Employee Calculators
Time card calculator
Shifts & breaks

Break Time Calculator

List the breaks in your shift with their start and end times. The break time calculator totals your break time, separates paid rest breaks from unpaid meal breaks, shows your paid hours, and draws every break on a timeline of your shift.

Runs in your browserFree, no signupFormula shown below
Breaks
15 min
30 min
10 min
Federal rules generally treat 5 to 20 minute rest breaks as paid time. Set your employer’s policy.

Paid time for this shift

8h 30m

8.50 decimal hours after removing unpaid breaks.

Break summary
Shift length9h
Total break time55m
Paid breaks25m
Unpaid breaks− 30m
Time actually working8h 5m
Paid time8.50 h
Breaks across your shift

Shift from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. Paid break at 10:00 AM for 15 minutes. Unpaid break at 12:30 PM for 30 minutes. Paid break at 3:00 PM for 10 minutes.

Break Time Calculator, printed from employeecalculators.com/break-time-calculator/. Estimates of gross amounts before taxes and deductions, based on the values entered; not payroll or legal advice.

How the break time calculator works

  1. Enter your shift start and end times. Overnight shifts work too.
  2. Add each break with its start and end time.
  3. Set the type. Auto counts short breaks as paid and longer ones as unpaid, using the limit you set. Override any break when your employer's policy differs.
  4. Read the summary of break time and paid time, and check the timeline for gaps or overlaps.

Formula

Lunch punches and fixed lunch deductions can give different totals. How to calculate lunch breaks on a time card compares both methods.

Total break time = paid breaks + unpaid breaks
Paid time = shift length − unpaid breaks
Time actually working = shift length − all breaks

Worked example: a 9-hour shift with three breaks

8:00 AM to 5:00 PM with breaks at 10:00 (15 min), 12:30 (30 min), and 3:00 (10 min)

  1. Shift length: 9h.
  2. Paid rest breaks: 15 + 10 = 25 minutes. Unpaid meal break: 30 minutes.
  3. Paid time: 9h − 30 m = 8h 30m (8.50 hours).
  4. Time actually working: 8h 5m.

Paid and unpaid breaks

Break typeTypical lengthFederal treatment
Rest break, coffee breakAbout 5 to 20 minutesGenerally paid work time (29 CFR 785.18)
Bona fide meal periodGenerally 30 minutes or moreGenerally not work time if fully relieved of duty (29 CFR 785.19)
Meal break while workingAnyGenerally work time, because you are not relieved of duty
State rules can require breaks. Federal law does not require meal or rest breaks, but many states do, and some set minimum lengths or timing. Check the Department of Labor's state table in the sources and your employer's policy.

Frequently asked questions

Are 15-minute breaks paid?

Under federal rules, rest breaks of about 5 to 20 minutes are common and are generally counted as paid work time. Federal law does not require employers to offer them, but if they do, those short breaks are usually paid.

Is a 30-minute lunch paid?

A bona fide meal period, generally 30 minutes or more during which you are completely relieved of duty, is generally not work time under federal rules. If you have to keep working while you eat, it is generally work time.

Does federal law require breaks?

No. Federal law does not require meal or rest breaks. Many states do. The U.S. Department of Labor publishes a table of state meal-period requirements, linked in the sources.

How does the Auto setting decide paid or unpaid?

Breaks up to the length you set (20 minutes by default) count as paid, and longer breaks as unpaid. You can override any break to Paid or Unpaid to match your employer’s policy.

What if two breaks overlap?

The calculator warns you so you can fix the times. Overlapping breaks would otherwise count the same minutes twice.

Related guides

How to Calculate Lunch Breaks on a Time CardTwo ways to take lunch off a time card: lunch punches or a fixed deduction. Worked examples, paid vs unpaid breaks under federal rules, and common mistakes.
Shift Hours CalculatorPaid hours for day and night shifts, a shift timeline, and the time your shift ends.Time Card CalculatorTotal a week of shifts, subtract unpaid breaks, and split regular from overtime hours.Work Hours CalculatorHours worked from start and end times or durations, minus breaks, with an average per day.Timesheet CalculatorOne- or two-week timesheet with lunch punches, dates, overtime per week, and CSV export.

How this calculator was built. The formula, defaults, and edge cases are documented in a research record and covered by automated tests. It estimates gross amounts from your inputs; it does not determine legal entitlements, taxes, or take-home pay. Read our methodology and disclaimer.

Last updated:

Sources