Hours & shifts
Overnight Shift Calculator
Calculate an overnight shift with explicit start and end dates, unpaid breaks, exact minutes, and decimal hours. Free for U.S. workers.
Know the numbers
How to use this calculator
Select the calendar date you started and the date you finished. Use the actual AM or PM for each clock time, then add unpaid break minutes. An end time earlier than the start needs a later end date.
A worked example
10:00 PM on September 10 to 6:00 AM on September 11 spans 8 hours. A 30-minute unpaid break leaves 7 hours 30 minutes, or 7.50 hours.
The calculation
Gross minutes = (end day − start day) × 1,440 + end clock minutes − start clock minutes.
Before you use the result
An explicit date resolves midnight rollover, but not timezone or daylight-saving offsets. Results are nominal wall-clock duration. For actual elapsed time on a clock-change night, use verified time punches with UTC offsets.
Common scenarios
Use this calculator whenever you need to verify your hours, check a paycheck, or prepare a timecard submission. The result is the same arithmetic the payroll department uses, displayed in a form you can inspect.
Calculation methodology: View formulas, limits, and corrections
Common questions about Overnight Shift Calculator
How do I calculate overnight hours for a timecard?
Enter the start date and time, then the end date and time. The calculator handles midnight automatically. Use the overnight shift calculator for shifts crossing midnight.
Does daylight-saving time affect my overnight shift?
The calculator shows wall-clock duration. During daylight-saving transitions, your actual elapsed time may differ by one hour. Use verified punches with UTC offsets for precise calculations.