Work Hours Calculator
Enter your work session details to calculate total hours after breaks.
Work Session
Set your shift date and times
Breaks
All breaks are deducted from the total shift duration.
Accurate Calculations
Precise results including breaks and decimal hours.
Break Management
Add multiple breaks with custom durations.
Decimal & Time Format
Get results in both decimal and hours/minutes.
Works Offline
Everything works in your browser. No internet needed.
Examples
See how breaks affect your total hours in common shift scenarios.
Standard shift with lunch break
9:00 AM → 5:00 PM
Lunch Break: 30 min
7h 30m — 7.50 hours
8 hours total minus 30 min break = 7.5 hours
Early start with longer break
8:00 AM → 4:30 PM
Lunch Break: 45 min
7h 45m — 7.75 hours
8.5 hours total minus 45 min break = 7.75 hours
Short shift with no break
1:00 PM → 5:00 PM
No breaks
4h 00m — 4.00 hours
4 hours total with no breaks = 4.0 hours
Overnight shift with break
10:00 PM → 6:00 AM
Meal Break: 30 min
7h 30m — 7.50 hours
8 hours overnight minus 30 min break = 7.5 hours
What is a Work Hours Calculator?
A work hours calculator is a free online tool that helps you determine the total number of hours worked between a start time and an end time. It automatically accounts for lunch breaks, rest breaks, and other unpaid time away from work, giving you an accurate total in both hours-and-minutes format and decimal hours. This makes it ideal for employees, freelancers, contractors, and shift workers who need to track time for payroll, timesheets, or invoicing.
How to Calculate Work Hours
To calculate work hours manually, subtract your start time from your end time, then subtract any unpaid breaks. For example, if you work from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM with a 30-minute lunch break, your calculation is 8 hours minus 0.5 hours, which equals 7.5 hours worked. Our calculator handles this automatically: enter your start time and end time, add your breaks, and click Calculate to see your total instantly.
How Break Deductions Work
Most employers do not pay for meal breaks or rest periods. When you use our calculator, all breaks are automatically subtracted from your shift length. You can add as many breaks as you need — each with a custom name and duration — and the calculator will sum them and deduct the total from your worked hours.
Decimal Hour Conversion
Payroll systems and timesheet calculators usually require time in decimal format. Decimal hours make math simple: 15 minutes equals 0.25 hours, 30 minutes equals 0.50 hours, and 45 minutes equals 0.75 hours. Our work hours calculator shows both formats side by side, so you can copy the decimal value directly into your time card, payroll sheet, or paycheck calculator.
Payroll and Timesheet Use
Accurate hour tracking is essential for correct payroll. If you are paid hourly, even small rounding errors can add up over a pay period. Our calculator gives precise results, which you can use with our time card calculator and overtime calculator to estimate your total earnings. It also works for salaried workers who need to report hours for compliance or project billing.
Why Use Our Calculator?
Unlike simple spreadsheets or mental math, our tool handles overnight shifts, multiple breaks, and decimal conversions automatically. Everything is saved in your browser history, so you can refer back to previous calculations without re-entering data. There is no signup, no ads, and no data collection. Your information stays private on your device, and the calculator works offline after the first page load.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about calculating work hours with breaks.
Enter your start time and end time into our Work Hours Calculator. Add any breaks you took during your shift. The calculator will subtract your breaks and show your total hours worked in both hours/minutes and decimal format.
Yes, breaks are typically unpaid and should be deducted from your total work hours. Our calculator automatically subtracts all entered breaks from your shift duration.
Decimal hours convert minutes into a fraction of an hour. For example, 30 minutes equals 0.50 hours, and 15 minutes equals 0.25 hours. This format is commonly used for payroll and timesheet reporting.
Yes. Use the Breaks section to add as many breaks as you need. Each break can have a custom name, duration, and unit (minutes or hours). The calculator will automatically sum them all.
Yes, our Work Hours Calculator is 100% free. No signup, no credit card, and no personal information is required. All calculations happen directly in your browser.
Yes. Once the page is loaded, the calculator works entirely in your browser without an internet connection. Your calculation history is also stored locally on your device.
Absolutely. All your inputs and calculation history are stored only in your browser's localStorage. Your data never leaves your device or is sent to any server.