Work Hours Calculator
Enter start time, end time, and break duration — get total hours worked in HH:MM and decimal. Example: 9:00 to 17:30 minus 30 min break = 8h 00m / 8.00 hours. Add multiple shifts for a weekly total. Useful for payroll, timesheet entry, and freelance invoicing. Overnight shifts supported.
Enter start and end times for each shift or day — instantly totals hours and minutes plus the decimal equivalent for payroll.
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Formula
Work Hours = (End Time − Start Time) − Break Duration
Subtract the start from the end to get gross duration, then deduct unpaid break time. For overnight shifts, the calculator adds 24h to the end time automatically.
Worked Example
Scenario: Calculate a 5-day working week for payroll.
Mon 09:00–17:30 (30m break) = 8h 00m
Tue 08:30–17:00 (30m break) = 8h 00m
Wed 09:00–18:00 (60m break) = 8h 00m
Thu 09:00–17:30 (30m break) = 8h 00m
Fri 09:00–15:00 (0m break) = 6h 00m
Total: 38h 00m = 38.00 decimal hours.
Common Mistakes
- Entering break time in hours instead of minutes. The break field expects minutes. A 30-minute lunch break is entered as 30, not 0.5.
- Forgetting to enter a break at all. If an employee takes an unpaid lunch break, it must be entered to avoid overpaying hours.
- Using hours:minutes totals in payroll software. Most payroll systems require decimal hours. Use the decimal value shown in the result.
Guide
How to Use
- 1
Enter start and end times
Add clock-in and clock-out times for each work period or day.
- 2
Enter break minutes
Enter unpaid break time in minutes. Leave as 0 if no break applies.
- 3
Add rows for more days
Click "Add row" for each additional day or shift to total a full week.
- 4
Calculate
Get the total in hours and minutes plus the decimal equivalent for payroll entry.
Next Steps
What to do next
Decimal Hours Converter
Already showing decimal hours? Convert any hours:minutes to decimal — or reverse-convert decimal back to h:mm.
Invoice Due Date Calculator
Once hours are logged, calculate when the invoice is due under Net 7, 14, 30, or custom terms.
Business Days Calculator
Count Mon–Fri working days between any two dates — for project billing periods or payroll cut-offs.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Related by Workflow
Related by Region
When to use this calculator
- →Calculating total shift hours for payroll entry — especially with break deductions
- →Totalling billable hours for a freelance or consulting invoice
- →Checking planned weekly hours before a shift schedule is confirmed
- →Converting shift times to decimal format ready for payroll software
Example calculation
Inputs: Start 9:00 · End 17:30 · Break 30 min
Gross hours: 8h 30m
After break deduction: 8h 00m / 8.00 decimal
The decimal output is ready for direct payroll entry. 8h 00m = 8.00. 8h 30m = 8.50. 8h 45m = 8.75.
From shift times to payroll-ready hours
Most payroll systems and invoicing tools expect time as a decimal number — not as hours and minutes. This calculator gives you both: the HH:MM total for readability, and the decimal equivalent ready for direct entry into a payroll run or client invoice.
The most common error in manual timesheet entry is treating 7h 45m as 7.45 hours. It is actually 7.75 — because 45 minutes is 75% of an hour, not 45%. This calculator eliminates that step entirely by outputting the correct decimal alongside the HH:MM result.
Break deductions are handled automatically. Enter the total break duration in minutes and the calculator removes it from the gross hours. For overnight shifts — for example, a 10 PM to 6 AM shift — enable the overnight toggle and the calculator will count across midnight correctly.
Common workflows by role
Payroll processing
Enter each employee's start time, end time, and break duration to get the decimal hours for the pay period. Sum the decimal totals across days before entering into your payroll system — rounding HH:MM values manually accumulates errors.
Freelance invoicing
Track each work session as a start–end pair, subtract unpaid breaks, and sum the decimal hours across all sessions in the billing period. Multiply the total by your hourly rate to get the invoice amount.
Project time tracking
Log each task as a shift entry. The running decimal total across multiple entries gives an accurate billable hours figure per project, avoiding the accumulated rounding drift that comes from adding up HH:MM values by hand.
Shift planning
Use this calculator to confirm that planned shift patterns hit your required weekly hours target. Enter planned start and end times across multiple days to see the total before the week begins.
Already have HH:MM — need the decimal?
If you already know the total hours and minutes and just need the decimal equivalent, use the Decimal Hours Calculator. It converts in both directions — HH:MM to decimal and decimal back to hours and minutes — with a quick-reference chart for the most common values.
Common calculations
How do I calculate hours worked between a start and end time?
Enter start time (e.g. 09:00) and end time (e.g. 17:30) in the calculator above. Result: 8h 30m gross. Subtract any unpaid break to get net hours: 8h 30m minus 30 min break = 8h 00m / 8.00 decimal hours.
How do I calculate work hours minus break time?
Enter the break duration in minutes in the "Break" field. The calculator automatically deducts it. Example: 9:00–18:00 (9 hours gross) minus 60 min break = 8h 00m / 8.00 decimal. Breaks are always entered in minutes, not as a time.
How do I total weekly work hours across multiple shifts?
Add each day as a separate row using the "Add shift" button. The calculator sums all rows and displays a running weekly total in both HH:MM and decimal. Example: Mon 8.00 + Tue 7.50 + Wed 8.25 + Thu 7.75 + Fri 8.00 = 39.50 hours.
How do I convert work hours to decimal for payroll?
The calculator outputs decimal hours alongside HH:MM. The formula is: decimal = hours + (minutes ÷ 60). So 8h 45m = 8 + (45 ÷ 60) = 8.75. Do not write 8.45 — that is a common payroll error. Use the Decimal Hours Calculator if you already have a HH:MM value to convert.
How do I calculate payroll hours for a freelance invoice?
Sum the decimal hours across all sessions in the billing period. Multiply by your hourly rate. Example: 3 sessions of 2.50, 3.75, and 1.25 hours = 7.50 total hours × £60/hr = £450 invoice amount. Find the invoice due date with the Invoice Due Date Calculator.
Next Steps
Next, you may also need
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