EXAMPLE
9:00 AM to 5:30 PM is 8 hours, 30 minutes.
Enter both times to see results.
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How this calculator works
Finding the elapsed time between a start and end clock time is simple in theory but easy to miscalculate around the hour mark or overnight spans. This calculator finds the exact duration between two times, including a decimal-hours figure useful for time cards and payroll.
THE MATH BEHIND IT
Duration: End time − Start time (crossing midnight if end is earlier)
Decimal hours: hours + (minutes ÷ 60)
A real example
A shift from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM:
Duration
8 hours, 30 minutes
Decimal hours
8 + (30 ÷ 60) =8.5
Common questions
This calculator assumes the end time falls on the next day if it is earlier than the start time — for example, a start of 10:00 PM and an end of 6:00 AM is treated as an 8-hour overnight span.
Decimal hours express minutes as a fraction of an hour (for example, 30 minutes = 0.5 hours) rather than hours and minutes separately. Payroll systems commonly use decimal hours since they are easier to multiply by an hourly rate.
Decimal hours = hours + (minutes ÷ 60). For example, 8 hours and 30 minutes = 8 + (30 ÷ 60) = 8.5 decimal hours.