How to Calculate Hours Worked

Start with elapsed time, then deduct unpaid time

From 09:00 to 17:00 is eight elapsed hours. With an unpaid half-hour lunch, paid time is 8:00 − 0:30 = 7:30. With an unpaid one-hour lunch, it is 7:00. The word “paid” here describes your selected deductions, not a legal assessment of the entry.

• 09:00–17:00, no unpaid deduction: 8:00, or 8.00 decimal hours.
• 09:00–17:00, 30-minute unpaid lunch: 7:30, or 7.50 decimal hours.
• 09:00–17:00, one-hour unpaid lunch: 7:00, or 7.00 decimal hours.

Enter the record in the actual table

1. Enter Start Time and End Time in the day’s row. Edit its day label if needed.
2. Use the separate Break and Lunch fields for unpaid deductions. With Break adds a column; With Lunch appears when the lunch column is absent.
3. For a second work period, use the + action beside that day. The gap between periods is already excluded.
4. Read Daily Total and Total Paid Hours. Open Settings for a two-week period or report dates, and Payment for optional rate and overtime settings.
5. Use Print or Download CSV without an account. Save Time Card requires signing in so the record can be reopened.

Split shifts and overnight shifts

08:00–12:00 plus 13:00–17:00 gives 4:00 + 4:00 = 8:00. Do not also subtract the one-hour gap as lunch. For 22:00–06:00, count two hours to midnight and six after midnight: 8:00 before unpaid deductions.

An end earlier than its start means one midnight crossover in this clock-based calculator. It does not measure timezone changes, daylight saving transitions or a shift lasting more than 24 hours. See the overnight-shift guide for those limits.

Read H:MM and decimal hours correctly

The minutes part uses a base of 60. Therefore 7:45 = 7 + 45 ÷ 60 = 7.75 hours. Writing 7.45 means 7 hours 27 minutes. Use the decimal-hours calculator when you want to convert a duration without entering a shift.

Five days of 7:30 total 37:30, or 37.50 hours. Add the underlying minutes first; rounding each day’s decimal display can produce a different total.

Check the assumptions before using the total

Not every break is unpaid. For U.S. federal rules, DOL Fact Sheet 22 explains that short rest periods are generally counted as hours worked and qualifying meal periods require relief from duties. Other jurisdictions and circumstances can differ.

Check missing entries, AM/PM and duplicate deductions. Keep workweek totals separate when calculating overtime. Continue with the multiple-break guide, overtime-pay guide, or weekly template.