Number Hours Calculator
How long is 9:00 to 17:30, minus lunch — and what is it worth? Enter start and end (overnight shifts wrap past midnight on their own), subtract a break, and get the span in hours:minutes, in decimal hours for timesheets, and in gross pay if you add a rate.
An end time earlier than the start is treated as next-day — overnight shifts need no special handling. Timesheets want decimal hours: 8 h 30 m is 8.50, not 8.30.
How it works
Both times become minutes since midnight; the end gains 1,440 minutes if it is earlier than the start (the overnight wrap). Subtract the break and you have the shift. The decimal form — total minutes ÷ 60 — is the one payroll systems use, which is why 30 minutes shows as .50 and 45 minutes as .75.
Method & worked example
Method: Times convert to minutes since midnight; an end earlier than the start gains 1,440 minutes (the overnight wrap). Paid minutes = span − break, and decimal hours = paid minutes ÷ 60 — the form payroll uses, where 30 minutes is .50, not .30.
Worked example: 9:00 to 17:30 spans 8 h 30 m; minus a 30-minute break, the paid time is exactly 8 h — 8.00 decimal hours, $160.00 gross at $20/hr. An overnight shift of 22:00 to 06:00 is 8 hours with no special handling.
When to use this
- You are filling in a weekly timesheet and the shifts were not tidy eight-hour blocks.
- You work nights and need to prove to yourself — or to payroll — what a run of overnight shifts actually totals.
- You are comparing a part-time schedule against your current one and want paid hours, not clock hours.
- An invoice for hourly contract work needs the billable time from a start and end you wrote down.
How to use it, step by step
- Enter the start time and the end time exactly as the clock showed them.
- Enter the unpaid break in minutes — total it first if the shift had more than one.
- Add your hourly rate if you want the shift's gross pay as well as its length.
- Read the paid time in hours and minutes, then take the decimal hours figure for the timesheet.
- For a run of shifts, repeat per shift and add the decimal figures.
What the inputs mean
| Input | What it is | Typical values |
|---|---|---|
| Start and end time | Clock times the shift began and finished | An end earlier than the start is read as the next day |
| Unpaid break | Minutes docked from the span before pay is worked out | 30 is the page default; 45 and 60 are common on long shifts |
| Pay rate | Optional hourly rate for the gross pay line | Leave it blank if you only need the time |
Another worked example
An overnight shift from 23:15 to 07:45 spans 8 hours 30 minutes. Take off a 45-minute unpaid break and the paid time is 7 hours 45 minutes — 7.75 decimal hours — which grosses $143.38 at $18.50 an hour. The wrap past midnight needs no special handling: the end being earlier than the start is what tells the calculator the shift crossed into the next day.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours is 9:00 to 17:30 with a 30-minute break?
The span is 8 hours 30 minutes; minus the break, 8 hours exactly — 8.00 decimal hours. At $20 an hour that shift grosses $160.00.
How do overnight shifts work here?
Enter them plainly: 22:00 to 06:00 is 8 hours, because an end earlier than the start is read as the next day. No date fields, no checkboxes.
Why does my timesheet say 8.50 for 8 hours 30 minutes?
Payroll runs on decimals: minutes ÷ 60. Thirty minutes is half an hour (.50), fifteen is .25, forty-five is .75. Writing 8.30 on a timesheet underpays you by 12 minutes — a classic quiet loss.
Is the break subtracted before pay is computed?
Yes — gross pay here is paid hours only, so an unpaid break never inflates the total. If your break is paid, set it to 0.
⏰ Past 40 hours this week?
The Overtime Calculator splits regular and time-and-a-half pay across a whole week — the version payroll actually runs.
How do I total a whole week of shifts?
Run each shift on its own and add the decimal hours figures — decimals are made for adding, which is exactly why payroll uses them. Five shifts that each come out at 7.75 is 38.75 hours for the week, a sum you can do on paper; adding 7 hours 45 minutes five times in your head is where errors move in.
My shift had two breaks — which one do I enter?
Add them together and enter the total minutes in the single break field. A 15-minute break and a 30-minute meal break are 45 minutes here. If one of the breaks was paid, leave that one out — only unpaid time comes off, and paid break minutes belong in the paid total.