Hours Worked Calculator
Calculate hours worked from a start time, finish time and unpaid break. Handles night shifts, shows decimal hours and optional pay.
Last reviewed: 30 July 2026
Related calculators
-
Timesheet Calculator
Total a week of shifts, with breaks, overtime and pay.
-
Time Duration Calculator
Measure the time between two clock times, even past midnight.
-
Working Days Between Dates
Count business days between dates, excluding holidays.
-
Add Working Days to a Date
Move forward or back by working days, skipping holidays.
-
Date Difference Calculator
Find the exact gap between two dates in every useful unit.
How this calculation works
The time between clocking in and clocking out gives the gross hours. The unpaid break is deducted from that to give the paid hours. If a rounding increment is set, the paid figure is rounded to it, and any hourly rate is applied to the rounded result.
Shifts that cross midnight
A finish time earlier than the start time is treated as the following day. Times are held as minutes rather than as clock arithmetic, so a 22:00 to 06:00 shift is exactly eight hours with no special handling required and no risk of a daylight-saving change altering someone's pay.
Paid and unpaid breaks
Only unpaid breaks should be entered. A 30-minute unpaid lunch reduces a 9-to-5:30 shift from 8 hours 30 minutes to 8 hours. Rest breaks that your contract pays for are already part of your working time and should be left out of the field.
Rounding
Employers commonly round to the nearest 6 minutes (a tenth of an hour) or 15 minutes. Rounding to the nearest increment is even-handed over time, but rounding always downwards is not. Setting the increment shows you both the exact and rounded figures so you can see what the policy costs or gains you.
Worked example
09:00 to 17:30 with a 30-minute unpaid break, over 5 days at £12.21 an hour
- Gross time on the clock: 8 hours 30 minutes.
- Less a 30-minute break: 8 hours paid.
- In decimal hours: 8.00.
- Over five days: 40 hours.
- Gross pay: 40 × £12.21 = £488.40 before deductions.
Limitations
- Shifts longer than 24 hours are not supported.
- Overtime premiums are not applied here — use the timesheet calculator for that.
- Pay is gross, before tax and other deductions, and takes no account of shift premiums, holiday pay or salary sacrifice.
Frequently asked questions
Does the break come off my paid hours?
An unpaid break does, which is what this calculator assumes. Paid breaks — common on shorter rest breaks in some contracts — should be left out of the break field, because you are being paid for that time.
How do I enter a night shift?
Enter the times as they appear on the clock. A shift from 22:00 to 06:00 is recognised as crossing midnight and comes out as eight hours rather than a negative figure.
What is the difference between 7.30 and 7.5 hours?
Twelve minutes, and it is a costly mistake. Seven hours and thirty minutes is 7.5 in decimal hours. Writing it as 7.30 understates the shift, and repeated across a month it adds up. The result shows both formats so there is no ambiguity.
Why does my employer round my hours?
Many payroll systems round to the nearest 5, 6 or 15 minutes. Set the rounding option to match your employer and the result will show the rounded figure alongside the exact one, so you can see the difference.
Is the pay figure reliable for my payslip?
It is gross pay before tax, national insurance, pension contributions and any other deductions. Treat it as a check on your hours rather than a prediction of what will reach your bank account.