Pay Hour Calculator
This pay hour calculator turns an hourly rate and a work schedule into gross pay. It removes unpaid breaks, handles overnight shifts, and splits regular pay from overtime. Every result is an estimate of pay before taxes and deductions.
How the calculator works
The tool starts with a single shift. It subtracts your start time from your end time and then removes the unpaid break. When the end time falls before the start time, it adds 24 hours. That is why a 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM shift counts as 8 hours.
Next, it scales up to the week. Paid hours per shift times days worked gives your base hours, and extra hours go on top. Hours up to your overtime limit earn your normal rate. Anything past the limit earns your rate times the overtime multiplier.
The formulas are:
- Paid hours per shift = (end time − start time) − unpaid break
- Weekly hours = paid hours per shift × days worked + extra hours
- Gross weekly pay = regular hours × rate + overtime hours × rate × multiplier
- Monthly pay = weekly pay × 52 ÷ 12
- Yearly pay = weekly pay × 52
I count time in whole minutes and round money to the nearest cent. That keeps the regular and overtime lines in step with the total.
How to calculate hourly pay by hand
You can check any result with a pencil and paper. Follow this order.
- Subtract the start time from the end time. A 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM shift lasts 8 hours and 30 minutes.
- Remove unpaid breaks. A 30-minute lunch leaves 8 paid hours.
- Turn leftover minutes into decimals by dividing them by 60. For example, 45 minutes becomes 0.75 hour.
- Multiply paid hours by your rate. At $18 an hour, 8 hours pays $144.
- Add up the week, then apply overtime to any hours past your limit.
This table covers the minutes you will use most.
| Minutes | Decimal hours |
|---|---|
| 5 | 0.08 |
| 10 | 0.17 |
| 15 | 0.25 |
| 20 | 0.33 |
| 30 | 0.50 |
| 45 | 0.75 |
Worked examples
These four schedules show how the numbers move. Type any of them into the calculator above to confirm the result.
| Scenario | Rate | Shift | Break | Days | Hours / week | Gross / week |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part-time cashier | $16.50 | 10:00 AM – 3:00 PM | None | 5 | 25.00 | $412.50 |
| Retail associate | $18.00 | 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM | 30 min | 5 | 40.00 | $720.00 |
| Night security guard | $21.00 | 10:00 PM – 6:00 AM | 30 min | 4 | 30.00 | $630.00 |
| Warehouse worker | $22.00 | 8:00 AM – 6:30 PM | 30 min | 5 | 50.00 | $1,210.00 |
The night guard row shows why overnight logic matters. The shift starts at 10 PM and ends at 6 AM, so the paid time is 7.5 hours instead of a negative number. The warehouse row shows overtime at work. Ten paid hours a day across five days makes 50 hours. The first 40 earn $880. The last 10 earn $33 each, which adds $330 and brings the week to $1,210.
Overtime rules in the US and abroad
US federal law sets the baseline. The Fair Labor Standards Act requires time and a half for hours over 40 in a workweek. It covers most hourly workers, whom the law calls nonexempt.
Your regular rate can run higher than your base wage. Non-discretionary bonuses and shift differentials often count toward it. That raises what each overtime hour pays.
Some states go further. California requires overtime after 8 hours in a day and double time after 12. Alaska also uses an 8-hour daily threshold for most workers. Salaried managers and professionals may be exempt, but they must pass salary and job-duty tests. A job title alone does not decide it.
Other countries use different systems. Ontario starts overtime after 44 hours a week, while federally regulated Canadian employers use 40. The UK has no set overtime multiplier, and its Working Time Regulations cap the average week at 48 hours unless you opt out. Australia sets overtime through awards and agreements built on a 38-hour standard week.
You can model most of these rules here. Enter 2 in the multiplier field for double time. For a daily rule, set days worked to 1 and the overtime limit to your daily hours. Then multiply the result by the days you work.
Paid breaks, unpaid breaks, and rounding
The break field takes unpaid time only. Under US federal guidance, rest breaks of 5 to 20 minutes count as paid work time. A meal period of at least 30 minutes can be unpaid when you are fully relieved of duty. Enter the meal period and skip the short rest breaks.
Some employers round punch times to the nearest quarter hour. Federal rules allow this only when the rounding averages out over time. Even so, your pay stub may differ slightly from this estimate.
Gross pay and take-home pay
Gross pay is the number before anything leaves your check. Payroll taxes come out first. Social Security takes 6.2% of your wages and Medicare takes 1.45%, which totals 7.65%. On an $800 week, that is $61.20 before any income tax.
Federal income tax depends on your Form W-4, your filing status, and your other income. State and local taxes vary by place. Benefits such as health insurance cut the check further. That is why the calculator stops at gross pay. For a closer take-home figure, try the IRS Tax Withholding Estimator.
Turning an hourly wage into a yearly salary
A full-time year has 2,080 hours, which is 40 hours times 52 weeks. This table applies that schedule to six common rates.
| Hourly rate | Weekly | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|---|
| $15.00 | $600.00 | $2,600.00 | $31,200.00 |
| $20.00 | $800.00 | $3,466.67 | $41,600.00 |
| $25.00 | $1,000.00 | $4,333.33 | $52,000.00 |
| $30.00 | $1,200.00 | $5,200.00 | $62,400.00 |
| $40.00 | $1,600.00 | $6,933.33 | $83,200.00 |
| $50.00 | $2,000.00 | $8,666.67 | $104,000.00 |
For context, the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour comes to $15,080 a year on the same schedule. Thirty states and Washington, D.C. set a higher minimum.
Mistakes that skew your estimate
- Typing 7.30 for 7 hours and 30 minutes. The decimal form is 7.5.
- Entering the break once per week. The break comes off every shift.
- Multiplying weekly pay by 4 to get monthly pay. A year has 52 weeks, not 48, so that shortcut hides $3,200 a year on an $800 week.
Sources I used
I wrote this page from official sources and checked every number myself. Rules change, so confirm them before you act on them.
- U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet 23 on overtime pay
- U.S. Department of Labor, Fact Sheet 22 on hours worked
- U.S. Department of Labor, state minimum wage laws
- IRS Tax Withholding Estimator
This page was last reviewed on November 6, 2026. You can read how I research and update pages in my editorial policy.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use the calculator for a salaried job?
Yes. Divide your yearly salary by 2,080 to get an hourly rate, then enter that rate. A $62,400 salary works out to $30 an hour.
How do I handle two different shifts in one day?
Enter the longer shift in the shift fields. Then add the weekly total of the other hours to the extra hours field.
What if my pay rate changed during the week?
Run the calculator once for each rate. Add the weekly totals together.
Does the tool convert currencies?
No. It formats your result in the currency you pick and does no exchange-rate math. Enter your rate in that same currency.
Does PayHour save what I enter?
No. The numbers stay in your browser, and reloading the page clears the form.
Can I calculate pay for a part of a week?
Yes. Set days worked to the days you actually worked. The overtime limit still applies to your total weekly hours.
Did I miss your question? Write to me and I will look into it. Read about PayHour to learn more about the site.