Hours & shifts
Work Hours Calculator
Calculate hours worked after unpaid lunch breaks. See exact minutes, decimal hours, and the full breakdown. Free work hours calculator for U.S. hourly workers — no account needed.
Know the numbers
How to use this calculator
Enter the start and end date, then the clock times. Enter only break minutes that are unpaid. Calculate to see the total time on site, the break deduction, and the paid duration.
A worked example
9:00 AM to 5:30 PM is 8 hours 30 minutes. Subtract a 30-minute unpaid lunch to get 8 hours, 480 minutes, or 8.00 decimal hours.
The calculation
Paid minutes = end date/time − start date/time − unpaid break minutes.
Before you use the result
These are wall-clock hours. A shift crossing a daylight-saving change can have a different actual elapsed duration. Paid breaks stay in worked time; do not subtract them.
Calculation notes reviewed 2026-09-12 by Shift Ledger. Calculation methodology and corrections
A little guidance, when you need it
How to calculate work hours after an unpaid lunch
Step-by-step guide to calculate work hours after an unpaid lunch break. Separate time on site from paid time, with a worked example for U.S. hourly workers.
Read guide Field guideHow to calculate a shift that crosses midnight
How to calculate overnight shift hours that cross midnight. Use explicit calendar dates to make overnight time unambiguous for U.S. hourly workers.
Read guide