Shift Hours Calculator

Calculate the length of a single shift, including overnight shifts that cross midnight, with optional break deduction. The tool reports total time, paid time, and decimal hours so the result is ready to drop into a payroll entry.

Use it for one-off shifts, schedule reviews, or when you need to verify a single time card row. It is also useful when a coworker asks how long a shift will be after the lunch deduction, or when you are checking whether a shift you are about to volunteer for actually fits your week's overtime headroom.

Shift length is end time minus start time. If end is before start (or you toggle the overnight option), the calculator adds 24 hours so overnight shifts work. The unpaid break minutes are then deducted to give paid hours and the decimal-hour value used by payroll systems.

The result shows the total shift length and paid hours after the break, plus a decimal hours value for payroll entry. Total time is the raw schedule, paid time is what payroll should run, and decimal hours is what you would type into a payroll portal.

A 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM shift with a 30 minute break is 8 hours total and 7 hours 30 minutes paid, which is 7.50 decimal hours. A standard 9 to 5 with a 30 minute lunch is 8 hours total and 7.5 hours paid. A 12 hour double shift with a one hour meal break is 11 paid hours, or 11.00 decimal.

Some employers pay a shift differential for overnight or weekend hours. The differential is not included here. Add it manually if it applies, since differentials are usually a percentage premium on top of the base rate and depend on the start and end window your employer defines as overnight. Short rest breaks under 20 minutes are usually paid under federal rules, while meal breaks of 30 minutes or more are usually unpaid; only deduct the unpaid portion when entering break minutes here.