Hours Calculator

Worked example

A shift running 09:00 to 17:00 spans exactly 8 hours on the clock. Add a single 30-minute unpaid lunch break in the middle of that span and the worked total drops to 7 hours 30 minutes, since an unpaid break is time the shift covers but the person was not actually working. Mark that same 30-minute block as paid instead, such as a paid rest break some workplaces require, and the worked total goes right back to the full 8 hours, because a paid break still counts as worked time even though no active work happened during it. The distinction between paid and unpaid is the single input that decides whether a break subtracts from the total or not, which is why getting that one checkbox right on every break matters more than almost anything else on this page.

Common mistakes

• Leaving a break marked unpaid when the actual workplace policy treats it as paid time. That single flag silently subtracts real worked minutes from the total.
• Entering two breaks that overlap each other, such as a 12:00 to 12:45 lunch and a 12:30 to 12:40 rest break inside it. This calculator rejects an overlap outright instead of guessing which portion should count once, since a single minute cannot honestly be deducted twice.
• Forgetting to check the next-day box for a shift that runs past midnight, which makes the calculated span come out negative or far shorter than the real shift.

Limitations

This tool works from the exact start time, end time, and break times you enter. It has no way to know your employer's actual break policy, applicable wage law, or overtime rules, and it makes no claim about whether a specific break is legally required to be paid or unpaid in your situation. Confirm that against your own workplace policy or a qualified source before treating a result as a final payroll number.