Enter your clock-in and clock-out times for each weekday, plus any unpaid break minutes. You'll get daily hours, the weekly total, the regular/overtime split past 40 hours, and — if you add an hourly rate — your gross pay.
How the time card adds up
Each day's paid time is simply clock-out minus clock-in, minus any unpaid break. The calculator totals Monday through Friday, splits the week into regular hours (up to 40) and overtime (everything past 40), and — if you enter an hourly rate — turns the split into gross pay at your chosen overtime multiplier. Days you leave blank are ignored, and a day whose clock-out isn't after its clock-in gets flagged and skipped rather than silently corrupting the total.
The formula
Daily hours = (clock out − clock in) − unpaid break · Gross pay = rate × regular + rate × multiplier × overtime
Regular hours are the weekly total capped at 40; overtime is whatever exceeds 40. Payroll systems track minutes, then convert to decimal hours — this chart is the whole trick:
| Minutes | Decimal hours |
|---|
| 15 min | 0.25 |
| 20 min | 0.33 |
| 30 min | 0.50 |
| 40 min | 0.67 |
| 45 min | 0.75 |
| 60 min | 1.00 |
Worked example
You work 8:00 to 17:00 Monday through Friday with a 30-minute unpaid lunch: that's 9 hours on the clock minus 0.5, so 8.5 paid hours a day — 42h 30m for the week.
At $20/hour with 1.5× overtime: 40 regular hours × $20 = $800, plus 2.5 overtime hours × $30 = $75 — $875 gross.
The half-hour that goes missing
The most common time card mistake is treating "8 to 5" as 8 hours — it's 9, and whether you're paid for 8 or 8.5 depends entirely on whether your lunch is unpaid, which is why the break column exists. Under the U.S. FLSA, non-exempt employees generally earn at least 1.5× pay for hours over 40 in a workweek, but the details vary by state and country — California, for instance, adds daily overtime after 8 hours — so treat this calculator's 40-hour weekly split as the common case, not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add up hours on a time card?
For each day, subtract the clock-in time from the clock-out time, then subtract any unpaid break. Add the days together for the weekly total. This calculator does the time arithmetic for you and flags any day whose punches don't make sense.
How do I convert minutes to decimal hours?
Divide the minutes by 60: 15 minutes is 0.25 hours, 30 minutes is 0.5, and 45 minutes is 0.75. Payroll systems use decimal hours because multiplying 42.5 hours by an hourly rate is easy, while multiplying "42 hours 30 minutes" is not.
When does overtime start?
Under the U.S. FLSA, non-exempt employees generally earn at least 1.5 times their regular rate for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek — but rules vary by state and country (California adds daily overtime after 8 hours, for example). This calculator uses the common 40-hour weekly threshold.
Are lunch breaks paid?
Typically no — a bona fide meal break where you're fully relieved of duties is unpaid, which is why time cards subtract it. Short rest breaks of 5 to 20 minutes are generally paid time. Enter only unpaid break minutes in the break column.
How do I calculate gross pay with overtime?
Pay the first 40 hours at your regular rate and the hours beyond 40 at the overtime multiplier. At $20/hour with 42.5 hours and time-and-a-half: 40 × $20 + 2.5 × $30 = $875 gross, before taxes and deductions.