Decimal hours are not hours and minutes
A duration like 7:30 means 7 hours and 30 minutes, but as a decimal it is 7.50 hours, not 7.30. This is the classic timesheet mistake: minutes run to 60, decimals run to 100, so the minutes have to be divided by 60 before they can sit after the decimal point. Writing 7.30 on a timesheet when you worked 7:30 short-changes you by 12 minutes, which adds up quickly over a pay period. This calculator shows both forms side by side so you can copy whichever one your payroll or invoicing system expects.
Shifts that cross midnight are handled without any extra input. If your end time is earlier than your start time, the calculator assumes the end time belongs to the next day and adds 24 hours, so a 22:00 to 06:00 night shift correctly shows 8 hours rather than a negative number. The break field takes unpaid minutes, is capped at 24 hours, and is subtracted from the total to give your working time; if the break is as long as the whole span, working time simply bottoms out at zero.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert minutes to decimal hours?
Divide the minutes by 60. So 7 hours 45 minutes is 7.75 decimal hours, not 7.45. Common values:
| Minutes | Decimal hours |
|---|---|
| 5 | 0.08 |
| 10 | 0.17 |
| 15 | 0.25 |
| 20 | 0.33 |
| 30 | 0.50 |
| 40 | 0.67 |
| 45 | 0.75 |
| 60 | 1.00 |
How are overnight shifts handled?
If the end time is earlier than the start time, the calculator assumes the shift crosses midnight and adds 24 hours. A shift from 22:00 to 06:00 therefore shows 8 hours, and the result note tells you the end time was treated as the next day.
Why does my payroll system want decimal hours?
Pay is calculated by multiplying hours by an hourly rate, and multiplication needs a plain number. 8 hours 30 minutes has to become 8.50 before it can be multiplied by a wage. Payroll software stores decimal hours so that rates, overtime multipliers, and totals all work with ordinary arithmetic.