Find the hours worked between a start time and an end time, minus a break.
Minutes worked = end time − start time − unpaid break.
Hours = minutes ÷ 60. If the end time is earlier than the start time, the calculator assumes the shift crossed midnight.
Start 9:00, end 17:30, break 30 minutes. That is 8.5 hours minus 0.5 hours, so 8.0 hours per day. Over 5 days that is 40 hours.
Payroll runs on decimal hours, but people write times in hours and minutes. 7 hours 45 minutes is 7.75 hours, not 7.45. A common mistake is typing 7.45 into a payroll system, which pays 15 minutes too little. Convert minutes by dividing by 60: 20 minutes is 0.33, 40 minutes is 0.67.
A shift from 10:00 p.m. to 6:30 a.m. crosses midnight, so subtract the start from 24:00 and add the hours after midnight: 2 hours plus 6.5 hours is 8.5 hours. Then take away unpaid meal time. If a 30 minute meal is unpaid, the paid time is 8.0 hours. Only deduct a meal when the employee was truly relieved of duty.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Clock in | 10:00 p.m. |
| Clock out | 6:30 a.m. |
| Elapsed | 8.5 hours |
| Unpaid meal | 0.5 hours |
| Paid | 8.0 hours |
A timesheet is a list of daily totals. Enter each day’s start, end and unpaid break, total the day to two decimals and then add the week. Round only at the very end, using the rule in your policy. Compare the weekly total with the schedule, and ask about differences larger than 15 minutes.
The calculator subtracts whatever break you enter, so it matters which breaks may be unpaid. Under the Department of Labor rules in 29 CFR 785.18, short rest breaks of about 5 to 20 minutes are hours worked and must be paid. Bona fide meal periods, usually 30 minutes or more with the employee fully relieved of duty, can be unpaid under 29 CFR 785.19. A cashier who eats at the register while watching for customers is still working. Several states add their own meal and rest rules; California, for example, requires a 30-minute meal period before the end of the fifth hour on most shifts over five hours.
| Day | In | Out | Unpaid meal | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 8:58 | 17:32 | 30 min | 8.07 |
| Tue | 9:04 | 17:30 | 30 min | 7.93 |
| Wed | 8:55 | 18:10 | 30 min | 8.75 |
| Thu | 9:00 | 17:15 | 45 min | 7.50 |
| Fri | 8:50 | 14:05 | none | 5.25 |
| Week | 37.50 |
Each row is end minus start minus the unpaid meal, converted to decimal hours. The week totals 2,250 minutes, which is exactly 37.5 hours. Adding the rounded daily figures gives the same 37.50 here, but on longer timesheets add the minutes first and convert once.
Federal rules in 29 CFR 785.48 allow rounding to the nearest 5 minutes, tenth or quarter of an hour, as long as it averages out so employees are paid for all time worked over a period. With quarter-hour rounding, 1 to 7 minutes rounds down and 8 to 14 rounds up, so 8:53 becomes 9:00 and 8:52 becomes 8:45. A policy that rounds starts up and ends down every time fails that test. Some states, including California after recent court decisions, look at rounding more strictly, so many employers simply pay to the minute.
EZTime records each clock-in and clock-out with the break taken, and it can alert a manager when a required break is missed.
Yes. If the end is earlier than the start it adds a day.
Enter 0 for a paid break.
No. It is an estimate for quick checks.
Calculate each day, round only at the end of the week, then add the days together.
No. Meal and rest rules vary by state, so apply yours after you total the time.
Yes for hours worked. Some states also require extra pay for split shifts, so check yours.
Eight hours elapsed minus 0.5 hours of unpaid lunch is 7.5 hours a day, or 37.5 hours over five days.
If the employee is working, yes. If they clock in early but only wait or chat, set a policy on early punches and apply it consistently.
EZTime records hours and totals them for payroll. Book a demo to see it with your own team.