Hours Calculator
Count hours and minutes between two times, with breaks, overnight shifts, and decimal hours.
Reviewed by ZeroUtil Editorial Team · Last reviewed
What You Should Know
An hours calculator counts the time between a start and an end clock time, subtracts an optional break, and reports the result both as hours and minutes and as decimal hours for payroll (7h 30m = 7.50). An end time at or before the start is treated as an overnight shift across midnight. The weekly mode adds seven day rows into a week total. Everything runs in your browser with no signup.
Runs 100% in your browser - your data never leaves your device
How to Use the Hours Calculator
- Between two times: pick a start and end time, optionally enter unpaid break minutes, and read the duration as hours and minutes plus decimal hours. End at or before start is treated as overnight.
- Weekly timesheet: enter start, end, and break for each day you worked. Per-day durations and the week total update live; blank days are ignored.
- Copy the result in one click, formatted for pasting into a timesheet or message.
Hours-and-minutes vs decimal hours
Clocks count in base 60, payroll counts in base 10, and the mismatch causes real underpayments: 7h 45m typed as 7.45 instead of 7.75 short-changes 18 minutes. The conversion is minutes / 60 rounded to two decimals, and the calculator always shows both notations side by side so nothing gets lost between the clock and the pay run.
Everyday uses
- Filling out a weekly timesheet from rough notes of when you started and stopped.
- Checking an employer's payroll math, including the unpaid lunch deduction.
- Working out billable hours across a freelance day with two breaks.
- Counting an overnight shift (22:00 to 06:00) without doing midnight math by hand.
Edge cases handled for you
An end time equal to or earlier than the start is read as crossing midnight, with a visible note rather than a silent assumption. A break longer than the shift is rejected as invalid instead of returning negative time. And because the math is plain minute arithmetic rather than date objects, daylight-saving transitions never skew a result - for timezone-aware questions, the timezone converter is the right tool.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate hours worked between two times?
Convert both times to minutes since midnight, subtract the start from the end, and take off any unpaid break. 9:00 to 17:30 minus a 30-minute lunch is (1050 - 540 - 30) = 480 minutes, which is 8h 00m or exactly 8.00 decimal hours. The calculator does this conversion for you and shows both formats at once.
What are decimal hours and why does payroll use them?
Decimal hours express minutes as hundredths of an hour: 15 minutes is 0.25, 30 is 0.50, 45 is 0.75. Payroll systems multiply decimal hours by an hourly rate, so 7h 45m must be entered as 7.75, not 7.45 - the most common timesheet typo. The calculator always rounds to two decimals.
How are overnight shifts handled?
If the end time is at or before the start time, the tool assumes the shift crosses midnight and adds 24 hours, so 22:00 to 06:00 counts as 8 hours. A note appears under the result whenever this rule kicks in so a typo cannot silently produce a 23-hour day.
Can I add up a whole week of work hours?
Yes. Switch to the weekly timesheet mode, fill in start, end, and break for each day you worked, and the per-day totals plus the week total appear in both hours-and-minutes and decimal form. Days you leave blank are simply skipped.
Why does my break make the result invalid?
The break is subtracted from the span between the two times, so a break longer than the shift itself would produce negative hours. The calculator flags that combination as invalid instead of reporting a negative or nonsense duration.
Is anything I type uploaded or saved?
No. The times never leave your browser - there is no server, no account, and no storage. Refresh the page and the timesheet is gone.
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