Time Card / Work Hours Calculator
Use this free time card calculator to track your work hours and work out regular and overtime pay. It suits employees, freelancers and small business owners who need accurate time tracking. Enter your start and end times for each day of the week and get instant totals, including overnight shifts.
How to Use This Time Card Calculator
- Enter your start and end times for each day you worked, using the hour, minute and AM/PM fields
- Set your hourly rate if you want to calculate regular pay, overtime pay, and gross pay
- Adjust the weekly and daily overtime thresholds and the overtime multiplier to match your employer or state rules
- Choose rounding options if your employer rounds time in 5, 10, or 15-minute increments
- View live totals, use Print, Copy summary, or download as CSV
Overtime Rules
Overtime rules vary by location and employer. Common rules include:
- Weekly overtime: Hours worked over 40 in a workweek are typically paid at 1.5x the regular rate
- Daily overtime: In some states (like California), hours over 8 in a day are paid at 1.5x, and over 12 at 2x
- Non-overlapping calculations: Our calculator handles overtime correctly to avoid double-counting hours
Worked example: A 45-hour week at $20/hour results in $950 gross pay, assuming a 40-hour weekly overtime threshold, an 8-hour daily threshold, and a 1.5x overtime multiplier.
Hours to Decimal Conversion Table
| Hours:Minutes | Decimal Hours |
|---|---|
| 0:15 | 0.25 |
| 0:30 | 0.50 |
| 0:45 | 0.75 |
| 1:00 | 1.00 |
| 7:30 | 7.50 |
| 8:00 | 8.00 |
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Forgetting unpaid breaks: Shorten the day by the length of any unpaid break so it isn’t counted as work time
- Overnight shifts: Make sure to enter times correctly - our calculator handles shifts that cross midnight
- Mixing up AM/PM: Check the AM/PM field for every start and end time, especially around noon and midnight
- Not tracking all days: Include all workdays in your pay period for accurate totals
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I calculate total hours on a time card?
Subtract your start time from your end time and convert the result to decimal hours. For example, 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM is 8.50 hours. If you take an unpaid break, enter the time you stopped and started again, or end your day earlier by the length of the break.
How is weekly overtime calculated?
In most US workplaces, overtime is paid for hours worked over 40 in a workweek at time and a half. Some states also have daily overtime rules, and this calculator keeps daily and weekly overtime separate so the same hour is not counted twice.
What is the difference between decimal hours and hours:minutes?
Decimal hours represent time as a decimal, so 7 hours 30 minutes is 7.50 hours. Hours:minutes keeps the same time as 7h 30m. Decimal hours make it easier to multiply by an hourly rate, while the clock format is easier to read.
Can I track overtime for daily hours over 8?
Yes. Some jurisdictions require daily overtime for hours over 8 in a day. Set the daily overtime threshold to 8 hours and leave daily overtime enabled to calculate the extra hours separately from weekly overtime.
Does the calculator handle overnight shifts?
Yes. If the end time is earlier than the start time, the calculator treats the shift as crossing midnight. For example, 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM is an 8-hour overnight shift.
How do I account for unpaid breaks?
The calculator counts the time between your start and end times. For an unpaid break, enter an end time that is earlier by the length of the break. For example, a 9-hour day with a 1-hour lunch is 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM, or 8 hours.