How many hours is my shift?
Pick a shift below to see how many hours it is, what it comes to after an unpaid break, the same times in 24-hour format, and weekly totals. 47 common patterns, day through night.
How the hours are worked out
Elapsed time is the gap between the two clock times, measured in minutes and then divided by 60. A shift whose end time is earlier than its start crosses midnight, so a day is added rather than producing a negative figure. Unpaid breaks are taken off that elapsed time — once, not twice — and the remainder is what you are paid for. Every figure on these pages is computed from minutes, so an answer here always matches what the calculators return for the same two times.
Breaks compared on every page: 15, 30, 45, 60 minutes. For a whole week from real clock-in and clock-out times, with breaks and gross pay, use the time card calculator.
Day shifts
The standard eight-to-ten hour weekday patterns, before any unpaid break comes off.
| Shift | Elapsed | After a 30-min break |
|---|---|---|
| 6am to 2pm | 8h 00m | 7h 30m |
| 6am to 3pm | 9h 00m | 8h 30m |
| 7am to 3pm | 8h 00m | 7h 30m |
| 7am to 4pm | 9h 00m | 8h 30m |
| 8am to 4pm | 8h 00m | 7h 30m |
| 8am to 5pm | 9h 00m | 8h 30m |
| 9am to 5pm | 8h 00m | 7h 30m |
| 9am to 6pm | 9h 00m | 8h 30m |
| 10am to 6pm | 8h 00m | 7h 30m |
| 10am to 7pm | 9h 00m | 8h 30m |
| 11am to 7pm | 8h 00m | 7h 30m |
| 9am to 3pm | 6h 00m | 5h 30m |
| 9am to 4pm | 7h 00m | 6h 30m |
| 12am to 8am | 8h 00m | 7h 30m |
Short and part-time shifts
Five hours or less. Many jurisdictions do not require an unpaid meal break on a shift this length.
| Shift | Elapsed | After a 30-min break |
|---|---|---|
| 9am to 1pm | 4h 00m | 3h 30m |
| 9am to 2pm | 5h 00m | 4h 30m |
| 10am to 2pm | 4h 00m | 3h 30m |
| 10am to 3pm | 5h 00m | 4h 30m |
| 12pm to 4pm | 4h 00m | 3h 30m |
| 1pm to 5pm | 4h 00m | 3h 30m |
| 2pm to 6pm | 4h 00m | 3h 30m |
| 8am to 12pm | 4h 00m | 3h 30m |
Evening shifts
Afternoon starts that finish late. Some of these end after midnight and are measured across the date change.
| Shift | Elapsed | After a 30-min break |
|---|---|---|
| 12pm to 8pm | 8h 00m | 7h 30m |
| 2pm to 10pm | 8h 00m | 7h 30m |
| 3pm to 11pm | 8h 00m | 7h 30m |
| 4pm to 10pm | 6h 00m | 5h 30m |
| 3pm to 10pm | 7h 00m | 6h 30m |
Night and overnight shifts
These cross midnight, so the end time is earlier than the start. Record them on the day the shift began.
| Shift | Elapsed | After a 30-min break |
|---|---|---|
| 4pm to 12am | 8h 00m | 7h 30m |
| 5pm to 1am | 8h 00m | 7h 30m |
| 6pm to 2am | 8h 00m | 7h 30m |
| 7pm to 3am | 8h 00m | 7h 30m |
| 8pm to 4am | 8h 00m | 7h 30m |
| 9pm to 5am | 8h 00m | 7h 30m |
| 10pm to 6am | 8h 00m | 7h 30m |
| 11pm to 7am | 8h 00m | 7h 30m |
| 10pm to 7am | 9h 00m | 8h 30m |
| 11pm to 8am | 9h 00m | 8h 30m |
10 and 12-hour shifts
Compressed schedules. A week of these usually passes 40 paid hours, which is where overtime starts.
| Shift | Elapsed | After a 30-min break |
|---|---|---|
| 7am to 5pm | 10h 00m | 9h 30m |
| 8am to 6pm | 10h 00m | 9h 30m |
| 6am to 6pm | 12h 00m | 11h 30m |
| 7am to 7pm | 12h 00m | 11h 30m |
| 8am to 8pm | 12h 00m | 11h 30m |
| 7pm to 7am | 12h 00m | 11h 30m |
| 8pm to 8am | 12h 00m | 11h 30m |
| 6am to 4pm | 10h 00m | 9h 30m |
| 7am to 6pm | 11h 00m | 10h 30m |
| 9pm to 7am | 10h 00m | 9h 30m |
For your own times
These pages cover whole-hour starts and finishes. For anything else — 8:45am to 5:15pm, a split shift, or a week where every day is different — the work hours calculator takes one shift and the time card calculator takes a weekly or biweekly sheet with overtime and gross pay. To convert a total into decimal hours for payroll, use the decimal hours converter; to read a 24-hour clock time, the military time converter.
Frequently asked questions
Is the answer the hours I am paid for?
Only if none of your break is unpaid. Every page here shows the elapsed time first, then the same shift after a 15, 30, 45 or 60-minute unpaid break, because that deduction is what turns elapsed time into paid time.
How is a shift that crosses midnight counted?
As the real elapsed time, not as a negative number. 10pm to 6am is 8 hours. Split it at midnight if you are checking by hand: 10pm to midnight, plus midnight to 6am. See the overnight shift guide for how to record one on a timesheet.
My shift is not listed. What then?
Enter your own start and end times in the work hours calculator, or do a whole week at once in the time card calculator. Both accept any times, including minutes rather than whole hours.
Why do these totals differ from my payslip?
Common reasons: a break deducted here that your employer pays, rounding applied at the clock, or overtime paid at a higher rate for part of the week. Totals should always be summed from minutes rather than from daily figures already rounded to two decimals.