How are decimal hours calculated for payroll?

Divide the worked minutes by 60. For example, 8 hours 15 minutes is 8.25 decimal hours, which is what most payroll systems use to multiply by an hourly rate.

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Date & Time

Hours Calculator

Work out the hours and minutes between a start and end time, subtract an unpaid break, and optionally estimate your pay. Perfect for timesheets and shifts.

Hours worked

8h 00m

Decimal hours—

Break deducted—

Estimated pay—

How it works

The calculator finds the minutes between your start and end times, subtracts the unpaid break, and converts the result to hours and minutes plus decimal hours for payroll. If the end time is before the start time, it treats the shift as overnight and adds a day.

worked minutes = (end − start) − break
decimal hours = worked minutes ÷ 60
pay = decimal hours × hourly rate

Worked example

A shift from 09:00 to 17:30 is 510 minutes. Take off a 30-minute break to get 480 minutes, which is 8.00 decimal hours. At $20/hour that is $160.00.

Frequently asked questions

How do I calculate hours worked?

Subtract start from end and deduct any unpaid break. Overnight shifts (end before start) add 24 hours automatically.

How are decimal hours found?

Divide worked minutes by 60 — 8h 15m becomes 8.25 decimal hours, the format payroll uses.