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Time card calculator
Fill in your clock-in and clock-out times and unpaid breaks for each day. The calculator totals the week, splits regular hours from overtime over 40 and works out pay at time and a half. Night shifts that end after midnight count on the day they start.
By Asier Fernández ·
How overtime is counted
Federal law requires overtime of at least one and a half times the regular rate for hours over 40 in a workweek (29 CFR 778.107). The workweek is a fixed period of 168 hours that the employer chooses, and each week stands alone: hours are not averaged over two weeks (29 CFR 778.104). The example above, four 12-hour shifts with a 30-minute break, comes to 46 hours: 40 regular and 6 overtime.
Some states add daily overtime. California pays time and a half after 8 hours in a day and double time after 12; Alaska pays after 8 hours a day; Colorado after 12. The shift pay calculator applies those rules to a whole year of shifts.
Night differential and the overtime rate
If you are paid a shift differential, it is part of your regular rate, so the overtime rate rises with it (29 CFR 778.207(b)). This calculator uses one hourly rate; read shift hours and night pay for how the differential works.
Time card tips
- Record the actual times you started and stopped work; rounding is accepted only if it averages out over time (29 CFR 785.48).
- Only take off breaks you spent completely off duty; short rest breaks are paid time.
- Keep your own copy of each week: it is the quickest way to check a paycheck.
More guides
Figures are worked out from each cycle; rules checked against official sources on . How we calculate
Questions
How do I calculate hours on a time card?
For each day subtract the clock-in time from the clock-out time, take off unpaid breaks, then add the days. Turn minutes into decimals by dividing by 60.
How do you calculate a night shift on a time card?
If the out time is earlier than the in time, the shift crossed midnight: add 24 hours to the out time. A shift from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. is 12 hours.
When does overtime start?
Under federal law, after 40 hours in the workweek, at one and a half times the regular rate. Some states also pay daily overtime, such as California after 8 hours.
Are breaks paid?
Rest breaks of about 5 to 20 minutes are paid work time. Meal periods of 30 minutes or more can be unpaid if you are completely relieved of duty.
Can overtime be averaged over two weeks?
No. Each workweek stands alone under federal law (29 CFR 778.104). Hospitals can use the 8/80 system instead, with overtime after 8 hours a day and 80 in 14 days.