Subtract the start time from the end time, then take off your unpaid break: 8:30 to 17:00 with a 30-minute lunch is 8 hours a day, or 40 hours over five days. Type the times as 08:30, 8.30 or 8:30 am; add your hourly pay to see your weekly, monthly and yearly earnings, with overtime above the weekly threshold you choose.
Minutes to decimal hours
Payroll systems and timesheets often want hours as decimals:
| Minutes | Decimal hours |
|---|---|
| 5 | 0.083 |
| 6 | 0.1 |
| 10 | 0.167 |
| 12 | 0.2 |
| 15 | 0.25 |
| 20 | 0.333 |
| 25 | 0.417 |
| 30 | 0.5 |
| 40 | 0.667 |
| 45 | 0.75 |
| 50 | 0.833 |
A common slip is to write 7 hours 30 minutes as 7.30. It is 7.5 hours; 7.30 would mean 7 hours 18 minutes.
Common shifts
| Shift | Break | Hours worked |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 – 17:00 | 1 hour | 7 |
| 8:30 – 17:00 | 30 min | 8 |
| 8:00 – 16:30 | 30 min | 8 |
| 7:00 – 15:30 | 30 min | 8 |
| 7:00 – 19:00 | 1 hour | 11 |
| 22:00 – 06:00 | 30 min | 7.5 |
Per week and per month
A week is your daily hours times the days you work. A month is a week times 52, divided by 12 – that is, 4.33 weeks, not 4. Full-time at 40 hours a week is 173.3 hours a month on average.
Overtime
Hours above the weekly threshold are paid at a higher rate. Under the US Fair Labor Standards Act, most hourly employees must get at least time and a half (1.5×) for hours over 40 in a workweek. Many other countries set limits per day as well as per week, require higher multipliers for night, Sunday or holiday work, or let employers pay overtime as time off instead. Enter your own threshold and multiplier; the calculator shows the overtime hours and the pay.
Typing times
- 24-hour times: 08:30, 17:00, 22:00
- 12-hour times: 8:30 am, 5 pm
- A dot works too: 8.30 means 8:30
- A comma and one digit is a decimal hour: 8,5 means 8:30
Times are calculated on your device; your hours and pay are not sent anywhere. Once zet4u is saved there, it works offline – handy on a site or in a warehouse with poor reception.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate hours worked?
Subtract the start time from the end time, then take off unpaid breaks. 8:30 to 17:00 is 8 hours 30 minutes; minus a 30-minute lunch, that is 8 hours.
How do I convert minutes to decimal hours for a timesheet?
Divide the minutes by 60. 15 minutes is 0.25 hours, 30 minutes 0.5, 45 minutes 0.75. So 7 hours 45 minutes is 7.75 hours.
What about a night shift that ends after midnight?
Just enter the times: 22:00 to 06:00 is 8 hours. When the end time is earlier than the start, the calculator counts it as the next day.
When is overtime paid?
It depends on where you work. In the US, the federal rule is time and a half for hours over 40 in a workweek for most hourly employees; other countries set daily or weekly limits and their own rates. Set your threshold and multiplier in the calculator.
Sources
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