Step 1: Find your hours worked

Take each shift's clock-out time, subtract the clock-in time, then subtract any unpaid break. Add the shifts together for the week. If your time is in hours and minutes, convert the minutes to a decimal by dividing by 60 (30 minutes is 0.5 hours, 15 minutes is 0.25).

Step 2: Split regular and overtime hours

Under federal law, hours worked over 40 in a single workweek are overtime, paid at 1.5 times your hourly rate. Work out regular and overtime hours for each week separately - you cannot average two weeks together.

1. Regular hours = total hours for the week, up to 40
2. Overtime hours = total hours for the week beyond 40

Step 3: Calculate gross pay

Gross pay is your pay before anything is taken out:

1. Regular pay = hourly rate x regular hours
2. Overtime pay = hourly rate x 1.5 x overtime hours
3. Gross pay = regular pay + overtime pay (+ any bonuses, commissions or tips)

Example: $25 an hour, 45 hours in a week

Regular pay is 40 hours x $25 = $1,000. Overtime pay is 5 hours x ($25 x 1.5 = $37.50) = $187.50. Gross pay for the week is $1,187.50 before taxes.

Step 4 (optional): Subtract taxes and deductions to get take-home pay

Your paycheck is smaller than your gross pay because of withholding. Our free paycheck calculator can estimate all of this for you:

1. Pre-tax deductions such as 401(k) and health insurance come out first and lower your taxable wages.
2. Federal income tax is withheld based on your W-4 filing status and adjustments.
3. Social Security (6.2%) and Medicare (1.45%) are withheld from most wages.
4. State income tax is withheld if your state has one.
5. What is left is your net pay - the take-home amount.

Quick hourly pay conversions

To see what an hourly rate means over a longer period, use these rules of thumb for a full-time, 40-hour week:

1. Weekly pay = hourly rate x 40
2. Biweekly pay = hourly rate x 80
3. Monthly pay = hourly rate x 40 x 52 / 12 (about hourly rate x 173.33)
4. Annual pay = hourly rate x 40 x 52 (or hourly rate x 2,080)

What a time clock calculator does

It takes the start and end time of each shift, removes unpaid breaks such as a lunch, and gives you total hours for the day and the week. It is the same job a timesheet calculator or hours calculator does, and it is the fastest way to check the hours on your paycheck.

How to calculate hours worked by hand

1. Write down your clock in and clock out times, for example 8:30 AM and 5:00 PM.
2. Subtract the start from the end: 5:00 PM minus 8:30 AM is 8 hours 30 minutes.
3. Subtract unpaid break time: a 30 minute lunch leaves 8 hours.
4. Add up every day in the week for your weekly total.
5. Convert minutes to decimals for pay: divide the minutes by 60.

Minutes to decimal hours

Payroll multiplies pay by decimal hours, so 7 hours 45 minutes is 7.75 hours, not 7.45. Common conversions:

1. 5 minutes = 0.08 hours
2. 10 minutes = 0.17 hours
3. 15 minutes = 0.25 hours
4. 20 minutes = 0.33 hours
5. 30 minutes = 0.50 hours
6. 45 minutes = 0.75 hours

Overnight shifts and unpaid breaks

If your shift runs past midnight, enter the real clock-in and clock-out times - for example 10:00 PM in and 6:00 AM out. Because the clock-out is earlier than the clock-in, the calculator counts it as the next day and gives you 8 hours. Enter unpaid meal breaks in minutes so they are not paid; short paid breaks (often 5 to 20 minutes) should not be subtracted.

Why checking your hours matters

Payroll mistakes most often start with hours: a missed punch, a rounded time or an unrecorded overtime hour. Keeping your own record and running it through a time clock calculator lets you spot a problem the same week, while it is easy to get corrected.

Who is owed overtime?

Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), most hourly employees are non-exempt, which means they must be paid overtime for hours over 40 in a workweek. Some employees are exempt, usually salaried executive, administrative or professional workers who meet both a minimum salary level and a duties test.

A job title or a salary alone does not make someone exempt. A salaried employee whose duties do not qualify can still be owed overtime. The U.S. Department of Labor and your state labor department can tell you which category a job falls into.

How the overtime rate is figured

Overtime is paid at 1.5 times your regular rate. Your regular rate is usually your hourly rate, but it can be higher if you also earn certain non-discretionary pay, such as a production bonus or a shift differential, because that extra pay is counted in the rate that overtime is based on.

The calculator above uses the hourly rate you enter. If your pay includes bonuses or differentials that change your regular rate, ask your employer how they calculate it.

State overtime rules can be stricter

The federal rule is based on a 40-hour workweek, but some states add daily overtime. California, Alaska, Nevada and Colorado, for example, have daily overtime rules that can apply even if you worked under 40 hours in the week. Some states, and some employers, also pay double time for very long shifts.

Where state law gives you a better deal than the federal rule, the state rule applies. Check your state labor department for the exact rules that cover your job.

Overtime pay examples

Here are three worked examples using the standard time-and-a-half rule. You can enter the same numbers in the calculator to confirm the results.

1. $15 an hour, 42 hours in the week: regular pay is 40 x $15 = $600. Overtime is 2 x ($15 x 1.5 = $22.50) = $45. Gross pay is $645.
2. $18 an hour, 50 hours in the week: regular pay is 40 x $18 = $720. Overtime is 10 x ($18 x 1.5 = $27) = $270. Gross pay is $990.
3. $20 an hour, 4 hours of double time: double time is $20 x 2 = $40 an hour, so those 4 hours pay $160 on top of the regular hours.

Hourly, weekly, biweekly and monthly pay

The number of pay periods in a year decides how much each paycheck is. Use these to move between a yearly salary and a paycheck amount:

1. Weekly: 52 paychecks a year, so annual pay divided by 52.
2. Biweekly (every two weeks): 26 paychecks a year, so annual pay divided by 26.
3. Semi-monthly (twice a month): 24 paychecks a year, so annual pay divided by 24.
4. Monthly: 12 paychecks a year, so annual pay divided by 12.
5. Example: a $62,400 salary is $1,200 a week, $2,400 biweekly, $2,600 semi-monthly or $5,200 a month, before taxes.

Common timesheet and payroll mistakes

1. Averaging two weeks together. Overtime is figured one workweek at a time, so 30 hours one week and 50 the next still includes 10 overtime hours.
2. Reading minutes as decimals. 7 hours 45 minutes is 7.75 hours, not 7.45.
3. Forgetting to remove an unpaid lunch, or removing a short paid break that should be counted.
4. Rounding every punch in the employer's favor, which adds up over a pay period.
5. Mixing up gross and net pay. Gross is before taxes and deductions, and net is the amount you take home.

What to do if your paycheck does not match

Compare your own hours and rate to the hours and rate on your pay stub. If the totals differ, write down the dates and the difference and ask your payroll or HR contact to review it. If you need a record of the pay, you can build a pay stub from the same figures with our pay stub generator.