# How many work hours in my shift?

Computes the hours worked in a shift after an unpaid break, the hours a week and a year, and the weekly pay with overtime after 40 hours.

- Page: https://www.acalculator.org/days/work-hours-calculator
- JSON spec: https://www.acalculator.org/days/work-hours-calculator.json
- Version: 4e5bf042548a

## Default answer

Example with the default inputs (Shift starts 09:00, Shift ends 17:30, Unpaid break (minutes) 30, Shifts a week 5, Hourly pay $25.00): A shift from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM with a 30-minute break is 8 hours, or 40 hours a week.

## Inputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| start | Shift starts | The time the shift starts. |
| end | Shift ends | The time the shift ends. A time earlier than the start is on the next day. |
| break | Unpaid break (minutes) | Unpaid break time in the shift, in minutes. |
| days | Shifts a week | How many of these shifts you work each week. |
| rate | Hourly pay | Your regular pay per hour, to work out weekly pay. Leave it empty to skip pay. |

## Outputs

| Key | Label | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| breakNote | Break taken off | The unpaid break in words: “no break”, or “a 30-minute break”. |
| shift | Hours per shift | The shift length less the unpaid break, in decimal hours. |
| shiftTime | Per shift | The shift length less the unpaid break, in hours and minutes. |
| weekly | Hours per week | Hours per shift × shifts a week. |
| yearly | Hours per year | Hours per week × 52 weeks. |
| overtime | Overtime hours a week | Hours per week over 40, paid at 1.5 times the hourly pay. |
| weeklyPay | Pay per week | The hourly pay for up to 40 hours, plus 1.5 times the hourly pay for hours over 40, before tax. |
| yearlyPay | Pay per year | Pay per week × 52 weeks, before tax. |

## Method

hours per shift = (end − start, plus 24 hours when the end is earlier, − break) ÷ 60; hours per week = hours per shift × shifts; pay = rate × min(week, 40) + 1.5 × rate × max(0, week − 40).

## Assumptions

- An end time earlier than the start time is on the next day, so a shift is under 24 hours.
- The break is unpaid and is taken off every shift. A break longer than the shift gives no answer; a break as long as the shift gives 0 hours (as on the time card).
- Overtime follows the federal Fair Labor Standards Act: hours over 40 in a workweek are paid at 1.5 times the regular rate. Daily overtime rules (for example in California) are not included.
- A year is 52 weeks. Pay is before tax.
- Clock changes for daylight saving time are not counted.

## Worked examples

1. start = 09:00, end = 17:30, break = 30, days = 5, rate = $25.00 gives breakNote = a 30-minute break, shift = 8, shiftTime = {"hours":8,"minutes":0}, weekly = 40, yearly = 2,080, weeklyPay = $1,000.00, yearlyPay = $52,000.00. Source: hand calculation in content.mdx: 8 h 30 min − 30 min = 8 h; 8 × 5 = 40 h; 40 × $25 = $1,000.
2. start = 07:00, end = 18:00, break = 60, days = 5, rate = $20.00 gives shift = 10, weekly = 50, overtime = 10, weeklyPay = $1,100.00, yearlyPay = $57,200.00. Source: hand calculation in content.mdx: 40 × $20 + 10 × $30 = $1,100 (overtime after 40 hours at 1.5 times the rate, 29 U.S.C. 207(a)(1)).
3. start = 22:00, end = 06:30, break = 30, days = 4 gives shift = 8, weekly = 32, yearly = 1,664. Source: hand calculation in content.mdx: 6:30 + 24:00 − 22:00 = 8 h 30 min, less 30 min = 8 h.
4. start = 08:15, end = 16:50, break = 45, days = 5 gives shift = 7.833333, shiftTime = {"hours":7,"minutes":50}, weekly = 39.166667. Source: hand calculation in content.mdx: 8 h 35 min − 45 min = 7 h 50 min = 7.8333 h.

## FAQ

### How do I calculate my hours worked?

Subtract the start time from the end time, then take off the unpaid break. A 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM shift is 8 hours 30 minutes; less a 30-minute lunch it is 8 hours. Five of those shifts are 40 hours a week.

### Is a lunch break counted as work time?

Not when it is a real meal period. Under the federal rules, a bona fide meal period (usually 30 minutes or more, fully off duty) is not work time. Short breaks of about 5 to 20 minutes are work time and are paid, so enter only the unpaid break.

### When do I get overtime pay?

Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, hours over 40 in a workweek are paid at least 1.5 times the regular rate. Five 10-hour days at $20 an hour are 40 × $20 + 10 × $30 = $1,100 a week. Some states, such as California, also pay overtime after 8 hours in a day; this calculator uses the weekly rule only.

### How many work hours are in a year?

40 hours a week × 52 weeks = 2,080 hours. That is the usual figure for turning an hourly rate into a yearly salary: $25 an hour × 2,080 = $52,000 before tax.

### What about a night shift that ends the next morning?

Enter the times as they are. An end time earlier than the start time is counted on the next day, so 10:00 PM to 6:30 AM is 8 hours 30 minutes.

### What if my shifts are different lengths each day?

Use the time card calculator, which takes a start and end time for each day of the week.

## Sources

- U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet #23: Overtime Pay Requirements of the FLSA (hours over 40 in a workweek at not less than one and one-half times the regular rate). https://www.dol.gov/agencies/whd/fact-sheets/23-flsa-overtime-pay
- 29 U.S.C. 207(a)(1), maximum hours. https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/29/207
- 29 CFR 785.18 and 785.19, rest and meal periods. https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-29/subtitle-B/chapter-V/subchapter-B/part-785