Work Hours Calculator — Calculate Total Hours Worked, Overtime, and Pay
Tracking your exact hours worked is essential for calculating pay accurately, understanding overtime entitlements, and maintaining a compliant timesheet. The free work hours calculator on PublicSoftTools lets you enter start and end times for each day of the week, deduct breaks, and instantly see total hours, overtime, and estimated weekly pay — for any shift pattern or hourly rate.
How to Use the Work Hours Calculator
- Open the work hours calculator.
- Enter your start time and end time for each working day. Use either 12-hour (AM/PM) or 24-hour format.
- Enter your break time in minutes for each day (unpaid breaks are deducted from total hours).
- Enter your hourly rate (optional) to calculate estimated weekly pay.
- Set your overtime threshold — the number of hours per day or week after which overtime applies.
- Click Calculate. The tool shows total hours per day, weekly total, overtime hours, and pay breakdown.
How Work Hours Are Calculated
| Step | Detail |
|---|---|
| Convert times to 24-hour format | Express start and end times as decimals (hours). 9:30 AM = 9.5; 5:45 PM = 17.75 |
| Calculate raw hours | End time − start time = raw hours. 17.75 − 9.5 = 8.25 hours |
| Subtract unpaid breaks | If break is 30 min (0.5 hours): 8.25 − 0.5 = 7.75 hours worked |
| Sum for the week | Add daily totals: 7.75 + 8.0 + 7.5 + 8.25 + 8.0 = 39.5 hours |
| Identify overtime | Hours beyond standard threshold (40 h/week in US; 48 h/week in UK) are overtime |
| Calculate pay | Regular hours × rate + overtime hours × overtime rate = total pay |
Overtime Rules by Country
| Country | Overtime rate rule | Standard hours threshold |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | No statutory overtime rate requirement; employers must ensure average earnings over reference period meet at least National Minimum Wage | 48 hours/week cap (Working Time Regulations); opt-out permitted |
| United States | 1.5× (time and a half) for hours over 40/week under FLSA for non-exempt employees | Federal: 40 hours/week; some states have daily overtime rules (e.g., California: over 8 hours/day) |
| European Union | Varies by country; EU Working Time Directive sets maximum average 48 hours/week | Maximum 13 hours/day in many EU countries; mandatory rest periods |
| Australia | Overtime provisions in Modern Awards and Enterprise Agreements; typically 1.5× for first 2 hours, then 2× (double time) | 38 ordinary hours/week under the National Employment Standards |
| Canada | Overtime varies by province; typically 1.5× for hours over 8/day or 40–44/week | Federal Canada Labour Code: over 8 hours/day or 40 hours/week |
Converting Between Time Formats
12-hour to 24-hour conversion
- 12:00 AM (midnight) = 00:00
- 12:30 AM = 00:30
- 1:00 AM = 01:00
- 11:59 AM = 11:59
- 12:00 PM (noon) = 12:00
- 12:30 PM = 12:30
- 1:00 PM = 13:00
- 5:30 PM = 17:30
- 11:59 PM = 23:59
For times after noon: add 12 to the hour (except 12 PM, which stays 12:00). For AM times: 12 AM becomes 00:00; all other AM hours stay the same.
Time arithmetic: handling midnight crossings
For night shift workers who start before midnight and finish after midnight, the calculation crosses midnight. Example: start 22:00, finish 06:00 next day. Direct subtraction gives 06:00 − 22:00 = −16 hours (wrong). Add 24: 06:00 + 24:00 − 22:00 = 30:00 − 22:00 = 8 hours. The work hours calculator handles midnight crossings automatically.
Calculating Pay from Hours
Regular pay calculation
Total pay = Hours worked × Hourly rate
Example: 37.5 hours at £13.50/hour = 37.5 × 13.50 = £506.25 gross weekly pay.
Overtime pay calculation
Total pay = (Regular hours × Rate) + (Overtime hours × Overtime rate)
Example (US): 45 hours worked, hourly rate $20, overtime at 1.5×:
- Regular: 40 hours × $20 = $800
- Overtime: 5 hours × $30 (=$20 × 1.5) = $150
- Total: $800 + $150 = $950
Salary to hourly rate conversion
Hourly rate from annual salary: Hourly = Annual salary / (weeks per year × hours per week). For a £35,000 annual salary, working 37.5 hours/week, 52 weeks/year: £35,000 / (52 × 37.5) = £35,000 / 1,950 ≈ £17.95/hour.
UK Employment Rights: Working Time
In the UK, the Working Time Regulations 1998 set the following statutory minimum standards:
- Maximum average working time: 48 hours per week (averaged over a reference period, typically 17 weeks). Workers can opt out in writing.
- Rest breaks: A minimum 20-minute break if working more than 6 hours in a day.
- Daily rest: At least 11 consecutive hours between shifts.
- Weekly rest: At least 24 continuous hours off per week (or 48 hours per fortnight).
- Annual leave: Minimum 5.6 weeks (28 days) paid holiday per year for full-time workers, including public holidays.
The UK does not have a statutory overtime rate — employers must pay at least the National Minimum Wage for all hours worked, but there is no legal requirement to pay extra for overtime beyond the minimum wage calculation.
Part-Time and Variable Hours
Workers on zero-hours contracts or variable schedules have irregular weekly hours. Tracking actual hours worked is especially important for:
- Verifying pay is correct against recorded hours
- Calculating holiday pay (which for zero-hours workers uses an average of the preceding 52 working weeks)
- Identifying underpayment against National Minimum Wage
- Building evidence for any pay disputes
Timesheet Record Keeping
Whether you are an employee or self-employed contractor, maintaining accurate timesheets serves multiple purposes:
- Employees: Verify payslip hours match actual hours worked; identify miscalculations; support any pay dispute
- Contractors and freelancers: Bill clients accurately; demonstrate hours for invoices; evidence for HMRC in case of tax query
- Employers: Compliance with Working Time Regulations; accurate payroll; HR records for performance and leave tracking
HMRC requires self-employed individuals to keep records of income and expenses for at least 5 years after the submission deadline of the relevant tax year. For employees, keeping payslips and working time records for at least 3 years is advisable.
Night Shifts and Unsociable Hours
Night workers (those who regularly work at least 3 hours between 11 PM and 6 AM) have additional legal protections in the UK:
- Maximum average of 8 hours per 24-hour period for night work (not the same 48-hour weekly limit)
- Free health assessments before starting night work and periodically after
- Transfer to day work when night work affects health
Common Questions
Do I get paid for my lunch break?
This depends on your employment contract. Most UK employees are entitled to an unpaid 20-minute rest break if they work more than 6 hours. Whether the break is paid is contractual — some employers pay for breaks, others do not. The work hours calculator allows you to specify whether breaks are paid or unpaid, affecting the pay calculation accordingly.
What is the difference between gross and net pay?
Gross pay is your total earnings before deductions. Net pay (take-home pay) is gross pay minus tax (Income Tax), National Insurance (NI), pension contributions, and any other deductions. The work hours calculator shows gross pay — to estimate net pay, use the income tax calculator for your specific tax code and circumstances.
Can I track hours for multiple jobs?
The calculator handles one job at a time. For multiple jobs, calculate each separately and note the total hours — this is important for UK workers who must stay within the 48-hour weekly limit across all employers combined (if they have not signed an opt-out).
Calculate Your Work Hours
Enter your start and end times for each day to calculate total hours worked, overtime, and estimated weekly pay.
Open Work Hours Calculator