Work hours calculator
Add a row for each shift, with its date, start, finish and any unpaid break. The total comes out in hours and minutes and in decimal hours, ready to copy or save as a CSV file. Nothing you type leaves this page.
| Date | Start | Finish | Unpaid break | Hours | Remove |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| min | |||||
| min | |||||
| min | |||||
| min |
A worked example
Four shifts in a week at a bakery: two early starts, an evening and a night that finishes at half past two.
| Shift | 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 |
| Fri 5 Mar | 16:00 | 23:45 | 30 min | 7h 15m |
| Sat 6 Mar | 22:00 | 02:30 | none | 4h 30m |
| Total | 27h 45m, or 27.75 |
How it is worked out
For each row, the minutes from start to finish, with a day added when the finish is earlier than the start, less the unpaid break.
The rows are added up in minutes, and only the total is turned into hours: total minutes ÷ 60, to two decimal places. Adding decimal hours row by row is how a week drifts by a few minutes.
What this tool cannot tell you
- Which time counts as work, such as arriving early or staying back
- Paid breaks, rest breaks or meal break entitlements
- Pay rates, penalties, overtime or allowances
- Whether the hours meet an award’s minimum engagement or maximum hours
Questions
How do I enter a shift that finishes after midnight?
Put the finish time as it reads on the clock, such as 02:30. A finish earlier than the start is counted as the next morning, and the row is marked as overnight.
Should paid breaks go in the break column?
No. Only unpaid breaks come off the hours. A paid break is working time, so leave it out of the break column.
Why do the decimal hours look different from the minutes?
They are the same time written two ways. 7 hours 45 minutes is 7.75 hours, because 45 minutes is three quarters of an hour. Payroll systems usually want the decimal figure.