US · Hours and overtime
Time card calculator
Short answer
To total a time card, subtract each day's clock-in time from its clock-out time, take off unpaid meal breaks, and add the days. Five days of 8:00 to 5:30 with a 30-minute lunch is 45 hours; at $20 an hour, federal overtime makes that $950 for the week: 40 hours at $20 and 5 at $30.
| Day | Hours:minutes | Decimal hours |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 9:00 | 9.00 |
| Tue | 9:00 | 9.00 |
| Wed | 9:00 | 9.00 |
| Thu | 9:00 | 9.00 |
| Fri | 9:00 | 9.00 |
| Week | 45:00 | 45.00 |
| Pay line | Hours | Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Regular | 40.00 | $800.00 |
| Overtime at 1.5× | 5.00 | $150.00 |
| Gross pay | 45.00 | $950.00 |
Worked example: a 45-hour week
An hourly employee on $20 an hour clocks in at 8:00 and out at 5:30 (17:30), Monday to Friday, with an unpaid 30-minute lunch each day.
| Line | Hours | Pay |
|---|---|---|
| Each day: 8:00 to 17:30, less 0:30 | 9.00 | |
| Week | 45.00 | |
| Regular hours at $20 | 40.00 | $800.00 |
| Overtime at $30 (1.5×) | 5.00 | $150.00 |
| Gross pay | 45.00 | $950.00 |
In California the same week also pays $950: each day's ninth hour is daily overtime, and the 40 hours left are straight time. A four-day week of 10-hour days shows the difference. Federal law pays 40 hours at $20, $800. California pays 8 hours a day at $20 and 2 at $30, $880.
Rounding time card hours
Employers may round clock times to the nearest 5 minutes, tenth of an hour or quarter hour, as long as the rounding is neutral: times round down as often as up, so over time the employee is paid for all the time worked. On a quarter-hour rule, 7:53 and 8:07 both count as 8:00, and 8:08 counts as 8:15.
| Rounding | Times counted | Hours |
|---|---|---|
| None | 7:53 to 16:07 | 7:44 (7.73) |
| Nearest 5 minutes | 7:55 to 16:05 | 7:40 (7.67) |
| Nearest tenth (6 minutes) | 7:54 to 16:06 | 7:42 (7.70) |
| Nearest quarter hour | 8:00 to 16:00 | 7:30 (7.50) |
A rule that only ever rounds in the employer's favor, such as always rounding clock-in times up, isn't neutral. Pick “no rounding” to pay to the minute.
Converting minutes to decimal hours
Payroll multiplies the rate by decimal hours, so minutes are divided by 60: 15 minutes is 0.25 of an hour, 30 minutes 0.50, 45 minutes 0.75, and 20 minutes 0.33. A day of 7 hours 44 minutes is 7.73 hours. The calculator shows both and keeps decimal hours to two places.
General information, not legal advice. Breaks and rounding from 29 CFR 785.18, 785.19 and 785.48; overtime from DOL Fact Sheet #23 and California Labor Code section 510, read 8 October 2026.
The official method, step by step
- For each day, take the clock-out time minus the clock-in time. A shift that ends after midnight runs into the next day: 10:00 pm to 6:30 am is 8 hours 30 minutes.
- Take off unpaid breaks. Under the FLSA, bona fide meal periods, usually 30 minutes or more with the employee relieved of all duties, aren't work time; short rest breaks of about 5 to 20 minutes are paid and stay in.
- If the employer rounds clock times, round each one to the nearest 5 minutes, tenth of an hour or quarter hour. The Department of Labor accepts rounding that, over time, doesn't fail to pay for time actually worked.
- Add the days for the week's hours, and turn minutes into decimal hours (minutes ÷ 60) to multiply by the hourly rate.
- Pay overtime on the hours over 40 in the workweek at one and a half times the regular rate (federal rule), or by California's daily rules: 1.5× over 8 hours a day, 2× over 12, and the seventh-day rules.
What this leaves out
- Workweeks of more than seven days, and pay periods covering two workweeks (each week's overtime stands alone: run each week separately)
- Bonuses and commissions that raise the regular rate for overtime (use the overtime calculator)
- Overtime and premium-pay rules of states other than California (check your state labor department)
- Tips, shift differentials and different rates for different jobs in the same week
- Taxes: the gross pay goes to the pay stub generator, which works them out
Sources: 29 CFR 785.48, Use of time clocks: rounding starting and stopping times to the nearest 5 minutes, tenth or quarter of an hour, if it averages out over time (read October 8, 2026); 29 CFR 785.18 and 785.19, Rest and meal periods: rest periods of 5 to about 20 minutes count as hours worked; bona fide meal periods (ordinarily 30 minutes or more, fully relieved from duty) don't (read October 8, 2026); U.S. Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division: Fact Sheet #23, Overtime Pay Requirements of the FLSA (1.5× the regular rate over 40 hours in a workweek; each workweek stands alone) (read October 7, 2026); 29 CFR 778.110, Hourly rate employee (regular rate with a production bonus: $12 an hour, 46 hours, $46 bonus → $13 regular rate, $637) (read October 7, 2026); California Department of Industrial Relations, Labor Commissioner's Office: Overtime FAQ (Labor Code section 510: daily overtime over 8 hours, double time over 12, seventh consecutive day) (read October 7, 2026).
Time card calculator: common questions
How do I calculate hours worked on a time card?
For each day, subtract the clock-in time from the clock-out time and take off any unpaid meal break, then add the days. 8:00 to 17:30 with a 30-minute lunch is 9 hours; five such days are 45 hours.
How do I convert minutes to decimal hours?
Divide the minutes by 60. 15 minutes is 0.25, 30 is 0.50, 45 is 0.75 and 20 is 0.33. So 7 hours 44 minutes is 7.73 hours, and that is the figure to multiply by the hourly rate.
Are breaks paid or unpaid?
Under the FLSA, short rest breaks of about 5 to 20 minutes are paid work time. Meal periods of usually 30 minutes or more, when the employee is fully relieved of duty, can be unpaid. Some states require breaks or pay for them.
Can my employer round my time card?
Yes, to the nearest 5 minutes, tenth of an hour or quarter hour, if the rounding evens out over time and doesn't leave time worked unpaid. Rounding that only ever favors the employer isn't allowed.
How is overtime worked out from a time card?
Federal law pays 1.5 times the regular rate for hours over 40 in the workweek. California also counts each day: 1.5× over 8 hours and 2× over 12, plus the seventh-day rules. Each workweek stands on its own.
How do I count a shift that goes past midnight?
Enter the clock-out time as it reads, such as 6:30 for 6:30 am. When the end is earlier than the start, the calculator counts the shift into the next day: 22:00 to 6:30 is 8 hours 30 minutes.
Is this a timesheet calculator too?
Yes. A timesheet and a time card hold the same thing: start and end times for each day. Enter them here for one workweek to get hours, overtime and gross pay.
Can I make a pay stub from the time card?
Yes. “Make the pay stub for this week” opens the pay stub generator with the week's gross pay as weekly pay. The generator works out the taxes. Nothing you type is saved or sent.
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