Hours Calculator
Enter a start date and time and an end date and time to see the hours and minutes between them, minus an optional break. The result also appears as decimal hours, total minutes and days, hours and minutes. It works across midnight and across several days.
Last updated November 4, 2026
Optional. Leave blank for none.
Result
32 hours 0 minutes
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Hours:minutes | 32:00 |
| Decimal hours | 32 |
| Total minutes | 1,920 |
| As days, hours, minutes | 1 day, 8 hours, 0 minutes |
Wall-clock times: daylight saving changes are not applied.
Show the work
Formula: hours = (end date and time − start date and time) − break
- Start Mar 2, 2026 9:00 AM; end Mar 3, 2026 5:30 PM.
- Time between them: 1,950 minutes.
- Minus the break: 1,950 − 30 = 1,920 minutes.
- Hours and minutes: 1,920 ÷ 60 = 32 hours 0 minutes (32:00).
- Decimal hours: 1,920 ÷ 60 = 32.
Result: 32:00 hours (32 decimal hours)
How the hours between two times are calculated
hours = (end date and time − start date and time) − break
The calculator reads each date and time as a point on the calendar, finds the number of whole minutes between the two points, and subtracts the break. Everything is kept in whole minutes until the last step, so there is no rounding while the sum is being worked out.
The total is then shown four ways. Hours and minutes divide the total by 60 and keep the remainder, so 1,920 minutes is 32 hours 0 minutes. Decimal hours divide the minutes by 60 and round to two places. Total minutes is the raw figure. Days, hours and minutes split the total into 24-hour days.
If the end comes before the start, there is no sensible answer, so the calculator says so instead of showing negative hours. If the break is longer than the time between start and end, it reports that too.
See how we calculate for the formulas, sources and review schedule behind every calculator.
Also useful alongside this calculator: Work Hours Calculator, Date Difference Calculator and Overtime Calculator.
Wall-clock times and daylight saving
The times you enter are treated as wall-clock times: a day is always exactly 24 hours long. On the days when clocks change, a real day can be 23 or 25 hours, but this calculator does not add or remove that hour. A span from midnight to midnight across a spring-forward weekend still shows 24 hours.
That suits shifts and schedules, because people read the wall clock. For real elapsed time across time zones or a clock change, use the countdown calculator, which resolves the time zone first.
Hours in decimal form
Timesheets and spreadsheets often want decimal hours rather than hours and minutes. The conversion is minutes divided by 60: 15 minutes is 0.25, 30 minutes is 0.5, 45 minutes is 0.75, and 20 minutes is 0.33 after rounding. So 7 hours 45 minutes is 7.75 hours, not 7.45.
To go the other way, multiply the decimal part by 60. A value of 1.75 hours is 1 hour and 0.75 × 60 = 45 minutes. Where pay is involved, multiply the exact minutes by the rate and divide by 60 rather than using a rounded decimal, because rounding to two places can shift the total by a few cents.
Overnight shifts and spans of several days
Because both a date and a time are entered, a shift from 10:00 PM on one day to 6:00 AM on the next is just a span of 8 hours. The same method handles a project that runs for three days, a flight plus layover, or a maintenance window that crosses a month or year end. Leap days are counted as real days, so the span from noon on February 28 to noon on March 1 is 48 hours in 2024 and 24 hours in 2023.
Hours calculator or time duration calculator?
Use this hours calculator for shifts and timesheets: it keeps unpaid break handling and answers in hours and minutes. Use the time duration calculator when you need exact elapsed time to the second, or totals in seconds and minutes with no break.
How to use the Hours Calculator
- Enter the start date and start time.
- Enter the end date and end time.
- Add an unpaid break in minutes, or leave it blank.
- Read the hours and minutes, decimal hours and total minutes, then use Copy, Print or Share.
Worked example
From 9:00 AM on March 2 to 5:30 PM on March 3 is 32 hours 30 minutes, or 1,950 minutes. After a 30-minute break that leaves 1,920 minutes. Dividing by 60 gives 32 hours 0 minutes, which is 32 decimal hours, or 1 day and 8 hours.
| Start | End | Break | Hours:minutes | Decimal hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mar 2, 9:00 AM | Mar 2, 5:30 PM | 30 min | 8:00 | 8 |
| Mar 2, 9:00 AM | Mar 3, 9:00 AM | 0 min | 24:00 | 24 |
| Mar 6, 10:00 PM | Mar 7, 6:30 AM | 0 min | 8:30 | 8.5 |
| Feb 28 2024, 12:00 PM | Mar 1 2024, 12:00 PM | 0 min | 48:00 | 48 |
| Dec 31, 11:00 PM | Jan 1, 1:30 AM | 0 min | 2:30 | 2.5 |
| Mar 2, 8:00 AM | Mar 4, 5:00 PM | 60 min | 56:00 | 56 |
Frequently asked questions
Does the calculator handle shifts that end after midnight?
Yes. Because you enter an end date as well as an end time, an overnight shift is simply a span that ends on the next calendar date.
Does it adjust for daylight saving time?
No. Times are wall-clock times and every day counts as 24 hours. For real elapsed time to a moment in a particular time zone, use the countdown calculator.
Why is 7 hours 45 minutes shown as 7.75 and not 7.45?
Minutes are out of 60, not 100. Forty-five minutes is 45 ÷ 60 = 0.75 of an hour, while 0.45 of an hour would be 27 minutes.
What happens if the end is before the start?
The calculator shows a message asking you to check the dates and times, because a negative number of hours does not describe a real span.
Is anything I enter saved or sent anywhere?
No. The calculation runs in your browser and nothing you enter is stored or uploaded.