Time Card Calculator with Lunch & Overtime
Use your own numbers after reviewing the example below.
Quick answer
8:00 AM to 4:30 PM is 8 hours 30 minutes elapsed. Subtract a 30-minute unpaid lunch and the result is exactly 8 paid hours.
Five-day time-card example
If you work 8:00 AM–4:30 PM every weekday and each 30-minute lunch is unpaid, you have 40.00 paid hours across five shifts: 8.00 × 5. If the same 30-minute lunch is paid, the week has 42.50 paid hours before any applicable overtime calculation. Those are time totals, not a claim that particular hours legally qualify for overtime.
8:00 to 4:30 break comparison
| Unpaid break | Paid time | Decimal hours |
|---|---|---|
| No break | 8 hr 30 min | 8.50 |
| 30 minutes | 8 hr | 8.00 |
| 60 minutes | 7 hr 30 min | 7.50 |
For a different clock-in, clock-out or lunch length, use the Time Card Calculator or the Hours Between Times Calculator.
Formula or method
Step-by-step
- Find elapsed time: 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM = 8.5 hours.
- Convert the 30-minute lunch to 0.5 hour.
- Subtract the lunch to get 8.0 paid hours.
Worked example
The shift lasts 510 minutes. Subtract 30 unpaid minutes to get 480 paid minutes. 480 ÷ 60 = 8.00 hours.
How to interpret the result
This is the paid-time total only. Whether a break is paid or unpaid depends on the workplace and applicable rules.
Common mistakes
- Subtracting 30 as if it were 0.30 hour.
- Counting 4:30 PM as 4.30 in decimal time.
- Ignoring whether the break is paid.
Calculate a different work schedule
If your start time, end time or lunch length is different, use the Work Hours Calculator for one shift or the Time Card Calculator for a full workweek. The Hours Between Times Calculator is useful when you only need elapsed time.
For more schedule examples, decimal-hour conversions and break calculations, browse the Work Hours & Time Cards topic hub.
Frequently asked questions
How many elapsed hours is 8 to 4:30?
8 hours 30 minutes.
How many paid hours after a 30-minute lunch?
8 hours.
What is that in decimal hours?
8.00 hours.