How to use the timesheet calculator
- 1For each day worked, enter the start time and the end time. Leave a day blank if it was a day off.
- 2Enter the unpaid break for that day in minutes, for example 30 for a half-hour lunch. Paid breaks should not be entered.
- 3For a shift that ends after midnight, just enter the real end time, such as 22:00 to 06:30. The calculator counts it as an overnight shift.
- 4Optionally add the hourly rate, the weekly hours before overtime starts and the overtime multiplier.
- 5Read the daily hours in the table and the weekly total, regular pay, overtime pay and total gross pay in the results.
How hours are worked out
Each day is the end time minus the start time, less the unpaid break. A shift from 8:00 to 16:30 is 8 hours 30 minutes on the clock; take off a 30-minute lunch and 8 hours are paid.
When the end time is earlier than the start time, the shift crossed midnight, so 24 hours are added to the end time before subtracting. A shift from 22:00 to 06:30 is 8 hours 30 minutes, not a negative number. Shifts are counted on the day they started.
Day hours = End − Start − Break If End is earlier than Start: Day hours = End + 24:00 − Start − Break
Hours and minutes versus decimal hours
Payroll systems usually need decimal hours, but a clock shows hours and minutes. They are not the same number: 7 hours 45 minutes is 7.75 hours, not 7.45. To convert, divide the minutes by 60 and add them to the hours.
The table shows both for every day and for the week, so you can copy whichever your payroll or invoice needs.
Decimal hours = Hours + Minutes ÷ 60 7:45 = 7 + 45 ÷ 60 = 7.75
How overtime is calculated
This calculator applies weekly overtime: hours up to the threshold are paid at the normal rate, and every hour above it is paid at the rate times the multiplier. In the US, the federal Fair Labor Standards Act sets overtime at 1.5 times the regular rate for non-exempt employees after 40 hours in a workweek.
Rules differ by place and by contract. Some US states, such as California, also require overtime after a set number of hours in a single day. In Canada, overtime thresholds are set by each province and some are daily as well as weekly. In the UK and much of Europe there is no general legal overtime premium; any extra rate comes from the employment contract, while working-time rules cap average weekly hours. Check your local rules or your contract and change the threshold and multiplier to match.
Regular pay = min(Hours, Threshold) × Rate Overtime pay = max(0, Hours − Threshold) × Rate × Multiplier Total pay = Regular pay + Overtime pay
Worked example
An hourly worker earns $22 an hour with overtime at 1.5× after 40 hours. They work 8:00 to 16:30 Monday to Thursday with a 30-minute lunch, an overnight shift from 22:00 Friday to 06:30 Saturday with a 30-minute break, and 9:00 to 13:15 on Saturday with no break.
| Monday to Thursday | 4 × 8:00 = 32:00 (32.00 h) |
| Friday overnight | 8:00 (8.00 h) |
| Saturday | 4:15 (4.25 h) |
| Week total | 44:15 (44.25 h) |
| Regular pay | 40 h × $22 = $880.00 |
| Overtime pay | 4.25 h × $33 = $140.25 |
| Total gross pay | $1,020.25 |
The week comes to 44 hours 15 minutes. The 4.25 overtime hours are paid at $33 instead of $22, adding $46.75 more than straight time would, for $1,020.25 gross before tax.