; for the weekly rule, use the timesheet calculator or the overtime pay calculator.

Total pay = (regular hours × rate) + (overtime hours × rate × 1.5)

• Regular pay: 40 × $15 = $600
• Overtime pay: 8 × $15 × 1.5 = $180
• Total pay: $600 + $180 = $780

This is gross pay, before taxes and deductions. To see take-home pay, use the take-home paycheck calculator. To turn the hours into a pay stub for wages you paid, enter them in the pay stub generator.

Excel can calculate work hours if the cells are set up correctly.

• Step 1: Set up columns. A1: Clock In, B1: Clock Out, C1: Break (minutes), D1: Hours Worked.
• Step 2: Format columns A and B as Time, for example 9:00 AM.
• Step 3: For hours as a duration, enter =B2-A2 and format the cell as [h]:mm.
• Step 4: For decimal hours with the break taken off, enter =(B2-A2)*24-C2/60 in D2.
• Step 5: To show the hours and minutes separately, use =HOUR(B2-A2) and =MINUTE(B2-A2).

For a shift that ends after midnight, use =MOD(B2-A2,1)*24 so the result does not go negative.

Important: Excel stores time as a fraction of a day, so 1 hour = 1/24. That is why you multiply by 24 to get decimal hours.

In the United States, time records and overtime are governed by the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

Breaks and rounding under federal rules:

• Short rest breaks of about 5 to 20 minutes count as hours worked and must be paid.
• Meal periods of 30 minutes or more can be unpaid, but only if you are fully relieved of duty.
• Employers may round punch times to the nearest 5 minutes, tenth of an hour or quarter hour, as long as the rounding does not favor the employer over time. With quarter-hour rounding this is often called the 7-minute rule.

Important notes:

• State laws may be stricter than federal law.
• Many states have a higher minimum wage than $7.25.
• Overtime rules, including daily overtime, vary by state.

Problem 1: start 9:00 AM, end 5:30 PM, break 45 minutes. How many hours worked?

Solution: gross 5:30 PM − 9:00 AM = 8.5 hours. Break 45 ÷ 60 = 0.75 hours. Net 8.5 − 0.75 = 7.75 hours.

Problem 2: start 8:15 AM, end 4:45 PM, break 30 minutes. How many hours worked?

Solution: gross 4:45 PM − 8:15 AM = 8.5 hours. Break 0.5 hours. Net 8.0 hours.

Problem 3: an employee earns $18 an hour and works 45 hours in a week. What is their total pay?

Solution: regular 40 × $18 = $720. Overtime 5 × $18 × 1.5 = $135. Total $855.

Problem 4: convert 2 hours 42 minutes to decimal hours.

Solution: 42 ÷ 60 = 0.7, so the answer is 2.7 hours.

Problem 5: how many hours is 10:30 AM to 7:00 PM with a 30-minute break?

Solution: gross 7:00 PM − 10:30 AM = 8.5 hours. Break 0.5 hours. Net 8.0 hours.

This calculator can help with:

• Calculating work hours for a shift, including overnight shifts
• Subtracting an unpaid break
• Calculating daily overtime hours at the multiplier you choose
• Calculating regular, overtime and total pay for the shift
• Converting minutes to decimal hours and back

This calculator cannot:

• Total several days or apply the 40-hour weekly overtime rule (use the timesheet calculator for that)
• Account for state-specific labor laws automatically
• Handle shift differentials or more than one pay rate
• Tell paid breaks from unpaid ones for you; enter only the unpaid minutes
• Replace payroll software or legal advice on labor laws

A time card calculator helps employees, employers, freelancers and contractors check hours and pay. Knowing how to calculate work hours, and how to convert minutes to decimal hours, makes sure you are paid correctly.

• Work hours = end time − start time − unpaid breaks
• Decimal hours = minutes ÷ 60
• Overtime pay = overtime hours × rate × 1.5
• Total pay = (regular hours × rate) + (overtime hours × rate × 1.5)

Quick reference: 9 to 4 = 7 hours (6.5 with a break). 9 to 5 = 8 hours (7.5 with a break). 8 to 5 = 9 hours (8.5 with a break). 30 minutes = 0.5 hours. 45 minutes = 0.75 hours.