Hour Counter for Weekly Timesheets
Use an hour counter to turn clock-in, clock-out, and lunch-break entries into weekly payroll hours before overtime or decimal conversion.
Start with each shift, not the week
An hour counter should calculate each shift first: clock out minus clock in, minus unpaid lunch. A 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM shift is 8 hours 30 minutes; after a 30-minute unpaid lunch, it is 8.00 paid hours. The Time Card Calculator does this for a whole week.
Lunch breaks change the overtime line
Five 9-hour spans can look like 45 hours, but with a 1-hour unpaid lunch each day the paid total is 40. That difference matters because federal overtime usually starts after 40 hours in a workweek. Count paid hours, not just time on the premises.
Keep hours and decimals separate
Clock time is not decimal time. 7:45 means 7 hours and 45 minutes, which is 7.75 decimal hours. If you add 7.45 in payroll, you undercount the shift by 18 minutes. Use the Decimal Hours Calculator after the time is counted.
When to use a simpler tool
If you already have daily totals, the Add Time Calculator is faster. If you only have one start and end time, use the Hours Calculator. Use the weekly time card when you need overtime, lunch breaks, and a printable payroll-style result in one place.
Frequently asked questions
An hour counter totals work time from clock entries or daily time blocks. For payroll, it should subtract unpaid breaks and show the weekly total before overtime is calculated.
Calculate each shift, subtract unpaid lunch, then add the paid hours for the week. After that, check whether the total is over 40 hours for federal overtime.
Only if it is an unpaid meal period and the worker is fully relieved from duty. Paid rest breaks and working lunches stay in hours worked.
Payroll often uses decimal hours because decimals multiply cleanly by hourly rates. 7 hours 45 minutes becomes 7.75 hours.