How to calculate hours on a time card
Here it is with your numbers:
- Work out each day: time out minus time in, minus the break. Mon: 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM is 8:00, minus 30 minutes, leaves 7:30.
- Add up the 5 days: 7:30 + 7:30 + 7:30 + 7:30 + 7:30 = 37:30.
- Turn the minutes into a decimal: 37 hours and 30 minutes is 37 + 30 ÷ 60 = 37.5 hours.
- Multiply by the hourly rate: 37.5 × $20.00 = $750.00 before tax.
It means 37 hours 30 minutes (37.5 hours) worked over 5 days. At $20.00 an hour that is $750.00 before tax and overtime.
Payroll often wants hours as a decimal, so the minutes are divided by 60. Pay is worked out from the decimal shown, so the numbers on the page always multiply out. It is the pay before tax and before any overtime rate.
Source U.S. Department of Labor · Fact Sheet #22: Hours Worked Under the FLSA ↗
Your hours by day
| Day | Worked | Decimal |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 7:30 | 7.5 |
| Tue | 7:30 | 7.5 |
| Wed | 7:30 | 7.5 |
| Thu | 7:30 | 7.5 |
| Fri | 7:30 | 7.5 |
| Total | 37:30 | 37.5 |
Hours over 40 are counted for each week of seven rows. Covered employees who are not exempt must be paid at least one and a half times their regular rate for those hours. Rules differ by state and employer, so check yours.
Source U.S. Department of Labor · Overtime Pay ↗
Time card examples
| Week | Answer |
|---|---|
| Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, 30 minutes unpaid | 37.5 hours |
| Five nights, 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM, 30 minutes unpaid | 37.5 hours |
| Five days, 9:00 to 19:00, 60 minutes unpaid | 45 hours, 5 over 40 |
FAQs
How do you calculate a time card?
For each day, subtract the time in from the time out, then take away unpaid breaks, and add the days together. 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM with a 30-minute lunch is 7 hours 30 minutes. A meal period of 30 minutes or more generally is not counted as work time; short rests of 20 minutes or less are.
Source U.S. Department of Labor · Fact Sheet #22: Hours Worked Under the FLSA ↗
How do you calculate hours worked?
Work out each day as above, add them up, then divide the leftover minutes by 60 for a decimal. 37 hours 30 minutes is 37.5 hours, and 7 hours 40 minutes is 7.67 hours.
How many work hours are there in a year?
A 40-hour week over 52 weeks is 2,080 hours (40 × 52), which is 173.33 hours a month, before holidays and time off. Forty hours a week is also the point after which covered employees must be paid overtime.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Labor: Fact Sheet #22: Hours Worked Under the FLSA
- U.S. Department of Labor: Overtime Pay