Short answer: to convert minutes to decimal hours, divide the minutes by 60 and add the result to the whole hours. For example, 7 hours 45 minutes is 7 + 45/60 = 7.75 hours. To go back, multiply the decimal part by 60: 8.30 hours is 8 hours and 18 minutes, not 8 hours 30 minutes.
Payroll software, spreadsheets and most pay calculations work in decimal hours, while time clocks and people think in hours and minutes. Mixing the two is one of the most common reasons a paycheck comes out wrong. Use the converter below, keep the chart handy, and walk through the payroll example to see how much a small mistake can cost.
Decimal hours converter
Hours and minutes to decimal
Decimal to hours and minutes
The converter rounds the decimal result to two places, which is how most payroll systems store hours. If your payroll provider uses a different number of decimal places, follow its setting so your figures match.
How to convert minutes to decimal hours
- Split the time into whole hours and leftover minutes. 6:20 becomes 6 hours and 20 minutes.
- Divide the minutes by 60. 20 / 60 = 0.333...
- Add the hours back. 6 + 0.33 = 6.33 hours.
- Round only at the end, usually to two decimal places.
A quick sanity check: 15 minutes is always a quarter (0.25), 30 minutes is a half (0.50) and 45 minutes is three quarters (0.75). If your answer for 30 minutes is anything other than .50, something went wrong.
How to convert decimal hours back to hours and minutes
- Keep the whole number as hours. In 8.30, that is 8 hours.
- Multiply the decimal part by 60. 0.30 x 60 = 18 minutes.
- Write the result as 8:18 (8 hours 18 minutes).
This direction matters when an employee asks why their pay stub says 38.70 hours. That is 38 hours and 42 minutes, which is far easier to compare with their own notes.
Minutes to decimal hours chart (0 to 59 minutes)
Print this chart or keep it next to the time clock. Values are rounded to two decimal places.
| Minutes | Decimal | Minutes | Decimal | Minutes | Decimal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0.00 | 20 | 0.33 | 40 | 0.67 |
| 1 | 0.02 | 21 | 0.35 | 41 | 0.68 |
| 2 | 0.03 | 22 | 0.37 | 42 | 0.70 |
| 3 | 0.05 | 23 | 0.38 | 43 | 0.72 |
| 4 | 0.07 | 24 | 0.40 | 44 | 0.73 |
| 5 | 0.08 | 25 | 0.42 | 45 | 0.75 |
| 6 | 0.10 | 26 | 0.43 | 46 | 0.77 |
| 7 | 0.12 | 27 | 0.45 | 47 | 0.78 |
| 8 | 0.13 | 28 | 0.47 | 48 | 0.80 |
| 9 | 0.15 | 29 | 0.48 | 49 | 0.82 |
| 10 | 0.17 | 30 | 0.50 | 50 | 0.83 |
| 11 | 0.18 | 31 | 0.52 | 51 | 0.85 |
| 12 | 0.20 | 32 | 0.53 | 52 | 0.87 |
| 13 | 0.22 | 33 | 0.55 | 53 | 0.88 |
| 14 | 0.23 | 34 | 0.57 | 54 | 0.90 |
| 15 | 0.25 | 35 | 0.58 | 55 | 0.92 |
| 16 | 0.27 | 36 | 0.60 | 56 | 0.93 |
| 17 | 0.28 | 37 | 0.62 | 57 | 0.95 |
| 18 | 0.30 | 38 | 0.63 | 58 | 0.97 |
| 19 | 0.32 | 39 | 0.65 | 59 | 0.98 |
Common conversions at a glance
| Time on the card | Decimal hours |
|---|---|
| 7:30 | 7.50 |
| 7:45 | 7.75 |
| 8:10 | 8.17 |
| 8:20 | 8.33 |
| 8:40 | 8.67 |
| 9:50 | 9.83 |
Payroll example: why decimal hours matter
Here is one week for an hourly employee paid $18.00 per hour. The hours are read from the time clock in hours and minutes. (The pay rate is just an example.)
| Day | Hours worked (h:mm) | Correct decimal | Wrong "decimal" (typed as read) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 8:15 | 8.25 | 8.15 |
| Tuesday | 7:50 | 7.83 | 7.50 |
| Wednesday | 8:40 | 8.67 | 8.40 |
| Thursday | 8:05 | 8.08 | 8.05 |
| Friday | 9:10 | 9.17 | 9.10 |
| Total | 42:00 | 42.00 | 41.20 |
Correct calculation. The week adds up to 2,520 minutes, which is exactly 42.00 hours. Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, non-exempt employees must get overtime at not less than one and a half times their regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek (U.S. Department of Labor). So pay is 40 x $18.00 = $720.00 plus 2 x $27.00 = $54.00, for $774.00.
