How the hours are counted
For each day, the calculator takes the end time, subtracts the start time and then the break. A day from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM with a 30-minute lunch is 8 hours 30 minutes on site, minus 30 minutes, so 8:00 of work. Five days like that make 40:00 a week.
If the end time is earlier than the start time, the shift crossed midnight: 10:00 PM to 6:30 AM is 8 hours 30 minutes. The line is marked “+1 day” so you can see it at a glance.
Totals show as hours and minutes (40:00) or as decimal hours (40.00). Switch between the two with the bar at the bottom. Payroll and invoicing tools usually want decimals, where 7:45 becomes 7.75. The decimal hours converter has a full table, minute by minute.
Overtime under federal law (FLSA)
In the United States, the Fair Labor Standards Act requires overtime pay for covered, nonexempt employees for every hour worked beyond 40 in a workweek. The rate must be at least one and one-half times the regular rate of pay, which is the familiar “time and a half.”
- The workweek is fixed. It is any fixed and regularly recurring period of 168 hours, seven days in a row. It does not have to start on Monday, but it cannot move from week to week.
- No averaging. 30 hours one week and 50 the next is 10 hours of overtime, not a 40-hour average.
- No daily overtime under the FLSA. A 12-hour day is not overtime by itself under federal law, as long as the week stays at 40 hours or less.
- Weekends and holidays. The FLSA does not require extra pay for Saturdays, Sundays, holidays or night work. Any such premium comes from your contract or company policy.
Some states go further. California, for example, pays time and a half after 8 hours in a workday and double time after 12. This calculator applies a weekly threshold only: set it to match your rule, and check your state’s labor department for daily overtime.
| Week at $20 an hour | Hours | Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Regular week | 40:00 | 40 × $20 = $800.00 |
| Two late evenings | 43:30 | $800 + 3.5 × $30 = $905.00 |
| Saturday shift added | 48:00 | $800 + 8 × $30 = $1,040.00 |
| Short week | 32:00 | 32 × $20 = $640.00 |
Pay figures here are gross amounts, before taxes and deductions. The calculator multiplies regular hours by your rate and overtime hours by the rate times the premium you choose: time and a half, double time, straight time, or the French rule of +25% then +50%.
Common weekly schedules
| Schedule | Per day | Per week |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, 30 min unpaid lunch, 5 days | 7:30 | 37:30 (37.5) |
| 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM, 30 min unpaid lunch, 5 days | 8:00 | 40:00 (40.0) |
| 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, 1 hour unpaid lunch, 5 days | 8:00 | 40:00 (40.0) |
| 7:00 AM to 5:30 PM, 30 min unpaid lunch, 4 days | 10:00 | 40:00 (40.0) |
| 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM, 30 min unpaid meal, 4 days | 11:30 | 46:00 (6 overtime) |
A schedule of four 10-hour days stays at 40 hours, so it brings no federal overtime, even though each day is long. A state with daily overtime may see it differently.
From hourly pay to a yearly figure
A full-time year in the United States is usually counted as 2,080 hours: 40 hours times 52 weeks. Multiply your hourly rate by 2,080 for a rough yearly gross pay, or divide a salary by 2,080 for its hourly equivalent. At $20 an hour, that is $41,600 a year before taxes. Paid holidays and unpaid weeks move the real figure up or down.
Breaks: paid or not?
Federal law does not require lunch or coffee breaks. When an employer offers short rest breaks, usually 5 to 20 minutes, they count as hours worked and must be paid. A real meal period, typically 30 minutes or more where you are fully relieved of duty, is not work time. Enter only unpaid meal periods in the break field and leave short breaks inside your hours.
Tips for a clean timesheet
- Write times down as you go. Memory at the end of the week is optimistic. A quick note at clock-in and clock-out saves arguments later.
- Use one format. Do not mix 7:45 and 7.45 in the same sheet. 7.45 decimal hours is 7 hours 27 minutes.
- Round the same way every day. Many employers round to the nearest quarter hour. If yours does, apply it to every punch, in and out.
- Mark days off. Tap a day’s name to set it as off. It drops out of the total but keeps its times for next week.
- Check night shifts. A shift from 11:00 PM to 7:00 AM belongs to the day it started. Enter it on that day.
Need to total a few loose durations instead of a whole week? The time calculator adds and subtracts hours and minutes line by line. To count working days between two dates, use the business days calculator, and to stay focused during the day, try the Pomodoro timer.
This tool is a calculator, not legal or payroll advice. Rules differ by state, contract and job; your employer’s HR department or the U.S. Department of Labor can confirm what applies to you.