Why timesheets want decimals
Clocks count in sixties, but pay, invoices and spreadsheets count in tens. Before you can multiply hours by a rate, 7 hours 45 minutes has to become 7.75. This converter does that, and the reverse, so you can move between the time on a clock and the number a payroll system expects.
It also converts plain minutes to hours, which is handy when an app or a phone bill gives you a total like 135 minutes.
How to convert
- Choose the direction: hours and minutes to decimal, decimal to hours and minutes, or minutes to hours.
- Type the time. Minutes over 60 are fine, so 90 minutes reads as 1.5 hours.
- Read the decimal figure to two places, plus a more exact figure, the total minutes and the clock format.
The conversion formula
decimal hours = hours + minutes ÷ 60 + seconds ÷ 3,600
minutes = the decimal part × 60Every minute is one sixtieth of an hour, about 0.0167. So 15 minutes is 0.25, 30 minutes is 0.5 and 45 minutes is 0.75. Going back, multiply the part after the decimal point by 60 to get minutes.
Once the time is a decimal, pay is a single multiplication. 7.75 hours at 24 an hour is 7.75 × 24 = 186. Try that with 7:45 and you would have to split the hours and minutes first, which is where most hand-worked timesheets go wrong. Keep two decimal places for pay; the extra places on the more exact line are there for checking.
Worked example: 7 hours 45 minutes
- Minutes as a fraction of an hour: 45 ÷ 60 = 0.75
- Add the whole hours: 7 + 0.75 = 7.75 hours
- In minutes: 7 × 60 + 45 = 465 minutes
So 7 hours 45 minutes is 7.75 hours, or 465 minutes. Going the other way, 8.33 hours is 8 hours plus 0.33 × 60 = 19.8 minutes, which is 8 hours 19 minutes 48 seconds, or about 8:20 on a clock.
Minutes to decimal hours chart
| Minutes | Decimal | Minutes | Decimal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.02 | 30 | 0.50 |
| 5 | 0.08 | 35 | 0.58 |
| 10 | 0.17 | 40 | 0.67 |
| 12 | 0.20 | 45 | 0.75 |
| 15 | 0.25 | 48 | 0.80 |
| 20 | 0.33 | 50 | 0.83 |
| 25 | 0.42 | 55 | 0.92 |
Some employers round to the nearest quarter hour, so 7 minutes past rounds to 0 and 8 past rounds to 0.25. Rounding rules vary, so use the exact figure unless you know how your payroll rounds.
Mistakes people make
- Reading 7:45 as 7.45. The colon means minutes; the decimal point means hundredths. 7:45 is 7.75 hours.
- Rounding every entry before adding. Small errors pile up over a week. Convert the total instead.
- Mixing seconds into minutes. 7 minutes 30 seconds is 7.5 minutes, which is 0.125 hours.
- Forgetting breaks. Convert the time you actually worked. The time card calculator takes breaks off and gives you a decimal total for the week.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert minutes to decimal hours?
Divide the minutes by 60. 20 minutes is 20 ÷ 60 = 0.33 hours, and 50 minutes is 0.83 hours. Add the result to the whole hours, so 3 hours 20 minutes is 3.33 hours. The chart on this page lists every common minute value, and the converter handles seconds too.
How do I convert decimal hours to hours and minutes?
Keep the whole number as hours and multiply what is after the decimal point by 60 to get minutes. 6.4 hours is 6 hours and 0.4 × 60 = 24 minutes. Choose Decimal to hours and minutes and the converter does this, including any leftover seconds.
What is 7 hours and 30 minutes in decimal?
It is 7.5 hours, because 30 minutes is half an hour. On a timesheet you would write 7.5, not 7.30. Likewise 7 hours 15 minutes is 7.25 and 7 hours 45 minutes is 7.75. Those quarter hour values are worth remembering because they come up all the time.
How do I convert minutes to hours?
Divide by 60. 135 minutes is 2.25 hours, which is 2 hours 15 minutes. 90 minutes is 1.5 hours. Choose Minutes to hours, type the total, and you get the decimal figure along with the clock format, ready to multiply by a rate or paste into a spreadsheet.
Related calculators
From decimal hours to an invoice
Billing by the hour? Put the decimal hours and your rate into the free invoice generator and download a PDF. CloveDesk keeps quotes, invoices, e-signatures and files for each client in one place.
Last updated: