Time Card Calculator
Enter clock in and clock out times, subtract lunch breaks, and get weekly or biweekly hours, overtime, and pay. Choose federal or daily overtime rules, round punches, then print or export the finished time card.
Weekly Time Card
Enter clock in and clock out times and unpaid breaks for each day, then pick your overtime rule
Regular Hours
37:30
37.50 hrs
Overtime
0:00
0.00 hrs
Total Hours
37:30
37.50 hrs
This free time card calculator totals hours worked for one employee over a 7-day or 14-day pay period. Every row subtracts the unpaid break you select, overnight shifts are detected automatically, and the totals show regular hours, overtime, and decimal hours ready for payroll. Turn on pay calculation to multiply the hours by an hourly rate with overtime at 1.5x.
Still filling in time cards by hand? HiveDesk builds time cards automatically from tracked hours.
Track it automatically →How to Use This Time Card Calculator
The calculator works like a digital punch card. Fill in each day you worked and the totals update as you type.
Choose the pay period
Weekly shows seven days. Biweekly shows two full weeks and still calculates overtime one week at a time.
Pick an overtime rule
Use the federal 40-hour rule for most US employees. Switch to a daily rule if your state requires overtime after 8 hours, or the California option for daily, weekly, and double-time thresholds together.
Set punch rounding if your employer rounds
Leave it off for exact minutes, or round to the nearest 5, 6, or 15 minutes to match how your payroll system records punches.
Enter clock in, clock out, and unpaid break
Type the times for each day you worked and select the length of the unpaid lunch. Leave days blank if you did not work. Shifts that end after midnight are handled automatically.
Add an hourly rate, then print or export
Toggle on pay calculation to see regular pay, overtime pay, and total pay. Add the company and employee name, then print the card or download a CSV for payroll.
Quick time conversion reference
Need a specific minute value? Use the minutes to decimal calculator for the full 1 to 60 minute chart.
How to Calculate Hours Worked on a Time Card
Calculating a time card by hand takes three steps for each day: convert the punches to a 24-hour clock, subtract the start time from the end time, then subtract any unpaid break. Add the daily totals to get the week, and convert the result to decimal hours before multiplying by a pay rate.
| Day | Clock In | Clock Out | Unpaid Lunch | Hours | Decimal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 8:00 AM | 4:30 PM | 30 min | 8:00 | 8.00 |
| Tuesday | 8:00 AM | 5:15 PM | 30 min | 8:45 | 8.75 |
| Wednesday | 7:45 AM | 4:45 PM | 60 min | 8:00 | 8.00 |
| Thursday | 8:00 AM | 6:00 PM | 30 min | 9:30 | 9.50 |
| Friday | 8:00 AM | 4:00 PM | 30 min | 7:30 | 7.50 |
| Weekly total | 41:45 | 41.75 | |||
Step 1: Subtract the start time from the end time
Tuesday runs from 8:00 AM to 5:15 PM. In 24-hour time that is 08:00 to 17:15. Subtracting gives 9 hours and 15 minutes on the clock.
Step 2: Subtract the unpaid break
Tuesday has a 30-minute unpaid lunch. 9 hours 15 minutes minus 30 minutes leaves 8 hours 45 minutes of paid time.
Step 3: Convert to decimal hours
Divide the minutes by 60. 45 minutes is 0.75, so Tuesday is 8.75 hours. Never write 8:45 as 8.45, which would underpay by 18 minutes.
Step 4: Add the days and apply overtime
The week totals 41.75 hours. Under the federal rule, 40 hours are regular and 1.75 hours are overtime. At $20 per hour that is $800 regular pay plus $52.50 overtime pay, for $852.50 gross.
Time Card Calculator with Lunch Breaks
Whether a break comes off the time card depends on whether it is paid. Federal rules draw the line by length and by whether the employee is actually free from work.
Unpaid meal periods
A bona fide meal period, typically 30 minutes or more, does not count as hours worked if the employee is completely relieved of duty. This is the break you enter in the calculator. An employee who eats at their desk while answering calls has not been relieved of duty, and that time must be paid.
Paid rest breaks
Short breaks of roughly 5 to 20 minutes are counted as working time under federal regulations and cannot be deducted. Do not enter them in the break field. If an employee takes two 10-minute breaks and a 30-minute lunch, the deduction is 30 minutes, not 50.
Several states go further. California requires a 30-minute meal period for shifts over 5 hours and a paid 10-minute rest break for every 4 hours worked, with a penalty of one hour of pay for each missed break. Other states set their own rules or none at all. Our guide to rest and meal break laws by state lists the requirements, and the break time calculator shows how many breaks a given shift length requires.
