How this time card calculator works
A time card is just arithmetic that is annoying to do in your head: clock times are base 60, payroll is base 10, and one overnight shift throws off the whole column. This calculator keeps both formats visible at once so you can check your paystub without converting anything twice.
- 11. Enter start and end timesType them any way you like — 9, 9:30a, 930, 5 pm or 17:30 all work. Empty rows are simply ignored.
- 22. Deduct the breakEnter unpaid break minutes, or switch to “Times” to punch the break in and out like a second shift.
- 33. Add rate and overtime rulesOpen “Pay & overtime” for an hourly rate, a weekly overtime threshold (40 by default) and the multiplier.
- 44. Print, export or copyPrint gives you a clean PDF, CSV opens in Excel or Google Sheets, and Copy summary drops a plain-text version into a message.
Worked example: a 41.5 hour week
Five shifts, one of them overnight, a mix of 30 and 60 minute breaks, and an hourly rate of $20.00 with the federal 40 hour overtime threshold:
| Day | Start | End | Break | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 7:00 AM | 3:30 PM | 30 min | 8:00 (8.00) |
| Tuesday | 7:00 AM | 4:00 PM | 30 min | 8:30 (8.50) |
| Wednesday | 7:00 AM | 3:30 PM | 30 min | 8:00 (8.00) |
| Thursday | 9:00 PM | 5:30 AM | 30 min | 8:00 (8.00) |
| Friday | 7:00 AM | 5:00 PM | 60 min | 9:00 (9.00) |
| Week | 41:30 (41.50) |
Thursday runs from 9:00 PM to 5:30 AM the next morning: 8 hours 30 minutes on the clock, minus a 30 minute break, so 8.00 hours. The week totals 41 hours 30 minutes, which is 41.50 decimal hours. The first 40 hours are regular time (40 × $20.00 = $800.00) and the remaining 1.50 hours are overtime at time and a half (1.50 × $30.00 = $45.00), for $845.00 gross.
Gross pay is before taxes and deductions. It also assumes a single regular rate — bonuses, shift differentials and commissions can change the “regular rate” that overtime is calculated from.
hh:mm and decimal hours — why both
Timesheets are written in hours and minutes, but payroll multiplies decimal hours by a rate. The conversion is a division by 60, and it is where most manual time card errors come from: 8 hours 30 minutes is 8.50 hours, not 8.30. Common values are 15 minutes = 0.25, 20 minutes = 0.33, 40 minutes = 0.67 and 50 minutes = 0.83. Every total on this page shows both.
Overtime, rounding and the rules behind them
The calculator defaults to the federal rule: hours over 40 in a workweek are overtime, paid at not less than one and one-half times the regular rate. In bi-weekly mode each of the two weeks gets its own threshold, because hours may not be averaged across weeks. If your state or contract uses a different threshold — for example daily overtime after 8 hours in California — change the threshold under “Pay & overtime” or use the dedicated overtime calculator.
- 29 CFR 778.101 — Maximum nonovertime hours“Section 7(a) of the Act provides 40 hours as the maximum number that an employee subject to its provisions may work for an employer in any workweek without receiving additional compensation at not less than the statutory rate for overtime.”
- 29 CFR 778.104 — Each workweek stands alone“The Act takes a single workweek as its standard and does not permit averaging of hours over 2 or more weeks.”
- 29 CFR 785.48(b) — Rounding practicesRounding to the nearest 5 minutes, tenth or quarter hour is accepted “provided that it is used in such a manner that it will not result, over a period of time, in failure to compensate the employees properly for all the time they have actually worked.”
- U.S. Department of Labor — Overtime PayWage and Hour Division overview of who is covered and how overtime pay is required.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate hours worked on a time card?
How do I convert minutes to decimal hours?
Does the calculator handle overnight and graveyard shifts?
When does overtime start under federal law?
Under the Fair Labor Standards Act, covered nonexempt employees must receive overtime pay for hours worked over 40 in a workweek, at a rate not less than one and one-half times the regular rate. 29 CFR 778.101 puts it plainly: 40 hours is “the maximum number that an employee subject to its provisions may work for an employer in any workweek without receiving additional compensation at not less than the statutory rate for overtime.” Some states, such as California, add daily overtime on top of that — see the overtime calculator.
Can my employer average two weeks together to avoid overtime?
No. 29 CFR 778.104 states that “the Act takes a single workweek as its standard and does not permit averaging of hours over 2 or more weeks.” Even on a bi-weekly pay period each workweek is evaluated on its own — which is exactly how the bi-weekly mode here applies the threshold.
Is it legal for an employer to round my punch times?
Rounding to the nearest 5 minutes, tenth of an hour or quarter hour is a long-standing practice. 29 CFR 785.48(b) accepts it “provided that it is used in such a manner that it will not result, over a period of time, in failure to compensate the employees properly for all the time they have actually worked.” This is the rule behind the so-called 7-minute rule: with quarter-hour rounding the midpoint is 7½ minutes, so rounding has to go both up and down over time, not only in the employer’s favor.