Hours Calculator
Enter a start time, an end time and an optional break to get the time in between as hours and minutes, decimal hours and total minutes. A second mode handles two full dates with times.
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Created by the Reeliy Editorial Team. Last updated: Oct 19, 2026
How to calculate the hours between two times
The calculator works in two modes, selected with the Calculate buttons.
- Hours between times takes a start time and an end time on a 24-hour clock face. If the end time is earlier than the start time, the calculator assumes the period runs past midnight into the next day. Equal times give 0, not 24 hours.
- Between two dates takes a start date and time and an end date and time, so the span can be days or weeks long.
In both modes you can type Break time in minutes, and it is subtracted from the total. A break longer than the whole span is rejected. The three results are the time as hh:mm, the same time in decimal hours and the total in minutes.
hours in between = (end time − start time) − breakAdd 24 hours to the end time first when it is earlier than the start time.
Example: a shift runs from 08:45 to 17:20 with a 45 minute unpaid break. The span is 8 hours 35 minutes, which is 515 minutes. Subtract 45 and 470 minutes remain: 7:50, or 7.83 hours. A night shift from 22:30 to 06:15 crosses midnight and comes to 7 hours 45 minutes, or 7.75 hours.
Hours and minutes to decimal hours
Payroll and invoices usually want decimal hours, because multiplying 7.83 by an hourly rate is simpler than multiplying 7 hours 50 minutes. Divide the minutes by 60 and add them to the whole hours. The calculator rounds to two decimals and prints a whole number of hours with one decimal (9.0 h).
| Minutes | Decimal hours | Minutes | Decimal hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |
For single conversions in either direction, try the time to decimal converter, the decimal to time converter or the minutes to hours converter.
Working hours with a break taken out
Entering the break in the dedicated field keeps the arithmetic honest: the result line then reads Time in between hh:mm (minus breaks). A fractional number of minutes is allowed. The total is rounded to the nearest whole minute afterwards, with half a minute rounding up.
Example: a clinic session starts at 09:00 and ends at 13:00 with a 15 minute break, leaving 3 hours 45 minutes, or 3.75 hours. Across a week of four such sessions that is 15 hours.
To total several days with different start and end times, or to apply an hourly rate to the result, use the work hours timesheet calculator and the hourly to salary calculator. To move a time forward or back by a number of hours, use the add hours calculator.
Rounding rules, paid breaks and overtime thresholds are set by employment contracts and local law. Treat the figures here as arithmetic and read our disclaimer before relying on them for pay.
Hours between two dates
Switch to Between two dates when the period lasts a day or more. Enter both dates and both times. The hh:mm figure then grows past 24 hours instead of wrapping, so a task that starts at 09:00 on 3 March 2026 and finishes at 17:30 on 5 March reads 56:30, which is 56.50 decimal hours or 3,390 minutes.
If the end comes before the start, the span is negative and every figure carries a minus sign: a gap of 90 minutes backwards reads -1:30 (-1 hours 30 minutes), -1.50 h and -90 minutes. Swap the two dates to get a positive answer. For the time between dates in years, months and days, use the date and time duration calculator.
Number of hours in common time periods
| Period | Hours |
|---|---|
| 1 day | 24 |
| 1 week | 168 |
| Month of 28 days | 672 |
| Month of 29 days | 696 |
| Month of 30 days | 720 |
| Month of 31 days | 744 |
| Average month (365.25 days ÷ 12) | 730.5 |
| Common year (365 days) | 8,760 |
| Leap year (366 days) | 8,784 |
A 40 hour week over 52 weeks is 2,080 hours a year, the figure often used to convert between an hourly wage and an annual salary.
12-hour and 24-hour clocks
Time fields display in the format your device uses. Some regions read the 12-hour clock with AM and PM, others the 24-hour clock that runs from 00:00 to 23:59. Both describe the same moments: 12:00 AM is midnight (00:00), 12:00 PM is noon (12:00), and every PM hour after noon is the 12-hour value plus 12, so 5:20 PM is 17:20.
The calculator does the conversion for you, so type the time in the way you are used to. To switch a list of times between systems, see the 24 hour to 12 hour converter and the military time converter.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate the hours between two times?
Subtract the start time from the end time, adding 24 hours to the end time if it is earlier than the start. For 08:45 to 17:20 that is 8 hours 35 minutes, or 8.58 decimal hours before any break.
How do I convert hours and minutes to decimal hours?
Divide the minutes by 60 and add the result to the whole hours. 7 hours 50 minutes is 7 + 50 ÷ 60 = 7.83 hours.
How does the calculator handle shifts that go past midnight?
In Hours between times mode an end time earlier than the start time is read as the next day, so 22:30 to 06:15 is 7 hours 45 minutes. For longer spans use Between two dates.
How many hours are in a year?
A common year of 365 days has 8,760 hours and a leap year of 366 days has 8,784 hours.
Cite this calculator and page
If you use this page in your work, you can cite it as:
Reeliy Editorial Team. (2026). Hours Calculator. Reeliy. https://reeliy.com/calculators/hours-between-times-calculator“Hours Calculator.” Reeliy, 2026, https://reeliy.com/calculators/hours-between-times-calculator.