Hours and Minutes Calculator
Add or subtract durations such as 7h 45m + 8h 30m. Totals can go past 24 hours or below zero, and are shown in hours, minutes, and decimal hours.
How to add and subtract hours and minutes
- Enter hours and minutes in the first row.
- For each other row, choose + Add or − Subtract and enter the duration.
- Use Add row for as many durations as you need. The total updates as you type.
How the total is calculated
Row minutes = hours × 60 + minutes Total minutes = sum of added rows − sum of subtracted rows Hours = whole hours in |total| ÷ 60, minutes = the remainder Decimal hours = total minutes ÷ 60
Working in whole minutes keeps the result exact. Decimal hours are rounded to two places for display. More detail is on the methodology page.
Examples
Adding two shifts
7h 45m + 8h 30m = 16h 15m (16.25 hours).
Going below zero
2h − 3h 30m = −1h 30m (−1.50 hours).
More than a day
22h + 5h 40m = 27h 40m, which is 1 day 3h 40m.
Minutes over 59
0h 90m + 1h 45m = 3h 15m.
Worked example: adding a week of shifts
Five days entered as hours and minutes, with the running total after each row. Every step stays in whole minutes, so nothing is lost to rounding along the way.
| Day | Worked | In minutes | Running total |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 7h 45m | 465 | 7h 45m |
| Tuesday | 8h 30m | 510 | 16h 15m |
| Wednesday | 6h 20m | 380 | 22h 35m |
| Thursday | 8h 00m | 480 | 30h 35m |
| Friday | 5h 50m | 350 | 36h 25m |
| Total | 36h 25m | 2185 | 36.42 decimal hours |
Rounding once, at the end, gives 36.42 hours. Rounding each day to two decimals first and then adding gives a slightly different answer — which is why payroll totals should be summed from minutes. The decimal hours converter handles the final conversion, and the time card calculator does the whole week from clock-in and clock-out times.
Subtracting breaks and finding the difference
Subtraction rows handle the two common cases. To take an unpaid break off a shift, add the shift and subtract the break: 8h 30m − 45m leaves 7h 45m of paid time. To find how far a total is from a target, subtract the target: 37h 20m − 40h gives −2h 40m, meaning the week is 2 hours 40 minutes short.
A negative total is shown with a minus sign rather than being flipped around, so a shortfall never looks like a surplus. If you are working out a single shift with breaks, the work hours calculator does it in one step.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add up a week of daily hours?
Convert each day to minutes, add the minutes, then turn the total back into hours and minutes at the end. Adding rounded decimal hours day by day is where most timesheet errors come from — 7h 45m is 7.75, but 6h 20m is 6.333…, and rounding that every day shifts the weekly total.
Can the total go past 24 hours?
Yes. The total is a duration, not a clock time, so it keeps counting past 24 — 22h + 5h 40m gives 27h 40m rather than rolling over to 3h 40m. That is what you want when adding a week of shifts.
What is the difference between this and the Work Hours Calculator?
This calculator adds and subtracts durations, like 7 hours 45 minutes. The Work Hours Calculator works with clock times, like 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM, and handles AM/PM and overnight shifts.
Can the total be more than 24 hours?
Yes. Durations are not limited to a day, so 30h + 15h 20m shows 45h 20m. Totals of a day or more also show the number of days.
Why is my result negative?
When you subtract more time than you added, the total is below zero. For example, 2h − 3h 30m = −1h 30m.
Can I type 90 minutes or decimal hours?
Yes. Minutes over 59 are converted, so 90 minutes counts as 1h 30m. Decimal hours such as 7.5 work when they equal whole minutes; for values like 7.33, enter hours and minutes separately or use the Decimal Hours Converter.