Fortnightly hours calculator
Pick the first day of the fortnight and fill in each day’s shift. Week one, week two and the fortnight come out in hours and minutes and in decimal hours, ready to copy or save as a CSV file. Nothing you type leaves this page.
| Day | Start | Finish | Unpaid break | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week one | ||||
| Day 1 | min | |||
| Day 2 | min | |||
| Day 3 | min | |||
| Day 4 | min | |||
| Day 5 | min | |||
| Day 6 | min | |||
| Day 7 | min | |||
| Week two | ||||
| Day 8 | min | |||
| Day 9 | min | |||
| Day 10 | min | |||
| Day 11 | min | |||
| Day 12 | min | |||
| Day 13 | min | |||
| Day 14 | min | |||
A worked example
Two weeks at a bakery, starting Monday 1 March 2027: early starts, an evening, and a Saturday night that finishes at half past two.
| Day | Start | Finish | Unpaid break | Paid hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon 1 Mar | 06:00 | 14:30 | 30 min | 8h 0m |
| Tue 2 Mar | 06:00 | 14:30 | 30 min | 8h 0m |
| Thu 4 Mar | 16:00 | 23:45 | 30 min | 7h 15m |
| Sat 6 Mar | 22:00 | 02:30 | none | 4h 30m |
| Week one | 27h 45m | |||
| Mon 8 Mar | 06:00 | 14:30 | 30 min | 8h 0m |
| Wed 10 Mar | 09:00 | 17:30 | 30 min | 8h 0m |
| Fri 12 Mar | 16:00 | 22:00 | none | 6h 0m |
| Week two | 22h 0m | |||
| Fortnight | 49h 45m, or 49.75 |
How it is worked out
Each day is the minutes from start to finish, with a day added when the finish is earlier than the start, less the unpaid break. Days one to seven make week one, and days eight to fourteen make week two.
The weeks are added in minutes, and only the totals are turned into hours: total minutes ÷ 60, to two decimal places.
What this tool cannot tell you
- Pay rates, penalties, overtime or allowances
- Whether hours in a week or a fortnight are overtime under an award or agreement
- Which time counts as work, such as arriving early or staying back
- More than one shift on the same day, other than as one span with a break
Questions
How do I add up hours for a fortnightly pay period?
Work out each shift in minutes, add the minutes for each week, then add the two weeks and turn the total into hours. Staying in minutes until the end stops rounding creeping in, which is how this calculator does it.
Which day should the fortnight start on?
The first day of your pay period, which is usually the day your payroll week starts. The two weeks then line up with the pay run they are for.
What if somebody works two shifts on the same day?
This calculator takes one shift a day. Enter the day as one span with the unpaid gap as its break, or add the shifts as separate rows in the work hours calculator.
Does a shift past midnight count in the week it starts?
Here it does. A shift is counted on the day it starts, so a Sunday night shift that finishes on Monday stays in its first week. Check whether your award or payroll counts it that way.