Timesheet math: clock in/out times, breaks, and pay
Shifts that cross midnight are handled automatically: if the end time is earlier than the start time, 24 hours are added. Breaks are unpaid time subtracted from each shift.
Timecard math is fiddly because time is not decimal: a shift from 9:15 to 17:45 with a 30-minute lunch is 8.0 decimal hours but 8:00 on a clock, and 7 hours 50 minutes is 7.83 decimal hours, which is what your payroll system almost certainly multiplies by your rate. This calculator converts clock in and out times into both representations at once. Enter each shift, subtract unpaid breaks, and read the weekly total in decimal hours and in hours-and-minutes.
Overnight shifts are the classic timesheet trap, and they are handled explicitly: when an end time is earlier than the start time, the shift is assumed to cross midnight and 24 hours are added, so 22:00 to 06:00 correctly yields 8 hours. The overtime toggle applies the most common US rule, time-and-a-half beyond 40 hours in a week, splitting gross pay into regular and overtime components. If your jurisdiction or contract uses a different threshold such as 8 hours per day, compute the daily figures and apply the premium manually.
The gross pay figure is pre-tax: it does not withhold income tax, Social Security, pension contributions, or any other deduction, so treat it as the number your employer invoices, not the number that reaches your bank account. For deeper money planning, the budget calculator helps allocate the take-home amount, and the compound interest calculator projects what regular saving from each paycheck can grow to.
Subtract the start time from the end time, then subtract unpaid break minutes. Times need converting to a common unit first: 09:00 to 17:30 is 510 minutes minus 540 minutes, so 8 hours 30 minutes. This calculator does that conversion for every row and totals them.
If the end time is earlier than or equal to the start time, the calculator assumes the shift crossed midnight and adds 24 hours. A 22:00 to 06:00 shift therefore counts as 8 hours, not negative 16. For shifts longer than 24 hours, split them into two rows.
Payroll software multiplies hours by an hourly rate, and multiplication needs decimal numbers. Seven hours 50 minutes becomes 7.83 hours so that pay is proportional to minutes worked. The 5-minute rounding rules some employers use, such as rounding to the nearest quarter hour, are separate from this decimal conversion.
With the toggle on, the first 40 hours of the weekly total are paid at your regular rate and every hour beyond that at 1.5 times your rate. The breakdown card shows regular pay, overtime hours, and overtime pay separately so you can verify each part. US federal law requires this premium for most non-exempt employees working over 40 hours per week.
No. Gross pay is hours times rate before any deductions. Income tax, social contributions, health premiums, and retirement contributions are withheld later. If you need take-home estimates, apply your effective tax rate to the gross figure, or use a dedicated net pay tool for your country.