How weekly hours are calculated
Weekly pay = Regular hours × Rate + Overtime hours × Rate × 1.5
Tips for accurate timesheets
- Record times when you start and finish, not from memory at the end of the week.
- Round consistently. Many employers use 15-minute increments — check your company policy and state law.
- Keep copies of your timesheets for at least as long as your pay stubs.
Comparing an hourly job with a salary? Try the salary to hourly calculator.
How to use the calculator
- For each day you worked, enter the start time, end time and unpaid break in minutes. Leave days off blank.
- Enter your hourly rate and the weekly overtime threshold (40 hours under U.S. federal law).
- Read daily and weekly hours in hours-and-minutes and decimal form, plus regular, overtime and total pay.
Converting to decimal hours
Payroll systems use decimal hours: 7 hours 45 minutes is 7.75 hours, not 7.45. Divide the minutes by 60 — 15 min = 0.25, 30 min = 0.5, 45 min = 0.75, 20 min ≈ 0.33. A 7:45 entered as 7.45 underpays you by 18 minutes for that day.
Breaks: paid or unpaid?
Under U.S. federal rules, short rest breaks of 5–20 minutes are counted as paid work time. Bona fide meal periods, typically 30 minutes or more, can be unpaid if you are completely relieved of duties. If you eat at your desk while answering calls, that time is generally work time. Several states, including California, require meal and rest breaks; other countries set their own rules. Enter only unpaid breaks in the calculator.
Rounding time punches
Some employers round clock-in and clock-out times to the nearest 5, 6 (one-tenth of an hour) or 15 minutes. The U.S. Department of Labor allows rounding only if it is neutral over time — it must not consistently favor the employer. Under the common “7-minute rule” for 15-minute rounding, 8:07 rounds down to 8:00 and 8:08 rounds up to 8:15. Keeping your own record of exact times is the best way to check your paycheck.
Night shifts
If a shift ends after midnight — for example 22:00 to 06:00 — enter the times as they are; an end time earlier than the start time is treated as the next day. For overtime purposes, hours belong to the workweek in which they were worked; a shift that crosses from Saturday into Sunday may be split across two workweeks depending on when your employer’s workweek starts.
Keeping good records
- Write down start and end times every day, not at the end of the week.
- Note any work done before clocking in or after clocking out, such as required security checks or opening procedures.
- Keep copies of schedules and pay stubs for at least two years; wage claims can look back two or three years under federal law.