Turn a timecard duration into decimal hours
A timecard may show 8 hours 45 minutes, while a worksheet asks for hours as a decimal. Enter the two parts above to get 8.75 decimal hours. This page converts one known duration. If you have start and finish times, first work out the elapsed time and any unpaid break with the Timesheet Calculator.
A colon often marks hours and minutes, but context matters: 8:45 AM is a time of day, while 8 hr 45 min is a length of time. This calculator accepts only the length of time. It does not calculate a shift from a clock reading, apply a break, or determine pay.
How to use the converter
- Read the worked duration from your record. If it includes an unpaid break that should be removed, subtract that break before converting.
- Enter whole Hours and Minutes from 0 through 59. For 8 hours 5 minutes, enter 8 and 5. You can also enter 05 in Minutes.
- Read the decimal-hour answer, then copy it if your next form needs that number. The result updates as you edit; Calculate checks the fields and focuses the first error.
Both fields are required, including when either value is zero. Hours may range from 0 to 10,000. Blank fields, negative numbers, fractional hours, and 60 or more in Minutes produce no answer. Your entered values stay in place so you can correct them. Reset restores the 8-hour-45-minute example.
Example: 8 hours 45 minutes is 8.75 hours
Suppose a completed timecard says you worked 8 hours and 45 minutes after any unpaid break. Eight whole hours are 480 minutes. Add 45 to get 525 minutes, then divide by 60. The result is 8.75 decimal hours. The 45 minutes are three quarters of an hour, so the decimal part is .75, not .45.
8 hr 45 min = 525 min
525 ÷ 60 = 8.75 decimal hours
If the record instead says 7 hours 45 minutes, the answer is 7.75. If it says zero hours and 59 minutes, the answer displays as 0.9833. A value of 60 belongs in the next whole hour, so enter 1 hour and 0 minutes rather than putting 60 in the Minutes field.
Check the decimal before using it for pay
Some minute values do not end neatly in decimal form. One minute is one sixtieth of an hour, approximately 0.0167 when shown to four decimal places. The calculator keeps the entered whole-minute duration and rounds only the displayed decimal answer. Copying the answer copies that displayed four-place value; a payroll process may require a different precision or rounding rule.
For an exact pay calculation from a duration, use the original hours and minutes or total minutes. For example, 8 hours 1 minute is shown here as 8.0167 hours. Multiplying that rounded display by a rate can create a small difference from using the full minute. The Time to Salary Calculator uses the entered duration for its gross-pay estimate and leaves the pay assumptions visible.
| Minutes | Decimal hours |
|---|---|
| 0 | 0 |
| 15 | 0.25 |
| 30 | 0.5 |
| 45 | 0.75 |
| 59 | 0.9833 |
Questions about decimal hours
Is 8:45 the same as 8.45 decimal hours?
If 8:45 means a duration of 8 hours 45 minutes, it is 8.75 decimal hours. Decimal 8.45 hours is 8 hours 27 minutes. If 8:45 is a clock time, you need a start and finish time to find a duration first.
Can I enter 60 minutes?
No. The Minutes field accepts 0 to 59. Add one to Hours and enter 0 minutes instead.
Why does one minute show as 0.0167 hours?
One minute is 1 ÷ 60 of an hour, which repeats in decimal form. The displayed answer rounds to four decimal places; the total-minutes line keeps the exact entered duration.
Does this calculate wages or apply a payroll rounding rule?
No. It converts a duration only. Your payroll system or agreement may use a specific rounding method. Check that method before entering a rounded decimal answer into another system.
Related calculators
- Timesheet Calculator totals worked time from clock records and breaks.
- AM–PM Calculator finds the elapsed time between two clock readings.
- Time to Salary Calculator estimates gross pay from a duration and an hourly rate.