What time should I clock out if I started at 8:15 AM?

If you need 8.0 hours of work and take a 30-minute unpaid lunch break, you need 8 hours and 30 minutes of total elapsed time on site. Starting at 8:15 AM, you should clock out at 4:45 PM.

Why do payroll departments require decimal hours?

Payroll software and financial accounting systems calculate wages by multiplying hours by dollars per hour. Because standard time is base-60 (60 minutes per hour) and currency is base-10, minutes must be converted to decimal fractions (e.g. 45 minutes = 0.75 hours) so that 8.75 hours × $20 = $175.00.

Elapsed Shift Duration & Breaks

Work Hours Calculator – Calculate Time Worked

Calculate your exact elapsed work time after deducting unpaid lunch and rest breaks. View your time in both standard hours/minutes and decimal hours, or use the target clock-out estimator to find out what time you should leave to hit your target shift duration.

Elapsed Work Duration Engine

Work Hours Calculator

Calculate exact net elapsed work time after deducting unpaid lunch and rest breaks.

Start / Clock-In Time

End / Clock-Out Time

Unpaid Break (Minutes)

Hourly Rate ($/hr)

Quick break duration presets:

Net Work Time

8h 0m

Exact hours & minutes worked

Decimal Hours

8.00hrs

For payroll entry & billing

Gross Shift Duration

8.75hrs

Before break deduction

Estimated Gross Pay

$200.00

At $25.00/hr rate

From 08:00 to 16:45 minus a 45 min unpaid break equals 8.00 decimal hours.

Minutes to Decimal Hours Conversion Quick Reference

Formula: Minutes ÷ 60

5 mins =0.08 hrs

10 mins =0.17 hrs

15 mins =0.25 hrs

20 mins =0.33 hrs

25 mins =0.42 hrs

30 mins =0.50 hrs

35 mins =0.58 hrs

40 mins =0.67 hrs

45 mins =0.75 hrs

50 mins =0.83 hrs

55 mins =0.92 hrs

60 mins =1.00 hrs

Worked Example

Worked Example: Deducting a 45-Minute Lunch Break

Consider an employee starting their workday at 8:00 AM and clocking out at 4:45 PM with a 45-minute unpaid lunch break:

Gross Elapsed Span

8h 45m

525 total minutes on site

Unpaid Meal Break

45 mins

Subtracted from gross time

Net Compensable Work

8.00 decimal hrs

8 hours and 0 minutes

Step-by-step: From 8:00 AM to 4:45 PM is 8 hours and 45 minutes (525 gross minutes). Subtracting the 45-minute lunch leaves 480 net minutes. 480 divided by 60 equals exactly 8.00 decimal hours.

How to Calculate Net Work Hours After Breaks

Step-by-Step Directions

Enter Shift Times: Input your start time and end time.
Select or Type Break: Click one of the quick preset buttons (15m, 30m, 45m, 60m) or type your custom break duration in minutes.
Inspect Net Hours: The calculator instantly displays net hours in both natural format (e.g. 7h 45m) and payroll decimal format (7.75h).
Use Target Clock-Out Tab: If you want to know what time you need to leave to achieve a specific number of work hours, switch to the "Target Clock-Out Estimator" tab.

Calculation Formula

Gross Shift Minutes = End Time Minutes - Start Time Minutes

Net Work Minutes = Gross Shift Minutes - Break Minutes

Decimal Hours = Net Work Minutes ÷ 60

If the shift spans across midnight (e.g. 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM), 24 hours (1,440 minutes) is automatically added to the end time to ensure accurate elapsed calculations.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Work Hours Calculation FAQs

Help & FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Everything you need to know about tools in this section.

Calculate total elapsed time from when you arrive to when you leave, then subtract the length of your unpaid lunch break. For example, an 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM shift spans 8.5 hours. Subtracting a 30-minute (0.5 hour) lunch leaves exactly 8.0 net work hours.