Time Card Calculator
Free weekly timesheet calculator with overtime and pay calculations. Perfect for payroll!
Weekly Time Card
| Day | Start Time | End Time | Break (min) | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | - | |||
| Tuesday | - | |||
| Wednesday | - | |||
| Thursday | - | |||
| Friday | - | |||
| Saturday | - | |||
| Sunday | - | |||
| Weekly Total | 0.00 | |||
How the Time Card Calculator Works
Complete your timesheet in minutes
Enter Times
Fill in your start and end times for each day you worked.
Add Breaks
Enter your break time in minutes for each day.
Set Rate
Enter your hourly rate to calculate pay.
Get Results
Click calculate to see hours, overtime, and gross pay.
Full Week View
Enter all 7 days at once for a complete weekly overview.
Overtime Detection
Automatically calculates overtime for hours over 40/week.
Pay Calculation
Calculate gross pay including 1.5x overtime rate.
Print Ready
Print your timesheet for record-keeping or submission.
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Frequently Asked Questions
How to Calculate Weekly Work Hours and Pay: A Complete Guide
A time card — also called a timesheet — is the standard method employees and contractors use to record hours worked across a pay period. Whether you fill one out on paper, in a spreadsheet, or through an online tool like this calculator, the math behind it is the same: tally each day's net hours, sum them for the week, and apply overtime and pay rates. This guide covers the formula, step-by-step instructions, worked examples, and the federal and state rules that affect how your hours translate into pay.
The Weekly Hours Formula
Calculate the net hours for each individual day, then sum all daily totals to get the weekly figure. Overtime is applied to the portion exceeding 40 hours (federal) or 8 hours per day (select states).
In plain terms: for every day you worked, subtract the start time from the end time, subtract any unpaid break time, and write down the daily result. After processing all days, add those daily results together. That final sum is your total weekly hours — the number used to determine regular pay, overtime eligibility, and gross earnings.
Step-by-Step Guide to Filling Out a Weekly Timesheet
Step 1: Record Daily Start and End Times
For each day of the week you worked, enter the time you clocked in and the time you clocked out. Use 24-hour format (e.g., 17:00 instead of 5:00 PM) when possible to avoid AM/PM errors. Leave non-working days blank — the calculator will skip them automatically.
Step 2: Enter Break Durations
For each day, enter the total number of minutes you spent on unpaid breaks. This typically includes meal breaks of 30 minutes or more. Short paid rest periods (under 20 minutes) generally do not need to be deducted under federal guidelines, though your employer's policy may differ.
Step 3: Set Your Hourly Rate
Enter your base hourly rate. The calculator will use this to compute regular pay for the first 40 hours and overtime pay at 1.5× your rate for any hours beyond 40. If you are a salaried non-exempt employee, divide your weekly salary by 40 to determine your effective hourly rate for overtime purposes.
Step 4: Calculate and Review
Click "Calculate Timesheet" to see your daily hours, weekly total, overtime hours, regular pay, overtime pay, and gross pay. Review each day's figure against your own records. If anything looks off, adjust the inputs and recalculate. When satisfied, print or save the results for your records.
Worked Examples
Example 1: Standard 40-Hour Work Week
Scenario: Monday through Friday, 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM each day, with a 30-minute unpaid lunch break daily. Hourly rate: $20.00.
- Daily net hours: 8.00 − 0.50 = 7.50 hours per day
- Weekly total: 7.50 × 5 = 37.50 hours
- Overtime: 0.00 hours (below 40-hour threshold)
- Regular pay: 37.50 × $20.00 = $750.00
- Overtime pay: $0.00
- Gross pay: $750.00
This is the most common full-time schedule in the U.S. Note that a 30-minute daily break reduces the payable total to 37.5 hours, not 40. To hit exactly 40 net hours with 30-minute breaks, shifts would need to run 8.5 gross hours per day (e.g., 8:30 AM to 5:00 PM).
Example 2: Week With Overtime
Scenario: An employee works 9 hours net each day Monday through Friday (45 total hours). Hourly rate: $15.00.
- Weekly total: 9.00 × 5 = 45.00 hours
- Regular hours: 40.00 hours
- Overtime hours: 45.00 − 40.00 = 5.00 hours at 1.5×
- Regular pay: 40.00 × $15.00 = $600.00
- Overtime pay: 5.00 × ($15.00 × 1.5) = 5.00 × $22.50 = $112.50
- Gross pay: $600.00 + $112.50 = $712.50
Those 5 overtime hours earn an extra $7.50 per hour above the base rate, adding $37.50 in overtime premium on top of what the straight-time rate would have paid.
Example 3: Part-Time Schedule With Varying Hours
Scenario: An employee works three days: Monday 8 AM–2 PM (no break), Wednesday 10 AM–4 PM (30-min break), Friday 7 AM–12 PM (no break). Hourly rate: $18.00.
- Monday: 14:00 − 08:00 = 6.00 hours
- Wednesday: (16:00 − 10:00) − 0.50 = 5.50 hours
- Friday: 12:00 − 07:00 = 5.00 hours
- Weekly total: 6.00 + 5.50 + 5.00 = 16.50 hours
- Overtime: 0.00 hours
- Gross pay: 16.50 × $18.00 = $297.00
Part-time schedules rarely trigger overtime, but tracking hours precisely still matters — especially for benefit eligibility thresholds (many employers consider 30+ hours "full-time" for benefits purposes).
