How to use this time card calculator
Type your start and end time for each day you worked. You do not need to format anything — the calculator understands the shorthand people actually use:
9becomes 9:00 AM930or9:30becomes 9:30 AM5or5pbecomes 5:00 PM1730or17:30becomes 5:30 PM
Under each box you will see how your entry was read, so a typo is obvious before it reaches your total. Add unpaid break minutes in the break column. Totals update as you type — there is no calculate button to press.
Worked example. You clock in at 9:00 AM, clock out at 5:30 PM and take a 30 minute unpaid lunch. That is 8 hours 30 minutes on the clock, less 30 minutes of break, giving 8 hours — or 8.00 in the decimal format payroll uses.
Overtime rules
Federal law — the Fair Labor Standards Act — requires overtime at one and a half times your regular rate for every hour past 40 in a workweek. There is no federal daily overtime: a 12 hour day is not overtime by itself if your week stays under 40 hours.
Several states add their own daily rules, which is why this calculator lets you pick:
- Federal (over 40/week) — the default, and correct in most states.
- Daily (over 8/day) — used by Alaska, Nevada and others.
- California — overtime after 8 hours in a day, double time after 12, and premium pay on the seventh consecutive day worked in a workweek.
If you chose the bi-weekly period, overtime is worked out separately for each of the two weeks. That matters: 50 hours one week and 30 the next is not 80 regular hours, it is 70 regular plus 10 overtime. Some calculators get this wrong by treating the whole pay period as one block.
Time clock rounding and the 7-minute rule
Employers are allowed to round punches, most commonly to the nearest quarter hour. The convention is often called the 7-minute rule: minutes 1 through 7 past the quarter round down, and minutes 8 through 14 round up. Clocking in at 8:52 counts as 8:45; clocking in at 8:53 counts as 9:00.
Rounding is only lawful when it is neutral over time. A policy that always rounds in the employer's favour — rounding start times up but end times down — is not permitted. Set the rounding dropdown to match your employer's policy to see what your paid hours should look like, then compare that against your exact hours.
Minutes to decimal hours
Payroll runs on decimal hours, not hours and minutes. 8 hours 30 minutes is 8.50, never 8.30. To convert, divide the minutes by 60.
| Minutes | Decimal | Minutes | Decimal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0.08 | 35 | 0.58 |
| 10 | 0.17 | 40 | 0.67 |
| 15 | 0.25 | 45 | 0.75 |
| 20 | 0.33 | 50 | 0.83 |
| 25 | 0.42 | 55 | 0.92 |
| 30 | 0.50 | 60 | 1.00 |
Use the Show hours as dropdown to switch the whole card between decimal and hours:minutes.
Overnight and split shifts
If your end time is earlier than your start time, the calculator assumes the shift crossed midnight. 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM is counted as 8 hours rather than an error.
If you clock out and back in during the same day — a long unpaid gap, a split shift, or a second job — turn on Split shifts in Advanced options to get a second pair of boxes for each day.
Common questions
Is this time card calculator free?
Yes, completely. There is no sign-up, no email capture and no limit on how often you use it. Downloading your CSV or printing your card does not require an account either.
Are my hours sent anywhere?
No. Every calculation happens in your browser. If you press Save, your card is stored in your own browser's local storage on that device only — it is never uploaded, and we cannot see it.
Will my entries still be here next week?
Yes, on the same device and browser. Your card saves automatically a moment after you stop typing, so you can come back on Friday without retyping the week. Use Clear to wipe it.
How do I calculate hours worked for a two week pay period?
Switch the pay period dropdown to Bi-weekly. You get 14 day rows, and overtime is calculated correctly as two separate workweeks rather than one 80 hour block.
Does it handle unpaid lunch breaks?
Yes. Enter the break in minutes in the break column and it is deducted from that day's total. Leave it blank or enter 0 for a paid break.
Can I use this to check my paycheck?
That is one of the most common uses. Enter your actual punches, set the rounding to match your employer's policy and add your hourly rate. Compare the gross pay shown here against your pay stub. This tool calculates gross pay only — it does not deduct taxes.