How to Calculate Hours Worked
Hesaplayıcı3 min read
Short answer
The hours worked in a day are the end time minus the start time minus the break. The weekly total is the sum of the days. For example, 08:30 to 17:30 with a 60-minute break is 8 hours of work. Before you compute pay, divide the minutes by 60 to get decimal hours: 7 hours 30 minutes is 7.5 hours.
Open the calculator →Formula
daily work = end − start − break
- end and start: in hours and minutes; before the subtraction they become minutes after midnight (
17:30 = 17 × 60 + 30 = 1,050minutes) - break: the unpaid rest break, in minutes
- if the end is earlier than the start, the shift ends on the next day; add 24 hours (1,440 minutes) to the difference
weekly work = sum of the daily work and decimal hours = minutes / 60.
Step-by-step example
A five-day time card:
- Day 1: 08:30–17:30, 60-minute break:
540 − 60 = 480minutes. - Day 2: 08:30–18:00, 60-minute break:
570 − 60 = 510minutes. - Day 3: 09:00–18:15, 60-minute break:
555 − 60 = 495minutes. - Day 4: 08:45–16:15, 30-minute break:
450 − 30 = 420minutes. - Day 5: 09:00–13:00, 15-minute break:
240 − 15 = 225minutes. - Total:
480 + 510 + 495 + 420 + 225 = 2,130minutes, or 35 hours 30 minutes. - Decimal hours:
2,130 / 60 = 35.5hours.
Enter your own time card, with as many days as you need, in the time card calculator.
Shifts past midnight
A shift from 22:00 to 06:00 has an end smaller than its start. The difference is negative, so 24 hours are added: 06:00 − 22:00 + 24:00 = 8 hours. A shift that ends at midnight ends at 24:00: 16:00 to 24:00 is 8 hours. Split a 24-hour shift from 08:00 to 08:00 the next day into two days: 08:00–24:00 and 00:00–08:00.
Minutes to decimal hours
Decimal hours are the minutes divided by 60. Common values:
| Minutes | Decimal hours |
|---|---|
| 15 | 0.25 |
| 20 | 0.33 |
| 30 | 0.5 |
| 40 | 0.67 |
| 45 | 0.75 |
Writing hours and minutes side by side is a mistake: 7 hours 30 minutes is 7.5 hours, not 7.30. Every time you multiply by an hourly rate must be in decimal hours.
In Türkiye
Under Article 63 of Labour Law No. 4857, working time is at most 45 hours a week. Under Article 68, the rest break is at least 15 minutes for work of 4 hours or less, half an hour for work of more than 4 and up to 7.5 hours, and 1 hour for work of more than 7.5 hours. Rest breaks are not working time.
Work over 45 hours a week is overtime. Under Article 5 of the Regulation on Overtime, a part shorter than half an hour counts as half an hour and a part longer than half an hour counts as one hour. The 35.5-hour week of the example is below 45 hours, so it has no overtime. For overtime hours, find the pay with the Türkiye overtime calculator; the overtime pay guide explains the formula.
Worked example: A five-day time card with a lunch break
Total worked
35 h 30 min
- Decimal hours
- 35.5 hours
- Total minutes
- 2,130 min
- Days worked
- 5 days
- Daily average
- 7.1 hours
Step by step
day 1 = end − start − break
17:30 − 08:30 − 60 min = 480 min
day 2 = end − start − break
18:00 − 08:30 − 60 min = 510 min
day 3 = end − start − break
18:15 − 09:00 − 60 min = 495 min
day 4 = end − start − break
16:15 − 08:45 − 30 min = 420 min
day 5 = end − start − break
13:00 − 09:00 − 15 min = 225 min
Total minutes
total = sum of the days
480 + 510 + 495 + 420 + 225 = 2,130 min
Decimal hours
decimal hours = minutes / 60
2,130 / 60 = 35.5 hours
Daily average
daily average = decimal hours / days worked
35.5 / 5 = 7.1 hours