Work Hours Calculator (Shifts, Overtime & Pay)
Calculate daily and weekly work hours from shift start, end, and unpaid breaks, with overtime over 40 hours and weekly, monthly, and yearly gross pay.
Work Hours — interactive calculator, computed instantly in your browser.
Work Hours Explained: Shift Math, Overtime and Gross Pay
Where the 40-Hour Week Splits Into Regular and Overtime
A work-hours calculator turns raw shift times into the numbers that actually matter: hours per day, hours per week, overtime accrued, and gross pay. Payroll departments run this math every cycle — and any discrepancy between their number and yours is worth catching before the deposit lands. Enter start, end, unpaid break, days per week, and (optionally) an hourly wage to get the whole picture.
1. Daily Hours: Span Minus Break
- 09:00–17:30 is an 8.50-hour span; subtract a 30-minute unpaid lunch → 8.00 paid hours
- Overnight shifts:22:00–06:00 crosses midnight — add 24 hours to the span (or work in mod-24 arithmetic) before subtracting the break
- Break rules differ by jurisdiction: in the US, short breaks under 20 minutes must be paid; bona fide meal periods (30+ minutes, duty-free) usually are not
- A break longer than the shift itself is flagged — that is a data-entry problem, not a shift
2. Weekly Totals and the 40-Hour Overtime Line
In the United States, the FLSA requires non-exempt employees to receive 1.5× regular pay for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek —5 × 8 lands exactly on the line with zero overtime, while a6-day week at 8 hours pushes 8 hours into overtime. Other regimes differ: the EU's Working Time Directive averages ≤48 hours per week including overtime, and many countries specify daily limits instead. Always anchor to your local rule.
3. From Hours to Gross Pay
- Weekly: regular hours × wage, plus overtime hours × wage ×1.5 (this calculator splits the two so the premium is visible)
- Monthly: weekly ×52 ÷12 — averaging, not a literal calendar month; freelancers billing per month should pick one convention and stay consistent
- Yearly: weekly ×52 (or × hours + unpaid-leave adjustments)
- Gross ≠ net: taxes, benefits, retirement contributions, and garnishments come off afterward — treat every figure here as pre-deduction
- Rounding matters legally: many jurisdictions require rounding to the nearest quarter-hour in the worker's favor and pay for unrecorded minutes worked
🔗 Scheduling Cross-References
Shift hours feed straight into deadlines and planning — browse our 🕒 Date & Time Hub for business-day, duration, and time-zone tools.
Salaried or freelancing? Convert the weekly total into an annual figure with the salary calculator below.
Frequently Asked Questions (Work Hours)
Subtract your unpaid break from each shift's span, then multiply by the number of shifts. A9:00–17:30 shift minus30 minutes is8 hours; five such shifts total40. Sum irregular shifts individually instead of multiplying — totals must reflect each day's actual span.
In the US under the FLSA, any hours beyond40 in a workweek for non-exempt employees, paid at1.5× the regular rate. Some states (like California) add daily rules after8 or12 hours. Exempt salaried professionals usually receive no overtime regardless of hours worked.
Treat the end time as the next day:22:00 to06:00 spans8 hours because06:00 becomes30:00 on the same clock (24 +6). This calculator applies that +24 adjustment automatically whenever the end time is earlier than the start time, then subtracts the break as usual.
Multiply weekly gross by52 and divide by12 for an averaged month —40 hours at $20 is $800 weekly, giving $3,466.67 monthly. For an exact calendar month, count the actual days worked instead; February and a31-day month differ by more than10% at the same hourly rate.