Time Card Calculator
This time card calculator builds a timesheet from clock-in and clock-out entries, handling paid/unpaid lunch breaks with weekly and biweekly reports.
Calculations and file processing run in your browser. Saving on this device is optional. Privacy policy
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Entering dated punches and paid or unpaid breaks
Enter each shift with its calendar date, start and end readings, and any known unpaid breaks. A single date can hold split shifts, for example morning and evening work, and each shift can list multiple breaks when needed. If data comes from another file, preview the imported rows and correct dates, times, or break minutes before using totals. Keep original records separate from corrected entries, with dates of changes and reasons, so reported hours can be compared against what was first written. This preserves an audit trail without overstating what editing alone proves.
Exact work-hours formula and verified examples
In clock-time mode, duration is found by subtracting the written start reading from the written end reading for the same dated shift, then subtracting known unpaid break minutes. Paid breaks stay in the total and are not deducted. For example, 09:00 to 17:00 is eight hours, minus 30 unpaid minutes equals 7:30, also shown as 7.50 decimal hours; five such shifts total 37:30. Elapsed mode instead uses full dates with a selected IANA time zone to measure passed time. Nominal clock subtraction does not account for daylight-saving transitions, so it should not be described as exact elapsed time when a transition occurs.
Weekly and two-week reporting with an optional threshold
A chosen report-start date with a one-week or two-week range sets only the dates included in the report. That range may start mid-week and therefore may not equal aligned complete workweeks. Weekly overtime math uses the configured workweek start day, not an automatic Monday, so totals must be grouped accordingly. Each complete workweek is counted separately; for example, 50 hours in one week and 30 in another, with a 40-hour threshold, gives 10 excess hours. Splitting days at midnight is a modeling assumption, not proof of an employer’s legal workweek. Missing records just outside the range can change weekly totals.
Converting hours and minutes to decimal hours
Decimal hours divide minutes by 60, so hours:minutes and decimal forms represent the same duration. Common equivalents are 0:15 = 0.25, 0:30 = 0.50, 0:45 = 0.75, and 7:30 = 7.50. To convert manually, use decimal = hours + minutes ÷ 60; for example 37:30 = 37 + 30 ÷ 60 = 37.50. To reverse, multiply the decimal fraction by 60: 0.10 hour × 60 = 6 minutes, so 7.10 hours means 7:06. Keep full precision during weekly addition and round only the displayed total where required. A time card, work-hours total, time-clock export, and timesheet entry may use either format, but the underlying minutes should match.
Original punches versus rounded adjusted records
Enter and store exact start, end, and break times first; these original punches are the record of what happened. Rounding, if used, creates an adjusted calculation copy and should never overwrite the originals. Common policies round clock times to a chosen increment, such as the nearest 15 minutes, before applying the work-hours formula. Because rounding shifts individual punches, rounded totals can differ from exact totals by several minutes per week. Keep both versions visible: exact totals for verification and rounded totals for payroll processing. The calculator preserves originals so different rounding choices can be recalculated and compared without re-entering data.
Overnight shifts and daylight saving assumptions
Daylight-saving changes need the selected calculation mode to be stated clearly. Selected-clock mode uses only the written clock readings and does not itself resolve repeated or skipped local times. Zoned elapsed mode uses dates with the chosen IANA zone to measure passed time, but repeated autumn times still require a choice about which occurrence was meant, and spring times that never occurred need correction. Whether repeated time counts as paid depends on records and applicable rules, not merely on selecting that it should count.
Private local import, export, storage, and limitations
All calculations run in the browser from currently loaded entries, with optional local storage on the same device for convenience. Pasted text and CSV import include a preview step for checking delimiters, columns, dates, times, and paid/unpaid markers before rows are added. Export produces a local file for records or reuse, without creating a server account or online profile. Limitations: there is no account sync, no daily-overtime calculation, and no paycheck or tax withholding estimate. Selected United States federal guidance also has coverage, exception, and state-law caveats, so a simulator cannot decide legal eligibility or whether a particular break qualifies as paid or unpaid. Confirm pay and break rules with the applicable policy or authority.
Questions, answered
How do I enter multiple breaks in one day?
Add each break to the same dated row, either as a timed break with start and end or as a duration in minutes. Mark every break paid or unpaid, then calculate. Paid rests stay included; only unpaid durations are subtracted.
What is the basic calculation for daily paid time?
In clock-time mode, duration is found by subtracting the written start reading from the written end reading for the same dated shift, then subtracting known unpaid break minutes. Paid breaks stay in the total and are not deducted. For example, 09:00 to 17:00 is eight hours, minus 30 unpaid minutes equals 7:30, also shown as 7.50 decimal hours; five such shifts total 37:30. Elapsed mode instead uses full dates with a selected IANA time zone to measure passed time. Nominal clock subtraction does not account for daylight-saving transitions, so it should not be described as exact elapsed time when a transition occurs.
Why does a 50-hour week plus a 30-hour week show overtime?
When each week uses a separate 40-hour threshold, week one has 10 hours above the threshold and week two has none. The combined 80-hour total does not cancel the first week’s excess.
How do I convert minutes to decimal hours?
Divide minutes by 60 and add the result to whole hours. Examples: 15 minutes is 0.25, 30 minutes is 0.50, 45 minutes is 0.75, and 37:30 is 37.50.
Should I overwrite my original times with rounded times?
No. Keep exact punches as the source record and apply rounding only to a separate adjusted calculation. That preserves verification and lets you compare rounding options without re-entering data.
Is my data uploaded and can the calculator decide break law?
No upload or account is used; entries stay in the browser with optional same-device storage, while import preview and local export help reuse records. The tool also cannot decide legal eligibility or whether a break is legally paid or unpaid because coverage, exceptions, and state rules vary.
Is this a time clock calculator or a timesheet calculator?
Both terms describe the same function here: adding up clock-in and clock-out entries you type in, minus unpaid breaks you specify, to estimate total worked hours. It does not connect to time clocks, track attendance automatically, verify records, or determine legal pay. Always confirm results against employer records and applicable workplace policies.
Can I use it as a biweekly timesheet calculator?
The calculator supports exactly a 14-day reporting window for biweekly totals. Weekly overtime still follows separate fixed workweek boundaries. If your 14-day window truncates a workweek, reconcile the missing days separately or align the report start. It does not accept periods longer than 14 days.