Add up a week of hours in one go
A time card looks simple until you sit down to total it. Shifts start at odd times, lunch breaks vary, and one late finish on a Thursday can tip the week into overtime. This calculator takes the start time, end time and unpaid break for each day, and gives you the total hours, any overtime, and the pay before tax if you add an hourly rate.
It suits employees checking a payslip, managers adding up a rota, and freelancers who log their hours before they invoice a client.
Filling in your time card
- For each day, enter the time you started and the time you finished. Your device shows either a 24 hour clock or an AM and PM picker; both work.
- Put your unpaid break in minutes. A 30 minute lunch is 30 and a one hour lunch is 60. Leave it at 0 if your breaks are paid.
- Leave the days you did not work empty. Need more than a week? Press Add a day, up to 14 days.
- Choose how overtime works for you: after a number of hours a week, after a number of hours a day, or not at all. Then set the limit and the multiplier.
- Add your hourly rate if you want the pay worked out. The answer shows total, regular and overtime hours and the pay, with each day listed underneath so you can check it.
How hours, overtime and pay are worked out
hours for a day = end time − start time − break
decimal hours = hours + minutes ÷ 60
overtime = hours worked − overtime limit (never below 0)
pay = regular hours × rate + overtime hours × rate × multiplierIf the end time is earlier than the start time, the shift is treated as running past midnight. A night shift from 22:00 to 06:00 is 8 hours, not minus 16.
With weekly overtime, every hour past the limit in a week counts as overtime. With daily overtime, each day is checked on its own. When you enter more than 7 days, each block of 7 rows is treated as its own week. Pay is worked out in whole cents, so the total never drifts by a penny from rounding.
Worked example: a week with one long day
Sam works Monday to Friday. Most days run from 09:00 to 17:30 with a 30 minute lunch. On Thursday, Sam starts at 08:00, finishes at 19:00 and takes an hour for lunch. The rate is $25 an hour, with time and a half after 40 hours a week.
- Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday: 8 hours 30 minutes minus 30 minutes = 8:00 each, so 32:00 in all
- Thursday: 11 hours minus 60 minutes = 10:00
- Week total: 42:00 hours, made up of 40:00 regular hours and 2:00 of overtime
- Pay: 40 × $25 = $1,000.00, plus 2 × $25 × 1.5 = $75.00
That brings Sam's week to $1,075.00 before tax. The calculator opens on an ordinary 40 hour week; change Thursday to 08:00, 19:00 and a 60 minute break and you will see the same figures.
Making sense of the totals
Total hours are shown two ways. 42:00 is hours and minutes, the way a clock shows it. The decimal figure is what payroll and spreadsheets use. They only look alike when the minutes are zero: 7 hours 45 minutes is 7:45 on the clock but 7.75 in decimal.
The pay is gross pay, before tax and any other deductions, so your payslip will show less once those come off. If the hours here do not match your payslip, look at the breaks first. A paid break entered as unpaid, or the other way round, is the most common reason for a gap.
Overtime rules depend on your country, your state or region, and your contract. In the US, many employees get time and a half after 40 hours in a week, and a few states also count overtime by the day. Check your contract or your local labour office for the rule that covers you.
Where time cards usually go wrong
- Mixing clock time and decimals. 8:30 on a time card is eight and a half hours, which is 8.5 in decimal, not 8.3.
- Forgetting unpaid breaks, or taking them off twice. Only enter breaks you are not paid for.
- Splitting a night shift across two days. A shift from 22:00 to 06:00 belongs on one row, the day it started. The calculator knows the end time is the next morning.
- Using the wrong overtime rule. Weekly and daily overtime can give very different answers. A single 12 hour day is 4 hours of overtime under an 8 hour daily rule, and may be none at all under a 40 hour weekly rule.
| Shift | Unpaid break | Hours worked | Decimal hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 09:00 to 17:00 | 30 min | 7:30 | 7.5 |
| 09:00 to 17:30 | 30 min | 8:00 | 8 |
| 08:00 to 16:30 | 60 min | 7:30 | 7.5 |
| 07:00 to 19:00 | 60 min | 11:00 | 11 |
| 22:00 to 06:00 | 30 min | 7:30 | 7.5 |
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate hours worked with a lunch break?
Take the start time from the end time, then subtract the unpaid lunch. 08:45 to 17:15 is 8 hours 30 minutes. Take off a 45 minute lunch and you worked 7 hours 45 minutes, which is 7.75 hours in decimal. Put the lunch in the Break box for that day and the calculator does the rest.
How do I convert time card hours to decimal for payroll?
Divide the minutes by 60 and add the result to the hours. 37 hours 20 minutes is 37 plus 20 divided by 60, which is 37.33 hours. The calculator shows the decimal total next to the clock total, so you can copy whichever one your payroll system or spreadsheet asks for.
Does it work for night shifts that go past midnight?
Yes. If the end time is earlier than the start time, the shift is counted as ending the next day. A shift from 21:00 to 05:30 with a 30 minute break comes to 8 hours. Keep each shift on one row, on the day it started, so the weekly total and any overtime come out right.
How is overtime calculated?
Pick the rule that applies to you. Weekly overtime counts every hour over the limit in a week, 40 hours by default. Daily overtime counts the hours over the limit on each day, often 8. Overtime hours are paid at your rate times the multiplier, so 1.5 for time and a half. Your contract or local law decides which rule you get.
Can I use it for two weeks or a whole pay period?
Yes, for up to 14 days. Press Add a day to add rows. With weekly overtime, the first 7 rows are week one and the next 7 are week two, so each week is checked against the limit on its own, which is how most payrolls handle a fortnight.
Is the pay figure my take-home pay?
No. The pay shown is gross pay: your hours times your rate, plus any overtime. Tax, insurance and other deductions come off before the money reaches your account. Use this figure to check your hours and gross pay against your payslip, not as the amount you will receive.
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