Sum shift durations for payroll-friendly hour totals.
Overview
Time cards translate clock punches into paid hours. Each shift spans clock-in to clock-out minus unpaid breaks. Rounding policies (nearest quarter hour) may apply per employer rules, not universal math.
Overnight shifts cross midnight, so treat end time as next day when end < start. Lunch breaks reduce total only when unpaid; paid breaks stay in worked time depending on jurisdiction.
Weekly totals sum daily hours. Overtime thresholds (e.g., over 40 hours in a US workweek) use these totals before rate multipliers. Always follow local labor law and company policy over generic calculators.
Decimal hours (7.75) ease payroll multiplication; hours:minutes display matches clock readability. Convert minutes by dividing by 60 for decimals.
Steps
Clock-in time.
Clock-out time, next day if overnight.
Unpaid break duration.
End − start − breaks.
Sum multiple shifts.
Minutes ÷ 60 for payroll systems.
Math
Worked = (Clock-out − Clock-in) − Break; Weekly = Σ daily
Elapsed time minus unpaid breaks per shift, aggregated across the pay period.
Worked cases
8h30m − 30m
8.0 hours.
8 hours across midnight
8.0 hours before breaks.
8 + 7.5
15.5 hours.
Why use this
Questions