What a time card calculator really does
A time card calculator changes the raw clock-in and clock-out times into hours worked in the format that payroll software needs.
This is the problem it solves: You logged in at 8:07 AM and left at 5:23 PM. What time is that? When you're working a full week and have to deal with decimal conversion, unpaid lunch breaks, and overtime limits, quick mental math may get tricky.
This utility does the conversion for you. It takes away breaks, marks overtime hours, uses your pay rate, and gives you everything in either decimal format (which payroll systems expect) or hours:minutes (which people understand).
Who needs time card calculators? Freelancers keeping count of hours they can bill. Owners of small businesses who do payroll by hand. HR managers are evaluating the time clock software again. Workers check to make sure their paychecks are not short. Contractors charge clients by the hour.
The common thread is that everyone who needs to know how many hours they worked without having to do any spreadsheet gymnastics.
How to figure out how many hours you worked by hand
Before we go over how to use the calculator, let's go over the math behind it. If you know how it works, you can catch mistakes, whether they are yours or your boss's.
Step 1: Find the gross hours
Take away the start time from the end time. That's 8.5 hours of work if you worked from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM. But there's a strange thing about time math: you have to borrow when the minutes go over the hour.
9:15 AM to 4:45 PM is not easy to understand. First, change both of them to minutes after midnight. 9:15 AM is 555 minutes. 4:45 PM is 1,005 minutes. The difference is 450 minutes divided by 60, which is 7.5 hours.
Step 2: Change minutes to decimals
Payroll works in decimal hours. Here is the change:
| Minutes | Decimal |
|---|---|
| 15 | 0.25 |
| 20 | 0.33 |
| 30 | 0.50 |
| 45 | 0.75 |
For example, 37 minutes is an odd number. 37 / 60 = 0.617 hours. This calculator does it for you.
Step 3: Take away breaks that haven't been paid for
A 30-minute lunch takes 0.5 hours off your total. Two 15-minute breaks might constitute paid time (FLSA specifies that breaks under 20 minutes are usually unpaid), so don't take those away unless your boss says you can.
Step 4: Figure out how much overtime you worked
Count up all the hours you worked this week. If you have more than 40 (or 8 a day in California), you get 1.5 times that. If you worked 47.5 hours and made $18.75 an hour:
- Regular: $750.00 for 40 x $18.75
- Overtime: 7.5 x ($18.75 x 1.5) = 7.5 x $28.125 = $210.94
- The total is $960.94.
You can now see why calculators are useful.
How to use this time card calculator step by step
Step 1: Choose how often you want to get paid and what you want. Pick a time frame: weekly, biweekly, semi-monthly, or monthly. Choose a day of the week to start your week (Sunday through Saturday). Choose your overtime mode: Weekly, Daily, Cap-Weekly, Cap-Daily, or No Premium.
Step 2: Type in your times. Enter the times you clocked in and exited for each day. Need more than one segment? Click here to add another row. Worked from 8 to 12, had lunch, and then from 12:30 to 5? Put both parts in.
Step 3: Write down your breaks. Enter the length of the break for automatic deduction. The calculation takes away unpaid break time from your daily total.
Step 4: Use time rounding (optional). If your boss rounds time punches, you should do the same. There are options for no rounding or rounding to 60 minutes.
Step 5: Put in your salary rate. Type in how much you make per hour. The calculator figures out regular pay, overtime pay (1.5x), and double-time pay (2x) all at once.
Step 6: Look over and export. Your totals show up right away. You can save the time card as a PDF for your records, a CSV for spreadsheets, or an Excel file for additional control over formatting. Saves automatically to your computer.
How overtime really works in Canada and the US
Overtime rules are different than most people think they are. If you get things incorrect, employers have to pay too much and employees don't get enough.
Federal rules in the US (FLSA)
Employees who are not exempt get paid 1.5 times their regular rate for every hour beyond 40 in a workweek. Your employer sets the hours for that workweek, which is a set 168-hour period (7 days in a row). They can't add up two workweeks; each one is its own.
Your "regular rate" isn't merely the hourly wage you get. It includes bonuses that aren't up to the employee's discretion, shift differentials, and commissions.
California's daily overtime (and double-time)
California's daily limits are different from federal ones. You get time and a half after 8 hours of work on any day, not just after 40 hours a week. After 12 hours in a single day or 8 hours on your 7th straight workday, you get double time.
Differences between provinces in Canada
| Province | Weekly Limit | Daily Limit | Double-Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal | 40 hours | 8 hours | No |
| Ontario | 44 hours | None | No |
| Quebec | 40 hours | None | No |
| British Columbia | 40 hours | 8 hours | Yes (after 12 hours) |
| Alberta | 44 hours | 8 hours | No |
| Nova Scotia | 48 hours | None | No |
Rules you need to know
The FLSA does not demand breaks for meals or rest. But if you give breaks that are less than 20 minutes, they are compensated time. And if you have your staff stay at their desks during "lunch," they will get compensated for that time as well.
