What are decimal hours?
Decimal hours write the minutes as a part of an hour, so that hours can be added up and multiplied by a pay rate. 30 minutes is 0.5 hours, and 45 minutes is 0.75 hours. The Department of Labor's overtime calculator takes hours this way, to the hundredth: 8 hours 23 minutes is entered as 8.38.
Source U.S. Department of Labor · FLSA Overtime Calculator Advisor: hours worked conversion chart ↗
How to convert time to decimal
Here it is with your numbers:
- Divide the minutes by 60: 23 ÷ 60 = 0.3833.
- Add the whole hours: 8 + 0.3833 = 8.3833.
- Round to the nearest hundredth of an hour: 8.38.
It means 8 hours 23 minutes goes on a timesheet as 8.38 hours.
To go the other way, multiply the decimal part by 60 and round to the nearest whole minute: 8.38 hours is 8 hours and 0.38 × 60 = 22.8 minutes, so 8 hours 23 minutes. A minute that rounds up to 60 becomes the next hour.
Common minutes as decimals
| Minutes | Decimal hours |
|---|---|
| 5 | 0.08 |
| 10 | 0.17 |
| 15 | 0.25 |
| 20 | 0.33 |
| 25 | 0.42 |
| 30 | 0.50 |
| 35 | 0.58 |
| 40 | 0.67 |
| 45 | 0.75 |
| 50 | 0.83 |
| 55 | 0.92 |
Each is the minutes ÷ 60, rounded to the nearest hundredth. Some printed conversion charts, including the Department of Labor's, show a few minutes 0.01 apart from this (for example 20 minutes as .34); dividing by 60 gives .33.
Rounding time at work
Many time clocks record start and stop times to the nearest 5 minutes, tenth of an hour or quarter hour, which is why the answer also shows the nearest tenth and quarter hour. Federal rules accept this only when it doesn't leave employees, over time, paid for less than the time they actually worked.
Source Code of Federal Regulations · 29 CFR 785.48(b): rounding practices ↗
Time to decimal examples
| Time | Answer |
|---|---|
| 8 hours 23 minutes | 8.38 hours |
| 7 hours 45 minutes | 7.75 hours |
| 1 hour 40 minutes | 1.67 hours |
| 2 hours 45 minutes 45 seconds | 2.76 hours |
| 7.75 hours | 7 hours 45 minutes |
| 8.38 hours | 8 hours 23 minutes |
FAQs
How do you convert minutes to a decimal?
Divide the minutes by 60, then add the result to the whole hours. 8 hours 23 minutes is 8 + 23 ÷ 60, which is 8.3833, or 8.38 to the nearest hundredth.
Source U.S. Department of Labor · FLSA Overtime Calculator Advisor: hours worked conversion chart ↗
How do you write 45 minutes as a decimal?
45 minutes is 0.75 hours, because 45 ÷ 60 is 0.75. So 7 hours 45 minutes is 7.75 hours.
How do you write 15 minutes in decimal?
15 minutes is 0.25 hours (15 ÷ 60), a quarter of an hour. 30 minutes is 0.5 hours.
Sources
- U.S. Department of Labor: FLSA Overtime Calculator Advisor: hours worked conversion chart
- Code of Federal Regulations: 29 CFR 785.48(b): rounding practices