How to calculate work hours accurately
For a single shift, start with the time between clock-in and clock-out, then deduct unpaid break time. A shift from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM lasts 8 hours 30 minutes. With a 30-minute unpaid lunch, the worked time is 8 hours.
For a weekly work hours calculation, repeat that process for each workday and add the daily totals. This calculator does that automatically and also displays the result as decimal hours, which is commonly useful for payroll and invoicing.
Work hours examples
| Clock in | Clock out | Unpaid break | Hours worked | Decimal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 AM | 5:00 PM | 30 min | 7h 30m | 7.50 |
| 9:00 AM | 5:30 PM | 30 min | 8h 00m | 8.00 |
| 8:00 AM | 4:30 PM | 30 min | 8h 00m | 8.00 |
| 10:00 PM | 6:30 AM | 30 min | 8h 00m | 8.00 |