ganak.appHours Calculator
Calculate hours worked between any two times, with optional break deduction. Switch to Weekly Timecard mode to track daily shifts across 7 days with totals. Add your hourly rate to calculate gross pay and overtime. Ideal for employees, freelancers, nurses, and anyone tracking billable or payroll hours. Overnight shifts detected automatically.
Breakdown
Hours, minutes and decimal breakdown for your shift
How to Calculate Hours Between Two Times
The formula and step-by-step method used by this calculator
To find hours worked, subtract the start time from the end time, then subtract any unpaid breaks.
Example: You start work at 9:00 AM, finish at 5:30 PM, and take a 30-minute lunch break. That is 8 hours 30 minutes total − 30 minutes = 8 hours worked (8.00 decimal hours).
Overnight Shifts
If your end time is earlier than your start time (e.g., 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM), the calculator automatically adds 24 hours and labels it an overnight shift. No manual adjustment needed.
Common Shift Hours Reference
Hours worked for popular shift start and end times (30-min lunch deducted)
| Start | End | Net Hours | Decimal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6:00 AM | 2:00 PM | 7h 30m | 7.50 |
| 7:00 AM | 3:00 PM | 7h 30m | 7.50 |
| 8:00 AM | 4:00 PM | 7h 30m | 7.50 |
| 9:00 AM | 5:00 PM | 7h 30m | 7.50 |
| 9:00 AM | 5:30 PM | 8h 0m | 8.00 |
| 9:00 AM | 6:00 PM | 8h 30m | 8.50 |
| 10:00 AM | 6:00 PM | 7h 30m | 7.50 |
| 2:00 PM | 10:00 PM | 7h 30m | 7.50 |
| 10:00 PM | 6:00 AM | 7h 30m | 7.50 |
Who Uses an Hours Calculator
Industries and roles that rely on accurate work hour tracking
Employees & Workers
Verify that your timesheet is correct before submitting. Cross-check your manager's hours calculation for accuracy.
Freelancers & Contractors
Track billable hours per client per day. Multiply decimal hours by your rate for instant invoice amounts.
Nurses & Healthcare
Calculate 8h, 10h, and 12h shift durations. Handle rotating shifts and overnight work across day and night boundaries.
Construction & Trades
Log daily hours per worker for payroll and job costing. Include overtime calculations for weeks over 40 hours.
Common Mistakes When Calculating Work Hours
Avoid these frequent errors in timesheet and payroll calculations
Forgetting to deduct unpaid breaks
A common payroll error: entering 9 AM–5 PM as 8 hours without subtracting the 30-minute lunch break. The correct net hours worked are 7.5 hours. Always confirm whether your employment contract counts lunch as paid or unpaid time.
Rounding minutes to the nearest hour
Recording 7h 45m as '8 hours' costs you money. Under the FLSA, rounding must be neutral over time — it cannot consistently favor the employer. Use decimal hours (7.75) for accurate payroll.
Miscalculating overnight shifts
If you work 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM and manually subtract, you get a negative number. The correct approach is to add 24 hours to the end time before subtracting: (6:00 AM + 24h) − 10:00 PM = 8 hours.
Confusing hours:minutes with decimal
7:30 (7 hours 30 minutes) is NOT 7.30 decimal hours. It is 7.50 decimal hours, because 30 minutes ÷ 60 = 0.50. The colon notation and decimal notation are not the same.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about calculating work hours, overtime, decimal time, and pay