Time Card Calculator
Weekly hours, regular pay, and overtime from daily start, end, and break times.
What it does
A time card turns a week of clock times into hours and pay. The arithmetic gets awkward because clock math borrows sixty: 09:00 to 17:30 is 8.5 hours, and a 30 minute lunch pulls it down to 8. This tool does that conversion for every day at once, then applies the pay rules.
The week above runs Monday to Sunday. Each day takes a start time, an end time, and the unpaid break in minutes. Days left completely blank are skipped, so a five day week and a six day week both work with the same form.
Two pay rules matter. Federal law pays overtime at 1.5 times the regular rate for hours beyond 40 in a workweek, and the default multiplier matches that. The tool shows regular and overtime hours separately, so both pieces are easy to check against a pay stub.
Night shifts that end after midnight are handled: when the end time is earlier than the start, the span rolls into the next day. A shift from 22:00 to 06:30 with a 30 minute break counts as 8 hours.
The result is a gross figure only. Taxes, insurance, and retirement deductions come off afterwards, which is why an actual paycheck lands lower than the number here. A few states also charge daily overtime, which this weekly rule tool does not apply.
How to use
- Enter the start and end time for each day you worked.
- Add that day's unpaid break in minutes, or leave the box at 0.
- Skip a day off entirely by leaving both of its times empty.
- Set the hourly rate, the weekly overtime threshold, and the multiplier.
- Press Calculate to see total hours, overtime hours, and gross pay.
- Compare the split with a pay stub before disputing a paycheck.
Formula
- (end - start)
- Clock time converted to minutes; an earlier end rolls into the next day.
- break
- Unpaid minutes removed from that day's span.
- threshold
- Weekly hours before overtime starts, 40 by federal rule.
- multiplier
- Overtime factor applied to the regular rate, 1.5 at the default.
The threshold applies to the weekly total, not to each day. A 10 hour day still pays straight time until the week passes 40 hours. Overtime pay uses 1.5 times the regular rate by federal default: a $22.50 rate pays $33.75 per overtime hour.
Worked example
Example: 09:00 to 17:30 Monday to Friday, plus a short Saturday
Monday to Friday 09:00 to 17:30 with a 30 minute break, Saturday 08:00 to 12:00 with no break, $22.50 per hour, overtime after 40 hours at 1.5x.
- Monday to Friday: 17:30 minus 09:00 is 8.5 h; after a 30 minute break that is 8 h a day, so 40 h across the five days.
- Saturday: 12:00 minus 08:00 is 4 h with no break.
- Week total: 40 + 4 = 44 h.
- Regular hours: the first 40 h at $22.50 pay $900.00.
- Overtime hours: 44 - 40 = 4 h at $22.50 x 1.5 = $33.75 per hour, which is $135.00.
- Gross pay: $900.00 + $135.00 = $1,035.00.
Reference table
| Shift | Paid hours |
|---|---|
| 09:00 to 17:00, 30 minute break | 7.5 h |
| 09:00 to 17:30, 30 minute break | 8 h |
| 08:00 to 16:30, 60 minute break | 7.5 h |
| 22:00 to 06:00 overnight, no break | 8 h |
| 08:00 to 12:00, no break | 4 h |
Limits
- Applies the federal 40 hour weekly rule; daily overtime rules used in a few states are not included.
- Uses one multiplier for all overtime hours; holiday premium rules differ by employer.
- Reports gross pay only. Taxes, insurance, and retirement deductions are not subtracted.
- Breaks are unpaid by definition here; leave paid breaks out of the break boxes.
Common mistakes
- Entering a paid break in the break box and losing that time twice.
- Typing 17.5 in a time box and expecting 17:30, when the picker wants the clock format.
- Filling only one time of a day and blocking the whole calculation with an error.
- Applying overtime per day instead of after 40 hours in the week.
- Forgetting that a 45 minute break is 0.75 hours, not 0.45.
Try it yourself
Quick checks. Answers sit tucked under each question.
One day runs 09:00 to 18:00 with a 45 minute break. What is the paid time?
8.25 h: 9 h of span minus 0.75 h of break.
A week totals 46 h at $20.00 an hour with overtime after 40 at 1.5x. What is gross pay?
$980.00: 40 h x $20.00 = $800.00, plus 6 h x $30.00 = $180.00.
A shift runs 22:00 to 06:30 with a 30 minute break. How many hours is that?
8 h: the span crosses midnight and lasts 8.5 h, minus the 0.5 h break.
Questions
How are overnight shifts handled?
When the end time is earlier than the start, a full day is added, so 22:00 to 06:30 reads as 8.5 hours before the break.
When does overtime start?
After 40 hours in one workweek under federal law, so the default threshold is 40.
Can I change the overtime rate?
Yes. Set the multiplier: 1.5 is the federal minimum, and double time is entered as 2.
Are breaks paid?
Only when the employer pays them. Enter unpaid break minutes only, since paid break time counts as work.
Does this work for salaried jobs?
It converts hours to pay. A salary is a fixed amount, and salaried overtime depends on eligibility rules, so the total here is a reference value.
Why is my paycheck smaller than the gross pay?
Taxes, insurance, and retirement contributions come off the gross, and this page does not model them.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Labor: overtime pay under the FLSA
- eCFR: computing overtime pay at the hourly rate