How paid time is calculated

Convert the start and end clock readings to minutes, add 24 hours when the shift ends the following day, and subtract the unpaid break. The calculator then multiplies that daily paid time by the number of identical shifts.

Decimal hours and hours:minutes

Seven hours 30 minutes equals 7.5 decimal hours because 30 minutes is half an hour. Payroll systems can use different rounding intervals, so the exact time shown here may not equal a rounded timesheet total.

What this tool does not include

It does not calculate pay, overtime, premiums, split shifts, multiple breaks, holidays, daylight-saving transitions, or jurisdiction-specific working-time rules. Add separate shifts individually when their schedules differ.

Trace one overnight shift

A shift from 22:00 to 06:30 the next day spans 8 hours 30 minutes. Subtracting a 30-minute unpaid break leaves 8 paid hours; five identical shifts total 40 hours. Check the result by splitting at midnight: 2 hours before midnight plus 6 hours 30 minutes after midnight, less the break. If shifts differ, calculate each one separately and add the unrounded minutes before converting to decimal hours.

Keep policy decisions outside the arithmetic

Whether a break must be paid, how time is rounded, when a workday begins, and which hours receive overtime or a premium are determined by the applicable agreement, employer policy, and law. A payroll system may round clock events rather than the final weekly total, producing a different number. Preserve original time records, dates, breaks, edits, and approvals. Use this result as a cross-check, then reconcile any difference with the official timesheet rather than changing entries merely to match the calculator.

This is general time arithmetic, not payroll or employment-law advice. Use your employer’s approved records and applicable rules for official time reporting.