Hours Calculator
Find the hours and minutes between two times, subtract breaks, and get decimal hours for your timesheet. Calculate a day shift, an overnight interval, or a period between dates.
Clock times follow your browser’s 12-hour or 24-hour display. Dates use calendar clock time, without time-zone or daylight-saving adjustments.
- Before breaks
- Break deducted
- Total after breaks
How to use the hours calculator
- Choose clock times for a single interval, or dates and times for a longer period.
- Enter the start and end. Check Ends next day when the end belongs to the following day.
- Add the breaks you want to deduct and enter their combined length in whole minutes. Enter 0 if there is no deduction.
- Select Calculate Hours. Read the duration before breaks, the deduction, and the final hours and minutes.
- Use the decimal-hour result for a form that asks for hours as a number. Copy Results saves a text summary to your clipboard.
How are hours between two times calculated?
Each clock time becomes a count of minutes after midnight. The calculator subtracts the start from the end, adds 1,440 minutes when you select the next-day option, and subtracts the break. It then divides the remaining minutes by 60 to display decimal hours.
For 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM, the interval is 510 minutes, or 8 hours 30 minutes. A 30-minute break leaves 480 minutes: 8 hours, or 8.00 decimal hours.
Hours and minutes are different from decimal hours
Seven hours and 30 minutes is 7.5 hours, not 7.30 hours. The minutes must be divided by 60. This matters when you fill out a timesheet or total a study session.
| Duration | Decimal hours | Total minutes |
|---|---|---|
| 7 hours 15 minutes | 7.25 | 435 |
| 7 hours 30 minutes | 7.50 | 450 |
| 7 hours 45 minutes | 7.75 | 465 |
| 8 hours 20 minutes | 8.3333 | 500 |
The calculator keeps the duration in whole minutes. Only the decimal-hour display is rounded. Choose four decimal places when you need to see more of the converted value.
Calculating an overnight shift
For 10:00 PM to 6:30 AM, select Ends next day. The interval is 8 hours 30 minutes; subtracting a 30-minute break gives 8 hours. The option is explicit so an accidentally reversed time does not silently become an overnight shift.
The next-day option adds one calendar day even when the end clock time is later than the start. For example, 9:00 AM today to 5:00 PM tomorrow is 32 hours. For longer intervals, use dates and times.
What if the start and end times are identical?
With the next-day option off, equal times mean zero duration. With it on, equal times mean 24 hours. A break longer than the interval is rejected rather than producing a negative result.
Subtracting lunch and other breaks
Add the lengths of the breaks you want to exclude. A 30-minute lunch and two 10-minute breaks total 50 minutes. Enter 50 in the break field. Only deduct breaks that should be excluded from your particular record; the calculator does not decide whether a break is paid.
Hours between dates and daylight-saving changes
Date mode counts calendar days and clock minutes, with 24 hours per calendar day. It does not use a named time zone or adjust for clocks moving forward or back. A 9:00 AM start followed by 9:00 AM the next day is shown as 24 hours, even across a daylight-saving change.
If you need actual elapsed hours across a clock change or between different time zones, use timestamps with their UTC offsets. This page provides a calendar clock difference, and the result panel identifies that convention.
Use the result for work, school, or planning
Use the calculator to check a work interval, a class schedule, a practice session, or time spent on a project. It calculates one interval at a time. It does not calculate weekly overtime, wages, or employer rounding rules. Your inputs are processed by the calculator in your browser; no account is required.
Frequently asked questions
How many hours is 9 AM to 5 PM?
It is 8 hours before breaks. Subtracting a 30-minute break leaves 7 hours 30 minutes, or 7.50 decimal hours.
How do I calculate hours worked with a lunch break?
Enter the start and end times, then enter the lunch length in minutes. The result shows the interval before breaks and the time after the deduction.
Can the calculator handle a shift past midnight?
Yes. Select Ends next day in clock mode, or enter the actual start and end dates in date mode.
Is 7 hours 30 minutes the same as 7.30 hours?
No. Thirty minutes is half an hour, so 7 hours 30 minutes is 7.50 decimal hours.
Why do equal start and end times show zero hours?
Equal clock times on the same day give zero duration. Select Ends next day to treat them as a 24-hour interval.
Does date mode account for daylight saving time?
No. It calculates calendar clock time with 24 hours per day. Use offset-aware timestamps for actual elapsed time across a daylight-saving change.