Practical guide · ShiftHours
Overnight Shift Hours: Calculating Past Midnight
When a shift ends after midnight, the clock-out time may look earlier than the clock-in time. Treat the clock-out as occurring on the following day, then subtract any unpaid break.
The add-24-hours method
Convert times to minutes after midnight. If the end time is earlier than the start time, add 1,440 minutes (24 hours) to the end time before subtracting the start time.
22:00 to 06:00 next day is 8 hours gross. With a 30-minute unpaid break, net time is 7 hours 30 minutes, or 7.50 decimal hours.
Worked examples
| Shift | Unpaid break | Net time | Decimal hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10:00 PM–6:00 AM | 0 min | 8h 00m | 8.00 |
| 10:00 PM–6:00 AM | 30 min | 7h 30m | 7.50 |
| 11:30 PM–7:15 AM | 15 min | 7h 30m | 7.50 |
Which workday should receive the hours?
That depends on your employer's timekeeping and payroll policy. The calculator estimates duration only; it does not decide how hours should be assigned to dates or pay periods.
Daylight-saving changes
On dates when local clocks move forward or backward, elapsed real time may differ from a simple wall-clock subtraction. This calculator does not account for time zones or daylight-saving transitions. Use your employer's official timekeeping records for those cases.