Define the period you are checking
Start with a clear question: are you checking one completed shift, all the work on a particular day, or the net total for a week? This page starts with seven days, but you can switch views without rebuilding the calculation. Enter recorded working periods rather than a target number from your schedule. The displayed total is based on those records and the settings you choose. It cannot establish whether an unrecorded activity was work, whether a break was legally unpaid or whether a missing punch should be corrected.
Subtract the right time from the elapsed span
From 08:45 to 17:15 there are eight hours thirty minutes. With a 45-minute unpaid break inside that period, the net result is seven hours forty-five minutes, or 7.75 hours. If the same break is paid, it stays within the elapsed span. The tool does not add paid breaks to the duration a second time. Multiple breaks can be listed separately so that a paid short rest is not accidentally included in a combined unpaid deduction. Check the minutes rather than estimating a decimal fraction.
Count several work periods without counting their gaps
Suppose you worked 08:00 to 11:30, left for an appointment and returned from 14:00 to 17:00. Those two periods total six hours thirty minutes; the time away is already excluded. Add a period for each continuous stretch of work rather than entering one nine-hour span and trying to identify every gap later. Review the first period’s default lunch deduction and remove it if the gap already represents that break. Additional periods begin without an automatic break, and the gap reminder helps prevent repeated subtraction.
Read decimals as fractions of an hour
The calculator keeps durations as whole minutes, then shows an hours-and-minutes total and a decimal total. A display of 6:30 means six and a half hours, so its decimal equivalent is 6.50. It does not mean 6.30 hours. Use the minute format when checking the original record and the decimal format when multiplying by an hourly rate. Decimal values are shown to two places; separately rounded row displays can differ slightly from a total calculated from all original minutes. The table shows common conversions.
| Minutes | Decimal hours |
|---|---|
| 15 | 0.25 |
| 20 | 0.33 |
| 30 | 0.50 |
| 45 | 0.75 |
Check overtime against the selected workweek
Weekly overtime estimates use net hours above 40 in each fixed workweek. Selecting two weeks does not combine them into one 80-hour threshold. Daily mode uses hours above eight in each day, and combined mode uses the higher daily or weekly estimate without adding both together. Those settings describe arithmetic, not the complete requirements of a particular location or employment arrangement. Compensable activities, breaks, exemptions and payroll obligations require their own assessment. Keep exact minutes by leaving rounding off unless you have a reason to apply a specific policy.
Resolve uncertainties before using the result
Warnings identify incomplete, invalid, equal-time or unusually long periods. They are prompts to review the record, not a substitute for verification. An earlier ending time is treated as the next day; wall-clock calculations do not automatically correct daylight-saving transitions. After checking those details, copy the summary or download the CSV with numeric decimal hours. Local browser storage remembers the entries on this device, while Reset clears this tool’s card. Keep an exported copy when the calculation needs to be retained or discussed with someone else.
Frequently asked questions
Is time between arrival and departure always hours worked?
Not necessarily. That span may contain unpaid breaks or time away, and the legal classification of an activity depends on the circumstances. Enter the working periods you intend to total and specify unpaid breaks inside them. The calculator performs arithmetic from those inputs; it does not determine which activities are compensable.
How many hours is 08:45 to 17:15 with a 45-minute lunch?
The elapsed span is eight hours thirty minutes. Deducting a 45-minute unpaid lunch leaves seven hours forty-five minutes, or 7.75 hours. If the lunch is paid, the full eight hours thirty minutes remains included. Do not deduct that lunch again if separate recorded periods already exclude it.
Why do decimal hours differ from the clock format?
The formats express the same duration differently. Clock-style 6:30 means six hours and thirty minutes, while decimal 6.50 means six and a half hours. Divide the minutes portion by 60 to convert it. Use the numeric decimal column in payroll multiplication and the minute total to check original records.
What happens if I have not clocked out yet?
An unfinished period is marked incomplete and excluded from the total until both times are valid. Leave the clock-out blank while you confirm the actual ending time. The calculator does not run an attendance timer or guess when you stopped working. Other completed periods continue to count normally.
Can I download the result for a spreadsheet?
Yes. Download CSV gives you individual periods, decimal hours, hours and minutes, and totals. The decimal-hours column contains numbers suitable for spreadsheet calculations. Copy summary produces tab-separated rows for pasting, while Print gives a readable report. Check your times and breaks before using any exported figures for payroll.
Do I need an account, and where are my entries saved?
You do not need an account. Calculations run in your browser, and entries are saved locally on this device rather than uploaded. A full-card sharing link contains the records in its fragment; anyone holding it can read them. Export your own backup before clearing browser storage or switching devices.