How Many Hours Is 8 to 5? Shift Length Chart

Short answer: 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. is 9 hours. With a 30-minute unpaid lunch, that is 8.5 paid hours; with a 1-hour unpaid lunch it is 8 paid hours. 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. is 8 hours, or 7.5 paid hours after a 30-minute unpaid lunch.

Clock face showing a work shift from 8 to 5 — Shift length and paid hours are not the same number.

Shift length chart

Total hours is the time from start to finish. Paid hours subtracts a 30-minute unpaid meal break, which is common for shifts of 6 hours or more.

Shift	Total hours	Paid hours (30-min unpaid lunch)	Paid hours (1-hour unpaid lunch)
6:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.	8	7.5	7
6:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.	8.5	8	7.5
7:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.	8	7.5	7
7:00 a.m. – 3:30 p.m.	8.5	8	7.5
7:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.	9	8.5	8
8:00 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.	8	7.5	7
8:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.	8.5	8	7.5
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.	9	8.5	8
8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.	8.5	8	7.5
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.	8	7.5	7
9:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.	9	8.5	8
10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.	8	7.5	7
11:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.	8	7.5	7
3:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.	8	7.5	7
11:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m.	8	7.5	7
6:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.	10.5	10	9.5
7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m.	12	11.5	11
7:00 p.m. – 7:00 a.m.	12	11.5	11

Whether a lunch is unpaid depends on your policy and the break rules below. For an exact total with any start, end and break times, use the time card calculator.

How to calculate shift length by hand

Convert to 24-hour time. Add 12 to any p.m. hour after noon: 5:00 p.m. becomes 17:00. The military time chart helps.
Subtract start from end. 17:00 – 8:00 = 9 hours.
Crossing midnight? Add 24 to the end time. 11:00 p.m. to 7:00 a.m. is (7 + 24) – 23 = 8 hours.
Subtract unpaid breaks. 9 – 0.5 = 8.5 paid hours.
Convert minutes to decimals for payroll. 15 minutes = 0.25, 30 = 0.5, 45 = 0.75. Any minutes: divide by 60.

Example: 7:45 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. with a 30-minute lunch. 16:20 – 7:45 = 8 hours 35 minutes. Minus 30 minutes = 8 hours 5 minutes = 8.08 hours.

Which breaks are paid?

Federal law does not require employers to give breaks. When they do:

Short breaks of about 5 to 20 minutes count as hours worked and must be paid.
Bona fide meal periods, usually 30 minutes or more, can be unpaid only if the employee is completely relieved of duty. A cashier who eats at the register is working.

Several states require meal or rest breaks and set their own timing. Check your state’s rules before you set a default unpaid lunch.

From daily shifts to weekly overtime

Shift length matters most when you add up the week. Five 8-to-5 shifts with a 30-minute unpaid lunch:

Schedule	Paid hours per day	Paid hours per week	Overtime hours (FLSA)
8-5, 30-min lunch, 5 days	8.5	42.5	2.5
8-5, 1-hour lunch, 5 days	8	40	0
9-5, 30-min lunch, 5 days	7.5	37.5	0
7-7, 30-min lunch, 4 days	11.5	46	6

That first row surprises many employers: an “8 to 5” office day with a short lunch adds 2.5 overtime hours a week for each non-exempt employee. Shortening the day by 30 minutes or lengthening lunch to an hour keeps it at 40. More on daily and weekly totals in the shift hours guide.

Pros and cons of the 8-hour shift

Pros: three shifts cover 24 hours, five shifts make exactly 40 hours, and fatigue is lower than on 10 or 12-hour shifts.
Cons: more handoffs per day, more commuting days per week, and less flexibility than compressed schedules such as 4/10.

The 8-hour day has a long history in the US labor movement. The FLSA, passed in 1938, set the federal overtime threshold at 44 hours a week and stepped it down to 40 hours by 1940.

Let the clock do the math

Hand math breaks down at midnight crossovers and odd minutes. The EZTime time clock records start, end and break times from a GPS mobile app, kiosk or NFC tag, calculates paid hours per shift and per week, and sends break and overtime alerts. Payroll-ready exports go straight to your payroll provider.

Frequently asked questions