How to Calculate Hours and Minutes
This hours calculator finds the duration between two times, calculate weekly work hours for payroll, and add or subtract time periods. Track employee hours, plan shifts, or calculate billable time without manually counting minutes.
Calculating Time Duration
To find hours between two times: convert both to 24-hour format, subtract start from end. If the result is negative, the shift crossed midnight — add 24 hours. Example: 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM with a 30-minute break = 8.5 hours − 0.5 hours = 8.0 net hours.
Converting Minutes to Decimal Hours
For payroll, minutes must be converted to decimal hours: divide minutes by 60.
- 15 minutes = 0.25 hours
- 30 minutes = 0.50 hours
- 45 minutes = 0.75 hours
- 7 hours 30 minutes = 7.50 decimal hours
Timesheet Tips
- Track time daily — don't try to reconstruct at the end of the week
- Round to the nearest 15 minutes for clean calculations (7:53 → 8:00)
- Include break times separately to get accurate net work hours
- For overtime, calculate anything over 8 hours/day or 40 hours/week
- Keep timesheets for at least 3 years for FLSA compliance
Working Hours Facts
- Full-time work week: 40 hours (US standard)
- Annual hours: ~2,080 hours (40 hrs × 52 weeks)
- After holidays: ~2,000 hours (10 holidays)
- Overtime threshold: >40 hours/week (US FLSA)
- EU work week limit: 48 hours max (including overtime)