8-Hour Shift Calculator

Enter your clock-in and clock-out times, an unpaid break, and your hourly rate to get hours worked, the regular/overtime split, and estimated pay for the shift.

Quick Facts

Formula
Hours worked = (clock-out − clock-in) − unpaid break
Regular hours are capped at your standard shift length; anything beyond that is overtime.
Assumption
Overtime applies after the standard shift length you set (default 8 hours)
US federal law (FLSA) bases overtime on hours over 40 in a week, not hours in a single shift — some states use a daily threshold instead.

Your Results

Calculated
Hours Worked
-
Net of unpaid break
Regular Hours
-
Up to standard shift length
Overtime Hours
-
Beyond standard shift length
Estimated Pay
-
Regular + overtime pay

Ready

Set your clock-in, clock-out, break, and rate, then press Calculate.

How the 8-Hour Shift Calculator Works

This tool converts a clock-in time, a clock-out time, and an unpaid break into decimal hours worked, then splits that total into regular hours and overtime hours around a standard shift length (8 hours by default). It also estimates pay by applying your hourly rate to regular hours and an overtime multiplier to any hours beyond the standard shift.

The formula

  • Hours worked = (clock-out time − clock-in time) − unpaid break, converted to decimal hours. A 30-minute break equals 0.5 hours, so working 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM (8.5 hours raw) with a 30-minute break gives exactly 8.0 hours worked.
  • Regular hours = the smaller of hours worked and your standard shift length — capped so regular hours never exceed the standard shift.
  • Overtime hours = hours worked minus the standard shift length, but never less than zero.
  • Estimated pay = (regular hours × hourly rate) + (overtime hours × hourly rate × overtime multiplier), where the multiplier is typically 1.5 for time-and-a-half or 2 for double time.

Common uses

  • Hourly employees checking a single day's timesheet before submitting it
  • Shift supervisors estimating labor cost for a scheduled shift
  • Verifying whether a long shift crosses into overtime pay
  • Freelancers or contractors billing by the hour with a break deducted

Precision note

If the clock-out time is earlier than or equal to the clock-in time, this calculator assumes the shift crosses midnight and adds 24 hours (for example, 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM is treated as 8 hours, minus any break). Also note that overtime rules vary by jurisdiction: US federal law (FLSA) calculates overtime on hours worked over 40 in a week, not on hours in a single shift, while some states (such as California) apply a daily overtime threshold similar to the one modeled here. Check your employer's policy and local labor law for the rule that actually applies to your pay.

Frequently Asked Questions

How is hours worked calculated from clock-in and clock-out times?
Hours worked equals the time from clock-in to clock-out, minus any unpaid break, converted to decimal hours. For example, working 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM (8.5 hours) with a 30-minute unpaid break gives 8.0 hours worked. If the clock-out time is earlier than or equal to the clock-in time, the calculator assumes the shift crosses midnight and adds 24 hours.
How is overtime calculated for an 8-hour shift?
Regular hours are the smaller of hours worked and your standard shift length (8 hours by default). Overtime hours are any time worked beyond that threshold, typically paid at 1.5x (time-and-a-half) or 2x (double time) the regular hourly rate. Note that federal FLSA overtime in the US is based on hours over 40 in a week, not hours over 8 in a single shift — some states (like California) do apply daily overtime after 8 hours, so check your state and employer's actual policy.
What if my shift crosses midnight?
Enter the clock-in time before midnight and the clock-out time after midnight as usual (for example, 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM). Because the clock-out time is numerically earlier than the clock-in time, the calculator automatically adds 24 hours to compute the correct shift duration.

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