Work Hours & Time Cards

Paid vs. Unpaid Lunch: How It Changes Work Hours

Understand when lunch time is included in paid hours and how to calculate a schedule either way.

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Paid lunch vs. unpaid lunch math

A paid lunch stays in the work-hours total. An unpaid lunch is subtracted from elapsed shift time.

8:00–4:30 shiftPaid time
30-minute paid lunch8.5 hours
30-minute unpaid lunch8.0 hours

Whether a meal period must be paid depends on applicable rules and the facts of the work arrangement; this page only explains the arithmetic.

Frequently asked questions

Can I calculate my own schedule?

Yes. Open the linked calculator and enter your own values.

Are decimal hours the same as hours and minutes?

They represent the same duration in different formats. For example, 7 hours 30 minutes equals 7.50 decimal hours.