How to Calculate Hours Worked
Five steps take you from clock-in and clock-out times to the hours on your paycheck. Each one has a worked example.
1. Write the times on a 24-hour clock
Morning times stay the same. For afternoon and evening times, add 12 to the hour: 1:15 PM is 13:15 and 5:30 PM is 17:30. 12:00 PM (noon) stays 12:00, and 12:00 AM (midnight) is 0:00.
2. Subtract start from end
Subtract the hours and the minutes separately. If the minutes come out negative, borrow one hour as 60 minutes.
Example: in at 8:50, out at 17:20. 17:20 - 8:50: 20 - 50 is negative, so it becomes 16:80 - 8:50 = 8 hours 30 minutes.
Night shift: if the end time is smaller than the start, add 24 to it first. 22:00 to 6:30: 30:30 - 22:00 = 8 hours 30 minutes.
3. Take off unpaid breaks
Subtract meal breaks you were not paid for. A 30-minute lunch brings 8 hours 30 minutes down to 8 hours. Under federal rules, breaks shorter than about 20 minutes are paid work time and stay in.
4. Convert to decimal hours
Divide the minutes by 60. 8 hours 30 minutes is 8.5 hours, 7 hours 20 minutes is 7.33 hours. The time to decimal calculator has a full chart.
5. Add up the week and split off overtime
Add the decimal hours for each day of the workweek. Hours up to 40 are regular; hours above 40 are overtime at 1.5 times the rate for non-exempt employees under the Fair Labor Standards Act.
| Day | Hours |
|---|---|
| Monday | 8.50 |
| Tuesday | 9.25 |
| Wednesday | 8.00 |
| Thursday | 9.75 |
| Friday | 8.50 |
| Total | 44.00 |
44 hours = 40 regular + 4 overtime. At $22 an hour: 40 × $22 + 4 × $33 = $880 + $132 = $1,012 gross pay.
The time card calculator does all five steps at once, for one or two weeks.
Common mistakes
- Treating minutes as decimals. 7 hours 30 minutes is 7.5 hours, not 7.3.
- Averaging overtime over two weeks. 50 hours in week 1 and 30 in week 2 is 10 hours of overtime, not zero.
- Subtracting paid breaks. Short rest breaks are work time.
- Forgetting the date change. A shift from 10 PM to 6 AM is 8 hours, not minus 16.
FAQ
How do I calculate hours worked in a week?
Work out each day's hours (end minus start minus unpaid breaks), convert them to decimals, and add the days. Anything over 40 is overtime for most hourly employees.
How many work hours are in a year?
A 40-hour week over 52 weeks is 2,080 hours. Employers use this number to turn an annual salary into an hourly rate.
Does travel time count as hours worked?
The normal commute does not. Travel between job sites during the workday does, and so does most travel on business away from home during your usual working hours.