Free time card calculator
Enter your clock-in time, clock-out time, and break minutes, and this time card calculator returns the net hours you actually worked — gross span minus unpaid break — in payroll-ready decimal form. It handles lunch deductions and overnight shifts that cross midnight, and every figure is updated live, as you type.
On this page13 sections
Date calculations use calendar days. Working days exclude weekends but not public holidays unless noted.
Results are estimates. Consult a professional.
What a time card calculator does
A time card calculator turns a clock-in and clock-out time into the net hours you actually worked, after subtracting unpaid break or lunch time. Enter when you started, when you finished, and how many minutes of break you took — this calculator returns both the gross span and the net paid hours, in decimal form, ready to drop into a timesheet or payroll run.
It is the quick manual check millions of people do every pay period: an hourly employee confirming their hours before submitting a timesheet, a freelancer totalling billable time, or a manager sanity-checking a single card. The arithmetic is simple in principle — end time minus start time, minus the break — but the minute-to-decimal conversion and overnight shifts are exactly where people make mistakes, which is what the tool removes.
How to calculate net hours worked
Work through three steps in order, and you get the same result the calculator does:
- Find the gross span. Convert both times to minutes since midnight, then subtract clock-in from clock-out. If clock-out is earlier (an overnight shift), add 24 hours so the result is positive.
- Subtract the break. Take the break minutes away from the gross minutes to get net minutes worked.
- Convert to decimal hours. Divide the net minutes by 60. That decimal is what payroll multiplies by your hourly rate.
The single most common error is converting minutes wrong: 8 hours 30 minutes is 8.50 hours, not 8.30. Thirty minutes is half an hour, so it becomes 0.50 in decimal, because 30 ÷ 60 = 0.5. The reference table further down covers every common conversion.
A worked example using the time card calculator
Maria clocks in at 09:00, clocks out at 17:30 (5:30 PM), and takes a 30-minute unpaid lunch. Here is exactly how the calculator gets to her paid hours.
Step 1 — Find the gross span
From 09:00 to 17:30 is 8 hours and 30 minutes. In minutes that is (17 × 60 + 30) − (9 × 60 + 0) = 1050 − 540 = 510 gross minutes, or 8.50 gross hours.
Step 2 — Subtract the break
Remove the 30-minute lunch: 510 − 30 = 480 net minutes.
Step 3 — Convert to decimal hours
Divide by 60: 480 ÷ 60 = 8.00 hours. That is the paid figure for the day. The calculator shows it as the headline result, with the 8.50 gross span and the 30-minute deduction noted underneath.
Minutes-to-decimal conversion chart
Payroll runs on decimal hours, not minutes. To convert any number of minutes, divide by 60. Whole-minute values rarely land on tidy decimals, so most timesheets round to two places. The table below covers the values that come up most often.
| Minutes | Decimal hour | Minutes | Decimal hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0.08 | 35 | 0.58 |
| 10 | 0.17 | 40 | 0.67 |
| 15 | 0.25 | 45 | 0.75 |
| 20 | 0.33 | 50 | 0.83 |
| 25 | 0.42 | 55 | 0.92 |
| 30 | 0.50 | 60 | 1.00 |
Minutes ÷ 60 = decimal hours. So 15 min = 0.25, 30 min = 0.50, 45 min = 0.75. Values like 10 or 20 minutes repeat (0.166…, 0.333…) and are shown rounded to two decimals.
Paid breaks, unpaid lunches, and what to deduct
Only deduct the break time that is genuinely unpaid. Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, short rest breaks of roughly 5 to 20 minutes are normally counted as paid work time and should not be subtracted. A bona fide meal period — typically 30 minutes or more, during which you are fully relieved of duties — is not paid work time and is the part you deduct.
| Break type | Typical length | Paid? | Deduct on this calculator? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coffee / rest break | 5–20 min | Usually paid | No — leave in the total |
| Meal / lunch period | 30 min or more | Usually unpaid | Yes — enter as break minutes |
| Working lunch (at desk, on duty) | Any | Paid | No — you are still working |
Federal FLSA treatment of breaks. State laws can require additional paid or unpaid breaks and override the federal default — always check your local rules and employer policy.
This calculator deducts a single break figure. If your day has several unpaid breaks, add their minutes together and enter the total. This page is a calculation aid, not legal advice — for a specific situation, confirm with your employer or local labor authority.
Overnight shifts that cross midnight
When a shift starts in the evening and ends the next morning, simple subtraction would give a negative number. The calculator handles this automatically: if the clock-out time is earlier than the clock-in time, it adds 24 hours so the span comes out right.
Clock in 22:00, clock out 06:30, with a 45-minute break. Because 06:30 is earlier than 22:00, the calculator adds 24 hours: gross = (6 × 60 + 30 + 1440) − (22 × 60) = 510 minutes = 8.50 gross hours. Net = (510 − 45) ÷ 60 = 7.75 hours.
From daily hours to weekly pay
Once you have net decimal hours for a day, pay is a single multiplication: net hours × hourly rate = gross pay for the day. To get a week, total the daily net hours, then multiply once.
For full hourly-pay scenarios including overtime, see the payroll calculator. To total a single span without a break, the hours calculator gives the raw duration, and the time-to-decimal converter handles standalone conversions.
Common time card questions
How do I convert minutes to decimal hours?
Divide the minutes by 60. So 15 minutes is 0.25 hours, 30 minutes is 0.50, and 45 minutes is 0.75. For example, 8 hours and 45 minutes becomes 8.75 decimal hours.
Should I deduct my lunch break from my hours?
Deduct it only if it is unpaid. A bona fide meal period of 30 minutes or more, when you are fully relieved of duties, is normally unpaid and should be subtracted. Short rest breaks of 5 to 20 minutes are usually paid and stay in the total.
How does the calculator handle a shift that ends the next day?
If the clock-out time is earlier than the clock-in time, it adds 24 hours automatically. A 10:00 PM to 6:30 AM shift is correctly read as 8.5 gross hours, not a negative number.
Why is 8 hours 30 minutes shown as 8.50, not 8.30?
Because 30 minutes is half an hour. In decimal form that is 0.50 (30 ÷ 60 = 0.5), so the time is 8.50 hours. Reading the minutes as if they were the decimal part is the most common timesheet error.
How this calculator works and sources
This time card calculator computes the elapsed minutes between clock-in and clock-out (adding 24 hours for overnight shifts), subtracts the break minutes you enter, and divides by 60 to show net decimal hours alongside the gross span. The maths runs entirely in your browser — nothing is sent anywhere. The minute-to-decimal conversion and the treatment of meal periods versus rest breaks follow standard payroll practice and U.S. Department of Labor guidance.
U.S. Department of Labor — Breaks and Meal Periods (which break time is paid vs. unpaid).U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division — Fact Sheet #22: Hours Worked Under the FLSA.Frequently asked questions about the free time card calculator
About this time card calculator
This time card calculator runs entirely in your browser — your clock-in, clock-out, and break entries never leave your device and nothing is stored or sent anywhere. It computes the elapsed minutes between the two times (adding 24 hours for overnight shifts), subtracts your break, and divides by 60 to show net decimal hours alongside the gross span.
It is one of the time and date tools on our everyday calculators shelf. For related needs, see the time duration calculator or the time-to-decimal converter, or browse the full calculator directory.