Using the Hours Calculator
Choose whether the finish is on the same day or the next day. For a shift from 09:00 to 17:30 with a thirty-minute unpaid break, the paid duration is eight hours. The break is entered in minutes, not as a fraction of an hour.
Worked example
Use the example inputs below to reproduce this result. These are the form's starting values, not recommended targets. Changing your inputs updates your result above; this worked example stays fixed for comparison. Results are rounded for display.
Example inputs
- Start time
- 09:00
- End time
- 17:30
- End day
- Same day
- Unpaid break (minutes)
- 30
Example result
- Total minutes
- 480
- Decimal hours
- 8
- Hours and minutes
- 8h 0m
Method and assumptions
Subtract start time and unpaid breaks from end time. A next-day end adds 24 hours. Does not model timezone or daylight-saving changes.
Choose a time-recording convention
Before combining time entries, decide whether you are recording elapsed time, paid time or another duration. Keep break handling and decimal-hour conversion consistent across records. A clock interval alone does not determine payroll treatment. If a policy rounds time or applies overtime, apply that policy separately rather than assuming it is built into the duration.
Common question
Why is 7 hours 30 minutes shown as 7.5 hours?
Decimal hours express minutes as a fraction of sixty. Thirty minutes is half an hour, so 7 hours 30 minutes equals 7.5 hours. Entering 7.30 as decimal hours would instead mean 7 hours 18 minutes.
Guide updated .