A practical tip for employers: auto-deducting a 30-minute lunch on every time card is legal only if the employee actually took the break. Auto-deductions for lunches that were skipped or interrupted are one of the most common sources of wage claims.
Overtime Rules the Calculator Supports
The Fair Labor Standards Act sets the federal floor: non-exempt employees earn at least 1.5 times their regular rate for every hour over 40 in a fixed, recurring 168-hour workweek. A handful of states add a daily threshold. The calculator covers the most common patterns.
| Rule | Overtime starts | Rate | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal (FLSA) | Over 40 hours in a workweek | 1.5x regular rate | Applies to non-exempt employees in every state. No daily overtime requirement. |
| California | Over 8 hours in a day or 40 in a week; over 12 hours in a day | 1.5x, then 2x after 12 hours | Also 1.5x for the first 8 hours on the seventh consecutive day of work and 2x beyond 8 on that day. |
| Alaska | Over 8 hours in a day or 40 in a week | 1.5x | Daily rule applies to employers with four or more employees; some exemptions apply. |
| Nevada | Over 8 hours in a day or 40 in a week | 1.5x | Daily overtime applies only to employees earning less than 1.5 times the state minimum wage. |
| Colorado | Over 12 hours in a day or 40 in a week | 1.5x | Also 1.5x for more than 12 consecutive hours regardless of when the workday starts. |
Weekly overtime is never averaged
Each workweek stands alone, even on a biweekly pay period. An employee who works 48 hours in week one and 32 in week two is owed 8 overtime hours, not zero. The calculator applies the 40-hour threshold separately to each 7-day block.
Daily and weekly rules do not double-count
Under the California option, hours already paid as daily overtime are not counted again toward the 40-hour weekly threshold. Only regular hours accumulate toward the weekly limit, which matches how state payroll rules work.
Exempt employees are outside these rules
Salaried employees who meet the FLSA duties and salary tests are exempt from overtime. Most hourly workers are non-exempt. Use the FLSA exemption flowchart to check a role.
State law changes and includes exceptions for specific industries, so confirm the rule that applies before running payroll. Our guide to overtime pay laws in the US by state covers every state, and the overtime calculator handles pay for a single period.
Time Card Rounding Rules
Federal regulation 29 CFR 785.48 allows employers to round punches to the nearest 5 minutes, one-tenth of an hour (6 minutes), or quarter hour (15 minutes), as long as the rounding does not consistently favor the employer. The quarter-hour version is usually called the 7-minute rule.
| Actual punch | Rounded to | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 8:00 to 8:07 | 8:00 | Within 7 minutes after the quarter hour, so it rounds down |
| 8:08 to 8:14 | 8:15 | Eight or more minutes past, so it rounds up to the next quarter hour |
| 4:53 to 4:59 | 5:00 | Rounds up to the nearest quarter hour |
| 5:01 to 5:07 | 5:00 | Rounds down to the nearest quarter hour |
Rounding has to be neutral. If clock-ins are always rounded up and clock-outs always rounded down, employees lose minutes every day, and courts have treated that as a wage violation. Several states, including California, have narrowed what rounding is acceptable, and most modern time tracking systems simply record punches to the minute.
The rounding option on this calculator applies the same rule to both the clock-in and clock-out punch, so you can check what a rounded time card would show against the exact minutes.
Common Time Card Mistakes
Most time card disputes trace back to a handful of errors. Each one is easy to make on paper and easy to avoid with a calculator or a time clock.
Treating minutes as decimals
Writing 8:45 as 8.45 hours shortchanges the employee by 18 minutes every day. Forty-five minutes is 0.75 of an hour. Always convert minutes by dividing by 60 before multiplying by a pay rate.
Forgetting the shift crossed midnight
A 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM shift subtracted naively gives negative hours or 16 hours. Add 24 hours to the clock-out time when it is earlier than the clock-in time. The calculator does this for you.
Deducting breaks that were never taken
An automatic 30-minute lunch deduction is only valid if the employee actually took a duty-free break. If they worked through lunch, the time is paid and the deduction must be removed.
Averaging hours across two weeks
Overtime is owed per workweek. A biweekly total of 80 hours can still contain overtime if one week was 45 and the other 35. Check each week separately.
Rounding in only one direction
Rounding every clock-in up and every clock-out down is not neutral and has been ruled unlawful. If you round, round both punches to the nearest increment.
Leaving off the workweek start
FLSA records must show when the workweek begins. A card that runs Wednesday to Tuesday needs to say so, or the overtime calculation cannot be verified.
