Shift Hours Calculator
Calculate total paid hours worked for a shift from its start and end time and an unpaid break, including overnight shifts.
Shift Start Time
Shift End Time
Minutes of unpaid break time during the shift (e.g. a lunch break).
Paid Hours
8h 0m
(8.00 decimal hours)
Shift length before break: 8h 30m
How to Calculate Paid Hours for a Work Shift
This calculator is built specifically for payroll and timesheet use: enter a shift's clock-in and clock-out time, along with any unpaid break time, and it works out the total paid hours for that shift. It correctly handles overnight shifts that cross midnight, and shows the result as both hours-and-minutes and decimal hours — the format most payroll systems expect.
Example
A shift from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM with a 30-minute unpaid lunch break is 8 hours 30 minutes on the clock, minus the 30-minute break, for 8 paid hours (8.00 decimal hours). An overnight shift from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM with a 20-minute break — with "Ends Next Day" selected — comes to 8 hours on the clock minus 20 minutes, for 7 hours 40 minutes paid (7.67 decimal hours).
Common Use Cases
- Filling out a timesheet with accurate paid hours for a shift.
- Checking a payroll calculation for an overnight or graveyard shift.
- Converting a shift's hours and minutes into decimal hours for payroll software.
FAQs
How is this different from the site's Time Duration Calculator?
The Time Duration Calculator finds the raw elapsed time between two clock times with no other adjustments. This tool is purpose-built for payroll: it also subtracts an unpaid break from the raw shift length to give the actual paid hours worked, which is the number that belongs on a timesheet.
Should I subtract paid breaks too?
No — only unpaid breaks (like an unpaid lunch) should be subtracted here. Paid rest breaks are typically still counted as worked time under most employers' policies, so leave those out of the break field.
Why does decimal hours matter for payroll?
Most payroll and timekeeping software calculates wages using decimal hours (like 7.67) rather than hours and minutes (7 hours 40 minutes), since decimal hours multiply directly by an hourly rate. This calculator shows both formats so you can use whichever your system expects.