How the hours are counted
The calculator turns both times into minutes since midnight, subtracts the start from the end, then takes off the break. A shift from 09:00 to 17:30 with a 30-minute break is 510 minutes on the clock, minus 30, which is 480 minutes — exactly 8 hours worked.
Overnight shifts are handled
If the end time is earlier than the start time, the calculator assumes the shift crossed midnight and adds a full day. A shift from 22:00 to 06:00 comes out as 8 hours, not a negative number. This is the part most people get wrong doing it in their head, and it matters for night workers whose pay depends on it.
Decimal hours for payroll
Payroll systems and hourly pay work in decimal hours, not hours and minutes. Thirty minutes is 0.5 hours, not 0.30, and fifteen minutes is 0.25. The decimal row does this conversion for you, so 8 hours 30 minutes becomes 8.5 — the figure you multiply by your rate. Getting this wrong is a common cause of underpaid or overpaid timesheets.
Paid versus unpaid breaks
Only subtract breaks that are unpaid. In many places a short rest break is paid while a longer meal break is not, and the rules differ by country and contract. Enter only the unpaid minutes so the total reflects the hours you are actually paid for. If all your breaks are paid, leave the break field at zero.
Turning hours into pay
Add your hourly rate and the calculator multiplies it by the decimal hours to show what the shift earns, and what five of them add up to across a week. For a full annual picture from an hourly rate, including holidays and unpaid leave, the salary calculator takes it further.