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Shifts & breaks

Shift Hours Calculator

Enter when your shift starts and ends, and your unpaid break. The shift hours calculator handles shifts that cross midnight, draws the shift on a timeline, counts hours inside a night window, and can work out the time your shift ends.

Runs in your browserFree, no signupFormula shown below
What do you need?
An earlier time means the next day.
Meal break you are not paid for.
Places the break on the timeline.
Shown for reference; paid breaks stay in your hours.

Paid hours in this shift

12h

12.00 decimal hours, ending the next day.

Shift breakdown
Shift length12h 30m
Unpaid break− 30m
Paid breaks (included)0h
Hours in night window7.50 h
Paid hours12.00 h
Your shift on the clock

Shift from 7:00 PM to 7:30 AM. Unpaid break at 1:00 AM for 30 minutes.

Shift Hours Calculator, printed from employeecalculators.com/shift-hours-calculator/. Estimates of gross amounts before taxes and deductions, based on the values entered; not payroll or legal advice.

How the shift hours calculator works

  • Hours in my shift: enter the start and end times. An end time earlier than the start means the shift ends the next day.
  • When my shift ends: enter a start time and the hours you need to work. The calculator adds your unpaid break and gives the finish time.
  • Breaks: unpaid break minutes reduce paid hours. Give the break a start time to see it on the timeline.
  • Night window: count the hours that fall inside a window such as 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM, for night-differential pay.

Shift formula

For worked night-shift examples, daylight saving, and which workweek the hours belong to, read how to calculate overnight shift hours.

Shift length = end − start (+ 24 hours if the end is earlier)
Paid hours = shift length − unpaid breaks
End time = start + paid work time + unpaid breaks

Worked examples

Night shift: 7:00 PM to 7:30 AM, 30-minute unpaid break at 1:00 AM

  1. Shift length: (7:30 + 24:00) − 19:00 = 12h 30m.
  2. Paid hours: 12h 30m − 30 m = 12h (12.00 hours).
  3. Hours inside a 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM window, minus the break: 7.50 hours.

End time: start at 6:45 AM, work 8 hours, 30-minute unpaid lunch

  1. 6:45 AM + 8 h + 30 m = 3:15 PM.

Common shift patterns

Paid hours with a 30-minute unpaid meal break.

ShiftLengthPaidDecimal
7:00 AM to 7:00 PM12h11h 30m11.50
7:00 PM to 7:00 AM12h11h 30m11.50
6:00 AM to 6:30 PM12h 30m12h12.00
6:00 PM to 6:30 AM12h 30m12h12.00
11:00 PM to 7:30 AM8h 30m8h8.00
3:00 PM to 11:30 PM8h 30m8h8.00

Assumptions

  • Clock arithmetic ignores daylight saving changes. A shift that crosses a clock change is one hour shorter or longer in real time.
  • Breaks placed by start time must fall inside the shift.
  • Night-window hours exclude a timed unpaid break that falls inside the window. Differential rates are not applied; multiply the night hours by your differential separately.
  • Overtime is not calculated here. For a week of shifts with overtime, use the time card calculator.

Frequently asked questions

How many hours is a 7 PM to 7 AM shift?

7:00 PM to 7:00 AM is 12 hours. With a 30-minute unpaid meal break, it pays 11 hours 30 minutes, or 11.5 decimal hours.

How do I calculate hours for a shift that ends after midnight?

Add 24 hours to the end time before subtracting. For 10:00 PM to 6:30 AM: (6:30 + 24:00) − 22:00 = 8 hours 30 minutes. The calculator does this automatically when the end time is earlier than the start.

What time does my shift end?

Choose “When my shift ends,” enter your start time, the hours you need to work, and your unpaid break. End time = start + work time + unpaid break. Paid breaks do not push the end time back unless you add them.

What counts as night hours?

There is no single federal definition. Employers that pay a night differential usually define a window, such as 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM. Turn on the night window and set the times your employer uses.

Are breaks paid?

Under federal rules, short rest breaks of about 5 to 20 minutes are generally paid, and bona fide meal periods of about 30 minutes or more are generally unpaid if you are fully relieved of duty. State rules and employer policies can differ.

Related guides

How to Calculate Overnight Shift HoursCalculate hours for night shifts that cross midnight: the add-24-hours rule, breaks, 12-hour shifts, daylight saving, and which workweek hours count in.Shift Differential Pay ExplainedWhat a shift differential is, how dollar and percentage differentials are paid, and why federal rules include them in the regular rate used for overtime.
Break Time CalculatorTotal paid and unpaid break time for a shift and see how breaks change paid hours.Work Hours CalculatorHours worked from start and end times or durations, minus breaks, with an average per day.Time Card CalculatorTotal a week of shifts, subtract unpaid breaks, and split regular from overtime hours.Time CalculatorFind the time between two clock times, add time to a clock, or add and subtract durations.

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.

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Sources