Work Hours Calculator
Enter your start time, end time, and break length in minutes to get total hours worked.
Fill in the required fields to see your result.
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Total Hours Worked is your payable time — gross elapsed time minus your unpaid break.
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How Total Work Hours Are Calculated
Total payable work hours combine your elapsed time on shift minus any unpaid break time.
How to Calculate Total Hours Worked
Gross Hours = End Time − Start Time. Total (Payable) Hours = Gross Hours − Break Hours.
Work Hours Calculator Formula
- Gross Hours = End Time − Start Time
- Break Hours = Break Minutes ÷ 60
- Total Hours = Gross Hours − Break Hours
How Do I Enter Times Correctly?
As 24-hour decimal values — for example, 9:30 AM is 9.5, and 5:00 PM is 17.0.
Work Hours Examples
9.0 start, 17.5 end, 30-minute break: Gross hours = 17.5 − 9.0 = 8.5. Break = 0.5 hours. Total payable hours = 8.0.
Common Work Hours Calculation Mistakes
Entering times in standard 12-hour format instead of 24-hour decimal, which produces incorrect results. Forgetting this calculator doesn't directly support overnight shifts that cross midnight — for those, calculate the pre-midnight and post-midnight segments separately and add them together. Miscounting break time as paid when your specific workplace policy treats certain breaks as paid — verify which breaks are actually unpaid before subtracting them.
How to Use This Calculator
Enter your start and end time as 24-hour decimal values (e.g. 9:30 AM = 9.5, 5:00 PM = 17.0), and your unpaid break length in minutes.
Formula & Methodology
Gross Hours = End Time − Start Time. Break Hours = Break Minutes ÷ 60. Total (Payable) Hours = Gross Hours − Break Hours.
Example: 9.0 start, 17.5 end, 30-minute break
Gross hours = 17.5 − 9.0 = 8.5. Break = 30 ÷ 60 = 0.5 hours. Total payable hours = 8.5 − 0.5 = 8.0 hours.
Does not support overnight shifts that cross midnight — if your shift crosses midnight, calculate the pre-midnight and post-midnight segments separately and add them together. If the end time entered is not after the start time, the result is floored at 0 hours rather than showing a negative number.
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Frequently Asked Questions
- How do I enter times?
- As 24-hour decimal values — for example, 9:30 AM is 9.5, and 5:00 PM is 17.0 (17:00 in 24-hour time, expressed as a decimal).
- Does this subtract my break automatically?
- Yes — enter your unpaid break length in minutes and it's automatically subtracted from your gross elapsed time to get total payable hours.
- Does this work for overnight shifts?
- Not directly — if your shift crosses midnight, calculate the pre-midnight and post-midnight segments separately and add the results together.
Last updated 7/15/2026