The formula
Work in hours and minutes, then convert to decimal hours for pay. Example: 7:55 am to 4:35 pm with a 30-minute unpaid lunch. 7:55 to 4:35 is 8 hours 40 minutes; minus 30 minutes is 8 hours 10 minutes (8.17 decimal hours). The hours calculator and lunch break calculator show the same working.
Rest breaks versus meal periods
Federal regulations draw the line this way:
- Rest periods (about 5 to 20 minutes): 29 CFR 785.18 says rest periods of short duration, running from 5 minutes to about 20 minutes, are common in industry, and they are usually paid as working time and must be counted as hours worked.
- Bona fide meal periods: 29 CFR 785.19 says bona fide meal periods are not worktime. The employee must be completely relieved from duty for the purposes of eating regular meals, and ordinarily 30 minutes or more is long enough.
So a 15-minute coffee break stays in your hours; a 30-minute lunch where you are completely off duty comes out. A lunch at your desk where you answer calls is not a bona fide meal period and should be paid.
Worked examples
A week with different breaks
| Mon 8:00-4:30, 30 min lunch | 8:00 |
| Tue 8:00-4:30, 30 min lunch | 8:00 |
| Wed 8:00-5:00, 30 min lunch scheduled, but 10 min was spent answering the phone (only 20 min unpaid) | 9:00 - 0:20 = 8:40 |
| Thu 7:30-4:30, 60 min lunch | 8:00 |
| Fri 8:00-4:30, 30 min lunch | 8:00 |
Corrected total: 8:00 + 8:00 + 8:40 + 8:00 + 8:00 = 40:40, so 40 minutes are overtime under the federal weekly rule. The 10 recovered minutes land entirely in overtime: 1/6 hour × $30.00 = $5.00 at $20.00/hour, compared with $3.33 at straight time. Small corrections matter at the overtime line.
Break length chosen vs break actually taken
A scheduler lists a 60-minute lunch, but the employee takes 35 minutes before returning to the line. Hours worked should reflect the 35-minute break actually taken (if it was unpaid), not the 60 minutes on the schedule: 8:00 to 5:00 is 9:00 less 0:35 = 8:25.
Common traps
- Automatic deductions. A timekeeping system that takes 30 minutes every day is only accurate on the days you really took 30 minutes. Report days you worked through lunch.
- Short unpaid breaks. A 10-minute “unpaid” break is a rest period and generally should be paid.
- Travel and waiting. Time spent waiting or on call can be hours worked in some circumstances; the answer depends on the facts. This guide covers breaks only.
- State rules. States may require meal or rest breaks, or specify when they are paid; see meal and rest break laws by state.
Checklist for your own time card
- Write down your real clock-in, clock-out and lunch start/end.
- Subtract only the unpaid meal that you took off duty.
- Convert to decimal hours with the converter if your payroll uses decimals.
- Add the days, then check the weekly total against 40 for overtime.
Split shifts and multiple punches
In at 7:00, out at 11:30; in at 12:00, out at 4:00
Add the two blocks: 4:30 + 4:00 = 8:30. The 30 minutes between 11:30 and 12:00 is not part of either block, so you do not subtract it again. If your system records only the first clock-in and last clock-out (7:00 to 4:00 = 9:00), subtract the unpaid gap (30 minutes) to get the same 8:30.
Overnight shifts with a meal
10:00 pm to 6:30 am with a 30-minute meal
10:00 pm to 6:30 am is 8:30 clock to clock; minus 30 minutes = 8:00. Enter the true times rather than splitting the shift at midnight; the hours calculator handles the date change for you.
Quick reference: paid hours by shift and meal length
| Clock to clock | No meal | 30 min | 45 min | 60 min |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6:00 | 6:00 | 5:30 | 5:15 | 5:00 |
| 8:00 | 8:00 | 7:30 | 7:15 | 7:00 |
| 8:30 | 8:30 | 8:00 | 7:45 | 7:30 |
| 9:00 | 9:00 | 8:30 | 8:15 | 8:00 |
| 10:00 | 10:00 | 9:30 | 9:15 | 9:00 |
| 12:00 | 12:00 | 11:30 | 11:15 | 11:00 |
Keep paid rest breaks inside your hours; only subtract meal periods that meet the federal definition of a bona fide meal period.
Putting it together: a worked week
Take Monday 7:30-4:15 with a 45-minute unpaid meal (8:00), Tuesday 7:30-4:15 with 45 (8:00), Wednesday 7:30-5:45 with 45 (9:30), Thursday 7:30-4:15 with 45 (8:00) and Friday 7:30-3:45 with 30 (7:45). Total 8:00 + 8:00 + 9:30 + 8:00 + 7:45 = 41:15. Federal overtime is the 1:15 above 40 hours. Changing Friday's meal from 30 to 45 minutes would drop the total to 41:00, and a 60-minute meal on all five days would drop it to 39:15, which is no overtime. Break length is therefore not a detail.
When the answer is unclear
Some situations do not fit neatly: a meal period interrupted twice, a break where you must stay at your post, or a break in which you are allowed to leave but must carry a phone. The federal test is whether you are completely relieved from duty, so the more your employer limits what you can do, the more likely the time is hours worked. Write down what happened and ask payroll or your state labor department if it keeps happening.