Calculator guides / Work & pay
How to calculate overnight work hours with an unpaid break
A shift from 10 pm to 6 am lasts eight clock hours. Subtract a 30-minute unpaid break and the paid duration is 7 hours 30 minutes, or 7.5 decimal hours.
Split the shift at midnight
From 10 pm to midnight is two hours. From midnight to 6 am is six hours. Add them to get eight hours, then subtract unpaid break time. Subtract only breaks that are actually unpaid; a paid break remains in the paid-hours total.
You can also work in minutes: 22:00 is 1,320 minutes after midnight and 06:00 is 360. Since the finish is earlier than the start, add 1,440 minutes for the next day: 360 + 1,440 − 1,320 = 480. Subtract the 30-minute break: 480 − 30 = 450 minutes. Divide by 60: 450 ÷ 60 = 7.5 hours.
More overnight examples
| Start → end | Unpaid break | Clock duration | Paid decimal hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 22:00 → 06:00 | 30 minutes | 8 hours | 7.50 |
| 23:15 → 07:45 | 45 minutes | 8 hours 30 minutes | 7.75 |
| 19:00 → 07:00 | 60 minutes | 12 hours | 11.00 |
| 21:30 → 05:00 | 0 minutes | 7 hours 30 minutes | 7.50 |
Why 7 hours 30 minutes is not 7.30 hours
Decimal hours are fractions of an hour, not a clock display. Divide the minutes by 60: 15 minutes = 0.25 hours; 30 = 0.50; 45 = 0.75. Writing 7.30 decimal hours means seven hours and 18 minutes, because 0.30 × 60 = 18.
Use the calculator
- Open the Work Hours Calculator.
- Enter 22:00 as the start and 06:00 as the finish.
- Enter 30 for an unpaid half-hour break.
- Optionally enter an hourly rate, then select Calculate Hours.
At a flat rate of $20 per hour, 7.5 paid hours gives $150 gross before deductions. This calculation does not automatically determine overtime or night-shift premiums. Use the Overtime Pay Calculator only with the hours and multiplier that apply to your situation.
Limits worth checking
The tool treats an end time earlier than the start as the following day. Identical start and finish times mean zero hours, not a 24-hour shift. It estimates one shift from clock times and does not accept dated timesheets.
On a night when daylight-saving clocks change, elapsed hours may differ from the simple clock-time difference. Check the dated time record rather than assuming every 10 pm–6 am shift has the same elapsed duration. Also check that an unpaid break is no longer than the shift itself; the calculator rejects that input.
Next: work out your own overnight shift, or estimate annual gross pay from an hourly rate.