This calculator helps you quickly determine the total work hours and gross pay for a single shift, taking into account unpaid breaks. It's an essential tool for employees tracking their time, freelancers billing clients, or small business owners managing payroll.
How to Use the Calculator:
Shift Start Time: Enter the time your shift began.
Shift End Time: Enter the time your shift ended.
Unpaid Break Duration (Minutes): Input the total duration of any unpaid breaks taken during the shift, in minutes.
Hourly Pay Rate: Enter your standard hourly wage.
Click "Calculate Payroll" to see your total work hours and gross pay for the shift.
Understanding Your Payroll Hours
Accurately tracking work hours is fundamental for correct payroll processing. Whether you're paid hourly, or need to log hours for project billing, knowing your exact work duration is key. This calculator simplifies the process by handling time differences and subtracting breaks, providing you with a clear decimal representation of your hours worked and the corresponding gross pay.
For example, if you start work at 9:00 AM and finish at 5:30 PM, with a 30-minute unpaid lunch break, the calculator will determine your net work time. It converts these times into a total duration, subtracts the break, and then multiplies the remaining hours by your hourly rate to give you your gross earnings for that shift.
Keep in mind that this calculator provides gross pay for a single shift and does not account for taxes, deductions, overtime rules (beyond a simple hourly rate), or weekly/bi-weekly totals. For comprehensive payroll, always consult official timekeeping records and payroll software.
function calculatePayrollHours() {
var startTimeStr = document.getElementById("shiftStartTime").value;
var endTimeStr = document.getElementById("shiftEndTime").value;
var unpaidBreakMinutes = parseFloat(document.getElementById("unpaidBreakMinutes").value);
var hourlyPayRate = parseFloat(document.getElementById("hourlyPayRate").value);
var resultDiv = document.getElementById("result");
// Input validation
if (!startTimeStr || !endTimeStr) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter both start and end times.";
return;
}
if (isNaN(unpaidBreakMinutes) || unpaidBreakMinutes < 0) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter a valid non-negative number for break duration.";
return;
}
if (isNaN(hourlyPayRate) || hourlyPayRate < 0) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Please enter a valid non-negative number for hourly pay rate.";
return;
}
// Parse times (HH:MM format from type="time" input)
var startParts = startTimeStr.split(':');
var endParts = endTimeStr.split(':');
var startHour = parseInt(startParts[0]);
var startMinute = parseInt(startParts[1]);
var endHour = parseInt(endParts[0]);
var endMinute = parseInt(endParts[1]);
// Convert all times to minutes from midnight
var totalStartMinutes = (startHour * 60) + startMinute;
var totalEndMinutes = (endHour * 60) + endMinute;
// Handle overnight shifts (e.g., 10 PM to 6 AM)
if (totalEndMinutes grossShiftMinutes) {
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Break duration cannot be longer than the total shift duration.";
return;
}
var netWorkMinutes = grossShiftMinutes – unpaidBreakMinutes;
var totalWorkHours = netWorkMinutes / 60;
var grossPay = totalWorkHours * hourlyPayRate;
resultDiv.innerHTML = "Total Work Hours: " + totalWorkHours.toFixed(2) + " hours" +
"Gross Pay for Shift: $" + grossPay.toFixed(2);
}