Payroll pays by the hour, so 7 hours and 45 minutes has to become a single number before it can be multiplied by a rate. That number is decimal hours.
Decimal hours = hours + minutes ÷ 60
7 hours 45 minutes = 7 + 45 ÷ 60 = 7 + 0.75 = 7.75 hours.
Quick chart
| Minutes | Decimal | Minutes | Decimal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0.08 | 35 | 0.58 |
| 10 | 0.17 | 40 | 0.67 |
| 15 | 0.25 | 45 | 0.75 |
| 20 | 0.33 | 50 | 0.83 |
| 25 | 0.42 | 55 | 0.92 |
| 30 | 0.50 | 60 | 1.00 |
Every minute is 1/60 of an hour, about 0.0167. The decimal hours calculator has the full minute-by-minute chart.
Examples
- 8 hours 20 minutes = 8 + 20 ÷ 60 = 8.33 hours
- 38 hours 50 minutes = 38 + 50 ÷ 60 = 38.83 hours
- 52 minutes = 52 ÷ 60 = 0.87 hours
The 7:30 vs 7.30 mistake
7:30 means 7 hours and 30 minutes, which is 7.50 decimal hours. Typing it as 7.30 drops 12 minutes. At $20 an hour, that is $146.00 instead of $150.00 for one day, and $20.00 short over a five-day week. The minutes column on a time card is base 60, not base 100.
Keep minutes exact until the end
Rounding each day to two decimals and then adding can drift by a few cents. 38 hours 50 minutes at $18.00 an hour:
- Exact: 38 + 50/60 = 38.8333… × $18.00 = $699.00
- Rounded first: 38.83 × $18.00 = $698.94
The safest method is to add the week in hours and minutes, convert once, then multiply. Our calculators work in whole minutes for this reason.
Tenths and quarters
Some payroll systems record time in tenths of an hour (6-minute units) or quarters (15-minute units). Federal rules allow rounding to the nearest 5 minutes, tenth, or quarter hour when it averages out over time and does not shortchange employees.
| Tenths | Minutes | Quarters | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | 6 | 0.25 | 15 |
| 0.2 | 12 | 0.50 | 30 |
| 0.3 | 18 | 0.75 | 45 |
| 0.5 | 30 | 1.00 | 60 |
Decimal hours back to minutes
Multiply the decimal part by 60: 6.4 hours = 6 hours + 0.4 × 60 = 6 hours 24 minutes.
Tools
- Decimal hours calculator: convert both ways, with charts.
- Hours and minutes calculator: add a list of times and get decimal hours and pay.
- Time card calculator: goes straight from clock times to decimal hours and pay.
Sources
About this guide. Written for US employees as general information, not legal or tax advice. Rules can differ by state, employer, and contract. See our methodology and disclaimer.