Wrong calculation. If someone types the clock readings straight into a spreadsheet as if they were decimals, the total becomes 41.20 hours: 40 x $18.00 + 1.2 x $27.00 = $752.40. The employee is underpaid by $21.60 in a single week, and the overtime is understated too. Across a team and a full year, this kind of error adds up quickly and is hard to unwind.
Tips to avoid conversion errors
- Total the minutes for the week first, then convert once. Rounding each day and adding can drift by a cent or two.
- Label columns clearly as "h:mm" or "decimal" so nobody mixes them.
- If you round punches, use a neutral policy and apply it consistently. See our guide to time clock rounding rules.
- Check overtime with the overtime calculator before you run payroll.
For the full process of turning punches into payable hours, including unpaid breaks, read how to calculate hours worked, or add up a week of punches with the free time card calculator.
Decimal hours in spreadsheets
In Excel or Google Sheets, a time like 7:45 is stored as a fraction of a day. To get decimal hours, multiply the time cell by 24 and format the result as a number: if A2 holds 7:45, the formula =A2*24 returns 7.75. To convert decimal hours back to a time, divide by 24 and format the cell as time. For a shift that ends after midnight, add 1 to the end time before subtracting so the result is not negative.
When to use decimal hours and when to use hours and minutes
Both formats are correct; they just serve different jobs. A simple rule keeps your team consistent:
- Use hours and minutes (h:mm) on the time clock, on schedules and when talking with employees. People understand "you worked 7 hours 50 minutes" instantly.
- Use decimal hours anywhere you multiply by a pay rate: payroll entry, job costing, labor cost reports and invoices billed by the hour.
- Never mix them in one column. A spreadsheet that has 7:50 in one row and 7.83 in the next will total incorrectly.
Quick checklist before you submit hours to payroll
- Every daily total is either h:mm or decimal, and the column header says which.
- Unpaid meal breaks have been deducted once, not twice.
- Shifts that cross midnight show a positive total.
- Weekly totals over 40 hours are split into regular and overtime hours.
- Any edited punch has a note and a manager approval on file.
- The weekly decimal total, converted back to h:mm, matches the time clock report.
That last check is the fastest way to catch a conversion slip: if the time clock says 42:00 and your payroll entry says 41.20, you know exactly where to look.
How EZTime handles decimal hours for you
When employees clock in and out with the EZTime time clock (mobile app with GPS, NFC tags, a tablet kiosk, biometric clocks, web or SMS), hours are calculated automatically and shown in both formats. Unpaid breaks are deducted according to your settings, overtime and break alerts flag issues before payroll, and missed punches go through timecard corrections with manager approval. When the period closes, you export payroll-ready totals in Excel or PDF that work with any payroll software, so nobody retypes hours and minutes by hand.
See EZTime pricing: plans start at $2 per employee per month with a 14-day trial.
Frequently asked questions
What is 15 minutes in decimal hours?
15 minutes is 0.25 hours, because 15 divided by 60 equals 0.25. Likewise, 30 minutes is 0.50 and 45 minutes is 0.75.
What is 8 hours and 20 minutes in decimal?
8 hours 20 minutes is 8.33 hours: 20 / 60 = 0.333, rounded to 0.33, plus 8.
How do I convert 7.6 hours to hours and minutes?
Multiply the decimal part by 60: 0.6 x 60 = 36. So 7.6 hours is 7 hours 36 minutes (7:36).
Is 8.30 hours the same as 8 hours 30 minutes?
No. 8.30 decimal hours is 8 hours 18 minutes. 8 hours 30 minutes is 8.50 decimal hours. This mix-up is the most common time card error.
How many decimal places should I use for payroll?
Two decimal places is the most common choice. Follow the setting in your payroll system, and convert total minutes for the period rather than rounding each day separately.
Does converting to decimal hours change what an employee is paid?
It should not. Decimal hours are just another way of writing the same time. Pay changes only when the conversion is done wrong, which is why it is worth checking the math or letting your time clock software do it.