Free Work Hours & Timesheet Calculator | Overtime & Payroll

How to Use This Work Hours Calculator

This work hours calculator covers one full pay week. Fill in start and end times for each day you worked, add any unpaid break time, and the calculator totals your hours automatically. Here is how to get the most from it.

• Report header: enter employee name and pay period dates if you want them to appear on the printout. The hourly rate field here is optional — or use the full Payment Information section below the table for detailed overtime configuration.
• Start and end times: type directly into the hour and minute boxes. Each row also has a Date field if you want to reference specific dates rather than just day names.
• Break time: enter unpaid break in hours and minutes per day. This is subtracted from the raw start-to-end duration before totals are calculated.
• Day Type: mark days as Regular, Holiday, Sick, Vacation, or PTO. This labels the row on the printout without changing the hour calculation.
• Copy Monday Down: if you work the same shift every day, fill in Monday and copy it to all rows in one click, then adjust any exceptions.
• Clear a single day: click the red × button at the end of any row to reset that day without touching the rest of the week.
• Options below: set time rounding, toggle 24-hour format, and expand Payment Information to configure overtime rules and gross pay calculation.

Work Hours, Timesheet, and Time Sheet — What Is the Difference?

The terms work hours calculator, timesheet calculator, and time sheet calculator all describe the same type of tool — a way to total the hours an employee or contractor worked in a period, deduct unpaid breaks, and arrive at payable time. Spelling and terminology vary by industry and region, but the underlying calculation is identical. All three terms map to the same core need: accurate, verifiable records of time worked that can be submitted for payroll or invoicing.

How Are Work Hours Calculated?

The core calculation is: end time minus start time, minus any unpaid break. The result is the net hours worked for that day. Across a week, the daily totals are summed to produce the period total. Where the calculation becomes more complex is in rounding and overtime, both of which this calculator handles automatically based on the options you set.

Understanding Time Rounding

Many employers apply rounding rules — typically to the nearest 5, 10, or 15 minutes — to normalize clock-in and clock-out times before calculating pay. The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) permits rounding, provided the policy does not consistently favor the employer over employees on average. Rounding to the nearest 15 minutes is the most common standard in practice. This calculator applies rounding to start and end times before calculating daily duration, which matches how most employers implement it.

Understanding Overtime

Overtime rules can apply at the daily level, the weekly level, or both, depending on your state and employment agreement.

Weekly Overtime

The federal FLSA standard sets overtime at all hours worked beyond 40 in a single workweek, paid at a minimum of 1.5 times the regular hourly rate. Select “Overtime pay after hours per week” in the Payment Information section and enter 40 to apply this rule.

Daily Overtime

Some states, most notably California, require overtime pay for hours worked beyond 8 in a single day, at 1.5 times the regular rate, and double time for hours beyond 12 in a day. The default in this calculator is 8 hours per day. If your employer or state uses a different threshold, adjust it in the Payment Information section.

Capped Pay Options

Some contracts specify that an employee is paid only up to a fixed number of hours per day or per week, with no additional pay for hours worked beyond that cap. The “No overtime pay, pay max hours” options in the Payment Information section handle these scenarios — hours worked beyond the cap are recorded in the timesheet but do not add to the gross pay calculation.

Day Types and the Add a Note Field

The Day Type column and the Add a Note field serve the same purpose — providing context for the numbers in the timesheet that the raw hours rows cannot capture on their own. A timesheet is not always filled out by the employee whose hours appear on it. Managers, HR staff, and payroll administrators also review and approve timesheets, and they need a place to record information that does not fit neatly into a time field: approved overtime, a schedule change mid-week, a public holiday that affected the period, a rounding adjustment applied per company policy, or a note that certain hours fall under a different pay category. The Add a Note field travels with the timesheet to the printout, keeping that context attached to the numbers rather than buried in a separate email or document.

Browser Save and Data Privacy

This calculator saves your entries automatically in your browser’s local storage every time you make a change. When you return to this page on the same device, your timesheet will still be populated. Nothing is sent to a server — all data stays on your own device. Clearing your browser data will erase saved entries, so printing or saving a PDF at the end of each pay period is recommended as a permanent record.

Frequently Asked Questions

What does “work hours calculator” mean?

A work hours calculator totals the number of hours worked in a day or week based on clock-in and clock-out times, minus any unpaid break time. This calculator is also a timesheet calculator and time sheet calculator — all three terms describe the same tool.

How do I calculate work hours with breaks?

Enter your start time, end time, and break duration in the HH:MM fields for each day. The break is subtracted from the raw start-to-end duration automatically before the daily total is shown.

How do I clear one day without erasing the whole week?

Click the red × button at the end of that day’s row. It resets only that row and leaves all other days untouched.

How does the Copy Monday Down button work?

It copies the Start, End, Break, and Day Type values from Monday’s row into every other day of the week. Fill in Monday once, copy it down, then adjust any days that differ.

Can I calculate gross pay including overtime?

Yes. Expand the Include Payment Information section, enter your hourly rate and overtime configuration, and Gross Pay will appear in the totals bar after you click Calculate.

Does this work hours calculator handle overnight shifts?

Yes. If the end time is earlier in the clock than the start time, the calculator assumes the shift crossed midnight and adds 24 hours to the duration automatically.

Can I print the timesheet?

Yes. Click the Print button to open your browser’s print dialog. The printed version includes the report header, day rows, totals, and any notes. The options panel and article content are hidden from the printout.

Are my entries private?

Yes. All entries are stored in your browser’s local storage only — nothing is sent to any server. The data exists only on the device you are using to fill in the timesheet.