Hours Between Two Times
Calculate hours and minutes between two times instantly. Perfect for timesheets, shift planning, and scheduling.
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What This Tool Does
This calculator determines the exact duration between any two times on the clock, handling both AM/PM and overnight shifts automatically. Enter a start time, an end time, and optionally subtract break minutes to see your actual working hours. The results display in both hours-and-minutes format and decimal hours, making it easy to fill out timesheets, plan shifts, or estimate project durations. Unlike simple subtraction, this tool correctly handles the transition from AM to PM and shifts that cross midnight.
How It Works: Time Math
The calculation converts both times to a 24-hour minute count, subtracts the start from the end, and converts the result back to hours and minutes. For example, 9:00 AM becomes 540 minutes after midnight (9 × 60), while 5:30 PM becomes 1,050 minutes (17 × 60 + 30). The difference is 510 minutes, which equals 8 hours and 30 minutes.
When a shift crosses midnight — such as 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM — the end time in minutes (360) is smaller than the start time (1,320). The calculator detects this and adds 1,440 minutes (24 hours) to the difference, yielding 480 minutes or 8 hours. Break time is then subtracted from this total to produce working hours. For payroll calculations, you can also use our Work Hours Calculator which includes hourly rate and overtime.
Worked Example: Restaurant Shift
A server clocks in at 4:00 PM and clocks out at 11:45 PM with one 30-minute dinner break. Converting to 24-hour time: 4:00 PM is 960 minutes and 11:45 PM is 1,425 minutes. The difference is 465 minutes, or 7 hours and 45 minutes of elapsed time. Subtracting the 30-minute break gives 435 minutes of working time — 7 hours and 15 minutes. In decimal format, this is 7.25 hours, which the payroll system multiplies by the hourly wage to determine gross pay.
Common Time Calculations
| Start Time | End Time | Break | Working Hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9:00 AM | 5:00 PM | 30 min | 7.50 hours |
| 8:30 AM | 4:30 PM | 60 min | 7.00 hours |
| 10:00 PM | 6:00 AM | 0 min | 8.00 hours |
| 7:00 AM | 3:30 PM | 30 min | 8.00 hours |
| 12:00 PM | 8:15 PM | 45 min | 7.50 hours |
| 6:00 AM | 2:00 PM | 30 min | 7.50 hours |
When to Use This Calculator
Timesheets and payroll: Employees use this calculator to verify their recorded hours match their actual shift duration. By entering clock-in and clock-out times and subtracting meal breaks, workers can catch payroll errors before paychecks are issued.
Shift planning: Managers scheduling rotating shifts can quickly verify that each shift meets minimum coverage requirements without exceeding overtime thresholds. This is especially useful in healthcare, hospitality, and retail where shifts vary by day.
Project time tracking: Freelancers and consultants bill clients by the hour. Recording start and end times for each task and calculating billable hours ensures accurate invoicing. Pair this with our Date Difference Calculator for multi-day project tracking.