United States · Hours worked · Overnight shifts
Hours calculator
Hours worked are the end time minus the start time, minus unpaid breaks. From 8:45 AM to 5:15 PM is 8:30; take off a 30-minute lunch and you worked 8:00 hours, or 8.00 in decimal hours.
Type a start time, an end time and any unpaid break. Add more shifts to get a total. Nothing you type leaves your browser.
Hours worked
8:00 hours
8.00 in decimal hours · 480 minutes
| Shift | Hours | Decimal |
|---|---|---|
| Shift 1: 8:45 AM to 5:15 PM, less 30 min | 8:00 | 8.00 |
| Total | 8:00 | 8.00 |
How do I calculate hours worked?
- Change both times to the 24-hour clock: 8:45 AM is 08:45 and 5:15 PM is 17:15 (add 12 to PM hours).
- Subtract: 17:15 − 08:45. Minutes first: 15 is less than 45, so borrow an hour: 75 − 45 = 30 minutes, and 16 − 8 = 8 hours. 8:30.
- Take off the unpaid break: 8:30 − 0:30 = 8:00, which is 8.00 decimal hours.
- Overnight: from 10:00 PM to 6:30 AM, count to midnight (2:00) and add the time after it (6:30): 8:30, or 8.50.
The calculator starts on the first example: 8:45 AM to 5:15 PM with a 30-minute lunch is 8:00 (8.00 hours). “Hours between two times” starts on the night shift, 10:00 PM to 6:30 AM.
Which breaks should I take off?
Only unpaid meal breaks. Under federal rules a meal break, ordinarily 30 minutes or more with no work at all, is not work time, so it comes off. Short rest breaks of up to about 20 minutes are paid work time, so leave them in. If you eat at your desk and keep answering the phone, that is work time too.
Some states require meal or rest breaks, or extra pay when one is missed. Federal law does not require breaks at all.
How do I turn my hours into pay?
Multiply decimal hours by your hourly rate: 8.00 hours at $20 is $160. Hours and minutes must be changed to a decimal first: 7:45 is 7.75, not 7.45 (the decimal hours calculator has a chart for every minute). For a week of shifts with overtime and take-home pay after tax, use the time card calculator.
What else can I work out?
- Time card calculator A week of punches to hours, overtime by your state’s rules and take-home pay. Saves on your device.
- Timesheet calculator Daily hours for a pay period to weekly totals, overtime per workweek and pay, with a CSV.
- Timesheet template Printable weekly, biweekly and monthly timesheets, for one person or a team, plus a CSV.
- Military time converter 12-hour to 24-hour time and back, with a full chart.
- Decimal hours calculator Hours and minutes to decimal hours and back, with a minute-by-minute payroll chart.
- Overtime calculator Overtime pay from your hours each day, by the federal rule and your state’s, with take-home pay.
- Paycheck calculator 2026 Take-home pay per paycheck in all 50 states and DC: every US calculator starts here.
Questions about counting hours
How do I calculate hours worked?
Subtract the start time from the end time, then subtract unpaid breaks. 8:45 AM to 5:15 PM is 8:30; less a 30-minute lunch, 8:00.
How do I count hours past midnight?
Count the hours up to midnight, then add the hours after it. 10:00 PM to 6:30 AM is 2:00 before midnight and 6:30 after: 8:30. The calculator does this whenever the end time is earlier than the start time.
How many hours is 9 to 5?
9:00 AM to 5:00 PM is 8 hours. With an unpaid 30-minute lunch it is 7:30 worked, or 7.5 hours; with an unpaid hour, 7 hours.
How do I write 7 hours 30 minutes as a decimal?
Divide the minutes by 60 and add them to the hours: 30 ÷ 60 = 0.5, so 7:30 is 7.5 hours. 15 minutes is 0.25 and 45 minutes is 0.75.
Should breaks be taken off?
Take off unpaid meal breaks only. Under federal rules, short rest breaks of up to about 20 minutes are paid work time; a meal break of 30 minutes or more, with no work at all, can be unpaid.
How do I add up a whole week?
Add each shift to the list and the calculator gives the total. For a full time card with overtime and take-home pay, use the time card calculator.