State break rules are very different from one another. If you work more than five hours in California, you must take a 30-minute unpaid dinner break. You also get a 10-minute paid break for every four hours worked.
How to deal with breaks in the calculator: For each day, enter the length of the break. It takes it off by itself. Don't take away brief breaks for coffee or the bathroom unless your boss says they are unpaid.
The 7-minute rule and rounding time are described
Can your boss change the time you punch in? Yes, but there's a catch. Federal rules provide that you can round to the nearest 5, 6, or 15 minutes. The 7-minute rule applies to rounding to the nearest quarter hour:
- Check in at 8:07? Rounds to 8:00
- Check in at 8:08? 8:15 rounds
The law says that people should be neutral. Both the employer and the employee should get a fair amount of rounding. Stealing wages means always rounding in the employer's favor.
Five blunders on your time card that cost you money
1. Not remembering to clock out
Making guesses later on generally leads to mistakes. Set reminders or clock out right away.
2. Not keeping track of breaks correctly
Check to see if breaks are paid or unpaid. If you take paid breaks incorrectly, your pay goes down.
3. Mistakes in math by hand
It's easy to make mistakes when you add times in your head. Use this calculator to make sure everything is right.
4. The wrong overtime limit
If you use weekly rules for daily overtime states (like CA), you don't get paid enough. Look up the legislation in your area.
5. Averaging hours
You can't combine two weeks to avoid working more than 40 hours. Every week of work is its own.
Making your time cards safe from harm
- Keep track in real time. Write down the times as they happen. It only takes three seconds and gets rid of guesswork.
- Keep your own records. The clock at work might not work right. A backup keeps you safe.
- Check it over before you send it. Find mistakes before they go to payroll.
- Know what your pay stub means. Check the hours worked against the hours paid.
- Send out and save. Use the option to export to PDF. Most legal exposure windows are covered by keeping documents for more than three years.
Disclaimer
Based on the information you submit, this calculator gives you estimates. It works effectively for most overtime situations, however there are several exceptions in employment law. For official payroll choices, talk to your HR department or a trained payroll expert. As of December 2025, the information here is based on federal FLSA standards and the most important differences between states and provinces.
Questions that are often asked
How can I figure out how many hours I've worked for payroll?
Subtract your start time from your end time, turn minutes into decimals by dividing by 60, and then take away any breaks that weren't compensated. If you work from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM and take a 30-minute unpaid lunch, you worked 8.5 hours minus 0.5 hours, which is 8 hours.
What time does overtime pay start?
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) says that overtime starts after 40 hours of work in a week at 1.5 times your regular rate. In California, you have to work extra hours after 8 hours a day. In Canada, the requirements are different in each province. For example, Ontario uses 44 hours a week, whereas British Columbia uses 8 hours a day.
What does the 7-minute rule mean for clocks?
Employers can round time to the nearest 15 minutes with the 7-minute rule. Clock-ins between :01 and :07 round down to :00, and clock-ins between :08 and :14 round up to :15. This rounding has to be fair over time. If you always round down, you're stealing wages.
Should lunch breaks be taken out of work hours?
You should take away unpaid lunch breaks, which are usually 30 minutes or more while you're not working at all. The FLSA says that short breaks of 5 to 20 minutes are paid time and should not be taken away.
How can I change minutes into decimal hours?
To get the answer, divide the minutes by 60. A quarter of an hour is equal to 15 minutes, a half hour is equal to 30 minutes, and three-quarters of an hour is equal to 45 minutes. To get 37 minutes, divide 37 by 60 to get 0.617 hours.
What is double-time pay and when does it apply?
When you work double-time, you get paid twice your normal hourly rate. If you work more than 12 hours in a single day or more than 8 hours on your 7th straight workday, you get double-time pay. The rules in British Columbia are the same. The federal FLSA does not mandate double-time.
Can my boss round my time clock punches?
Yes, but only if rounding is fair for both the employer and the employee over time. Five, six (1/10 hour), or fifteen minutes are all acceptable intervals. It is against the law to always round down or only round clock-in and clock-out times up.
What is the difference between a weekly pay period and a biweekly pay period?
Weekly pay covers 7 days (52 paychecks per year), and overtime is added up every week after 40 hours. Biweekly covers 14 days (26 payments a year), but overtime is still based on a 7-day workweek. You can't average hours across both weeks.
Do employees who are paid by the hour get extra pay?
It depends. Under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), salaried employees who are not exempt and earn less than $684 per week ($35,568 per year) are eligible for overtime. Employees that are exempt from overtime (executive, administrative, or professional responsibilities that meet certain duty criteria) do not get paid for extra hours worked.
What if I forgot to check in or out?
Tell your boss right away. Even if you neglected to clock in, your company still has to pay you for all the hours you worked. Keep your own records as a backup. Employers can fix timecards, but they can't lie about how many hours you worked.
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