Work hours calculator with breaks
Quick answer: Subtract any unpaid break from the time between start and finish, add the days up, and multiply by your rate. 8:30 am to 5:15 pm with a 30-minute unpaid break is 8 hours 15 minutes, or 8.25 hours; five such days are 41.25 hours. The calculator below does it for a week or a fortnight, including overnight shifts, and stores nothing.
Worked example: 8:30 to 5:15 with a 30-minute break
| Start | 8:30 am |
|---|---|
| Finish | 5:15 pm |
| Time between | 8 hours 45 minutes |
| Unpaid break | 30 minutes |
| Paid hours | 8 hours 15 minutes, which is 8.25 hours |
| Five days | 41 hours 15 minutes, which is 41.25 hours |
| At A$33.05 an hour | A$1,363.31 gross for the week |
A$33.05 is Australia's casual minimum rate including 25% loading from 1 July 2026 (national minimum wage A$26.44), per the Fair Work Commission's 2026 review. Your rate is whatever you are paid; the arithmetic is the same.
The calculator
Enter a start and finish for each day you worked and the unpaid break in minutes. Leave days you did not work empty. A finish earlier than the start is treated as the next day, so overnight shifts work. Nothing is saved or sent anywhere.
How to count a lunch break
An unpaid break is subtracted; a paid break is not. If your employer deducts a standard 30 minutes but you worked through it, record the break you actually took. The difference, five days a week, is 2.5 hours of pay.
Overnight shift example
10:00 pm to 6:30 am is 8 hours 30 minutes between start and finish. With a 30-minute unpaid break it is 8 hours, or 8.0 decimal. On the night the clocks change, count the hours you actually worked, not the clock time.
Hours to decimal
| Minutes | Decimal | Minutes | Decimal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0.08 | 35 | 0.58 |
| 10 | 0.17 | 40 | 0.67 |
| 15 | 0.25 | 45 | 0.75 |
| 20 | 0.33 | 50 | 0.83 |
| 25 | 0.42 | 55 | 0.92 |
| 30 | 0.50 | 60 | 1.00 |
Fortnightly timesheets
Switch the period to a fortnight to enter 14 days. Some awards and most payroll systems in Australia and New Zealand work in fortnights; weekly overtime thresholds still apply per week, so check each week separately if overtime matters to you.
What counts as overtime
The threshold is a setting here because it differs. In Australia, most awards set 38 ordinary hours a week, with overtime and penalty rates by award (Fair Work overtime pay). In the United States, the federal rule is 1.5 times the regular rate over 40 hours in a workweek, with state variations (Department of Labor). In the United Kingdom there is no statutory overtime rate; your contract sets it (gov.uk). The calculator counts hours above your threshold; it does not apply a rate to them.
Questions people ask
How do I calculate hours worked with a lunch break?
Take the time between start and finish, then subtract the unpaid break. 8:30 am to 5:15 pm is 8 hours 45 minutes; minus a 30-minute unpaid break is 8 hours 15 minutes, or 8.25 hours. A paid break is not subtracted.
How do I convert minutes to decimal hours?
Divide the minutes by 60. 15 minutes is 0.25, 30 minutes is 0.5, 45 minutes is 0.75, and 10 minutes is 0.17. 8 hours 15 minutes is 8.25 hours. Timesheets and payroll systems usually want the decimal form.
How do you calculate a 30-minute lunch break?
If the break is unpaid, subtract 30 minutes from the time between start and finish. If your employer pays the break, do not subtract it. A 9 am to 5 pm day with an unpaid 30-minute lunch is 7.5 paid hours.
Is there an app to calculate work hours?
Yes. This page does the arithmetic for a week or fortnight without saving anything. Time Card, our iPhone app, keeps the record day by day, works offline with no account, and turns a week into a PDF timesheet or invoice.
Does this calculator keep a record?
No. Nothing you type is stored or sent anywhere; reload the page and it is gone. For a record you can rely on, log each day in an app or a notebook on the day.
How are overnight shifts counted?
If the finish time is earlier than the start time, the calculator treats the finish as the next day. 10 pm to 6:30 am is 8 hours 30 minutes before any break.