Time Card vs Timesheet: What Is the Difference?
Both track work hours, but a time card and a timesheet answer different questions. The time card proves when someone worked. The timesheet shows what they worked on.
| Feature | Time Card | Timesheet |
|---|---|---|
| Primary purpose | Track attendance and hours | Track hours by project or task |
| Level of detail | Clock in and clock out times | Hours allocated to specific work |
| Common format | Daily punch in and out | Weekly or biweekly breakdown |
| Best for | Hourly employees, shift work | Project billing, salaried teams |
| Overtime tracking | Yes, automatically | Depends on implementation |
For a semimonthly or monthly pay period laid out by calendar date, use the timesheet calculator instead. Timesheet software like HiveDesk records both: clock-in and clock-out times for attendance, and time by project and task for billing.
Time Card Record-Keeping Requirements
The FLSA requires employers to keep accurate records of hours worked for every non-exempt employee, but it does not dictate the format. A printed card from this calculator, a spreadsheet, or a time clock export all qualify as long as they are complete and accurate.
What must be recorded
- Time and day the workweek begins
- Hours worked each day and total hours each workweek
- Basis of pay, such as $18 per hour
- Regular hourly rate and total straight-time earnings
- Total overtime earnings for the workweek
- Deductions, total wages paid, pay period, and date of payment
How long to keep it
- Payroll records: at least 3 years
- Time cards, schedules, and wage computation records: at least 2 years
- Many states require 3 to 6 years, so follow the longer rule
- Records must be available for inspection by the Department of Labor
Digital records are easier to retain and search than paper cards. See our timekeeping policy template for a written policy that covers punches, breaks, rounding, and corrections.
Frequently Asked Questions
How does the time card calculator handle overtime?
Pick an overtime rule above the time card. The federal option flags every hour beyond 40 in a 7-day workweek as overtime at 1.5 times the regular rate. The daily option flags hours beyond 8 in any single day. The California option combines both and adds double time for hours beyond 12 in a day. Choose "No overtime" to see plain totals.
Does the calculator work for a biweekly pay period?
Yes. Switch the pay period to biweekly and the card expands to 14 days. Overtime is still calculated per workweek, because the FLSA does not allow averaging hours across two weeks. Working 45 hours one week and 35 the next still produces 5 overtime hours.
How do I calculate hours worked with a lunch break?
Subtract the clock-in time from the clock-out time, then subtract the unpaid lunch. An 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM day with a 30-minute lunch is 8.5 hours minus 0.5 hours, which equals 8 hours. The break column on each row does this automatically.
Are paid breaks included in total hours?
The break field is for unpaid breaks only. Short rest breaks of roughly 5 to 20 minutes are treated as paid working time under federal rules, so leave them out of the break field. Only deduct bona fide meal periods, usually 30 minutes or longer, where the employee is fully relieved of duty.
What does the rounding option do?
It rounds each clock-in and clock-out punch to the nearest 5, 6, or 15 minutes before calculating hours. The 15-minute option applies the common 7-minute rule: punches up to 7 minutes past a quarter hour round down, and punches 8 minutes or more round up. Rounding must be neutral over time and cannot be used only to reduce hours.
Does the calculator handle overnight shifts?
Yes. If the clock-out time is earlier than the clock-in time, the calculator assumes the shift crossed midnight. A 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM shift with a 30-minute break returns 7.5 hours.
Can I print or save the time card?
Yes. Enter the company and employee name, then use Print time card to print or save it as a PDF from the browser print dialog. Export CSV downloads every row and the totals as a spreadsheet file you can open in Excel or Google Sheets and attach to payroll.
What is the difference between a time card and a timesheet?
A time card records clock-in and clock-out punches for attendance and payroll. A timesheet records hours against projects, clients, or tasks. Many teams keep both: the time card proves hours worked, the timesheet shows where those hours went.
How long do employers have to keep time cards?
Under the FLSA, payroll records must be kept for at least three years, and the records they are based on, including time cards and work schedules, for at least two years. Several states require longer retention, so keep the longer of the two.
Related Calculators
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Overtime Calculator
Calculate overtime pay at 1.5x or 2x for any pay period.
Minutes to Decimal Calculator
Convert hours and minutes to decimal hours for payroll.
8-Hour Workday Calculator
Find your clock-out time based on start time and break duration.
Replace Paper Time Cards with HiveDesk
HiveDesk automates time tracking, timesheets, and attendance for your team. No more manual time cards. $5/user/month, all features included.