Time Calculator
Calculate the exact duration between two times and account for unpaid breaks.
Calculate the exact duration between two clock times, with support for unpaid breaks and shifts that run past midnight.
How Time Calculator Works
The calculator converts your start and end times into total minutes since midnight, then subtracts start from end to get the raw duration. If the end time is earlier than the start time (or you check "end time is next day"), it adds 24 hours worth of minutes so overnight shifts calculate correctly.
Any break minutes you enter are then subtracted from that duration, since break time is unpaid and shouldn't count toward the total. The result is shown both as hours and minutes and as a decimal figure, since payroll systems typically want hours expressed as a decimal rather than hours-and-minutes.
See It In Action
Who Uses Time Calculator and Why
- Finding out exactly how long a meeting, appointment, or task lasted from its start and end clock times.
- Calculating actual worked time for a single shift after subtracting an unpaid lunch or break.
- Working out the length of an overnight shift that starts before midnight and ends after it.
- Checking how much time is left in a time window, like how long until a store closes.
Mistakes to Avoid
- Forgetting to check "end time is next day" for an overnight shift — without it, the calculator treats both times as the same day and returns a negative or nonsensical duration.
- Entering break minutes that don't match the actual unpaid break, which throws off the final worked-time figure even though the raw start-to-end span is correct.
- Confusing this single-day tool with a multi-day duration need — if your start and end are on different calendar dates rather than just different clock times, the time duration calculator is the right tool instead.
Tips for Best Results
- For a recurring shift pattern, note your typical break minutes once so you don't have to recalculate them for every use.
- If the calculated duration looks negative, that's your cue to check the "end time is next day" box rather than re-entering the times.
Fixing Common Problems
The duration came back negative. — This happens when the end time is numerically earlier than the start time but represents a time on the next day — check the "end time is next day" box to fix it.
The worked time doesn't match what I expected. — Confirm the break minutes entered reflect only unpaid break time — the calculator subtracts exactly what you enter from the raw start-to-end span.
Terms Explained
Raw duration: The clock-to-clock gap between start and end time before any break time is subtracted.
Cross-midnight: A shift or period where the end time falls on the calendar day after the start time, requiring the calculator to wrap past midnight instead of subtracting straight across.