Common Weekly Schedule Reference
| Schedule Type | Days | Daily Gross | Daily Break | Weekly Net Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard Full-Time | Mon–Fri | 8.0 hrs | 30 min | 37.50 |
| Full-Time (No Deducted Break) | Mon–Fri | 8.0 hrs | 0 min | 40.00 |
| 4×10 Compressed | Mon–Thu | 10.5 hrs | 30 min | 40.00 |
| 3×12 Shift Work | Varies | 12.0 hrs | 60 min | 33.00 |
| Part-Time (20 hrs) | Mon–Fri | 4.0 hrs | 0 min | 20.00 |
| Part-Time (3 days) | 3 days | 6.0 hrs | 0 min | 18.00 |
| Overtime Week | Mon–Sat | 8.5 hrs | 30 min | 48.00 |
| Retail/Service Split | 5 days | Varies | 30 min | ~32.00 |
FLSA Overtime Rules
The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) is the federal law governing overtime pay in the United States. Its key provisions for non-exempt employees include:
- 40-hour weekly threshold: Overtime at 1.5× the regular rate is required for all hours exceeding 40 in a single workweek (defined as any fixed, recurring 168-hour period).
- No daily overtime at the federal level: The FLSA does not mandate overtime for hours beyond 8 in a single day — that is a state-level provision.
- Regular rate includes more than base pay: Non-discretionary bonuses, shift differentials, and commissions must be factored into the regular rate before calculating the 1.5× multiplier.
- Comp time restrictions: Private-sector employers may not offer compensatory time off in lieu of overtime pay. Only public-sector employers may do so under certain conditions.
- Record-keeping: Employers must maintain accurate records of hours worked and wages paid for at least three years. Employees should keep their own records as well.
State Daily Overtime Rules
States With Daily Overtime Requirements
While federal law only requires weekly overtime, several states mandate additional overtime pay based on daily hours worked:
- California: 1.5× after 8 hours/day and 2× after 12 hours/day. Also requires 1.5× for the first 8 hours on the 7th consecutive workday, and 2× after 8 hours on the 7th day.
- Alaska: 1.5× after 8 hours/day for employers with 4+ employees.
- Nevada: 1.5× after 8 hours/day if the employee earns less than 1.5× the minimum wage.
- Colorado: 1.5× after 12 hours/day or 40 hours/week, whichever results in greater pay.
Always check your state's Department of Labor website for the most current rules. This calculator highlights daily hours exceeding 8 for quick reference, but applying the correct state multiplier is your responsibility.
Payroll Integration
Once you've calculated your weekly hours using this tool, the results can feed directly into your payroll workflow:
- Manual payroll: Print the timesheet and use the weekly totals to calculate paychecks by hand or in a spreadsheet.
- Payroll software: Enter the daily hours into systems like Gusto, ADP, QuickBooks Payroll, or Paychex. Most accept decimal hours (e.g., 7.50) directly.
- Invoicing: Freelancers and contractors can use the weekly total to generate client invoices, multiplying hours by their billing rate.
- Expense tracking: Combine hours data with project codes or cost centers to allocate labor costs across departments or clients.
For accurate payroll, ensure that the decimal hours from this calculator match the format your payroll system expects. Most systems use hundredths of an hour (e.g., 7.50 = 7 hours 30 minutes), which is exactly what our calculator outputs.
Common Timesheet Errors to Avoid
- Leaving break fields empty instead of zero: If you worked through lunch, enter 0 in the break field — don't leave it blank, which some systems may interpret differently.
- Swapping AM and PM: Entering 9 PM instead of 9 AM will produce wildly incorrect results. Use 24-hour time to prevent this.
- Forgetting to include all worked days: Weekend shifts, holiday work, and on-call hours that turn into active work all count toward your weekly total.
- Not accounting for overnight shifts: A shift from 11 PM to 7 AM crosses midnight. If your timesheet only tracks times without dates, ensure the calculator handles the day boundary correctly.
- Double-counting paid breaks: If your employer pays you during 15-minute rest breaks, do not enter those as break time to deduct — only deduct unpaid breaks.
- Using the wrong overtime threshold: Federal overtime is 40 hours/week, but your state or employment contract may set a lower threshold. Verify before disputing pay.
- Rounding errors: Rounding each day's hours before summing can accumulate significant discrepancies over a week. Round only the final total, or not at all.
Tips for Employers
- Establish a clear timekeeping policy. Define rounding rules, break expectations, and the deadline for submitting timesheets. Put it in writing and distribute it to all employees.
- Audit timesheets regularly. Spot-check submitted hours against schedules, badge data, or project management logs to catch errors or fraud early.
- Train managers on overtime rules. Supervisors who approve timesheets should understand both federal and state overtime laws to avoid costly compliance violations.
- Retain records for at least three years. The FLSA requires employers to keep payroll records for three years and time cards for two years. Many attorneys recommend keeping all records for at least three years.
- Consider digital time tracking. Online tools, biometric clocks, and mobile apps reduce manual entry errors and provide audit-ready records automatically.
Tips for Employees
- Record times in real time. Note your start, break, and end times as they happen rather than reconstructing them from memory at the end of the week.
- Keep personal copies. Save or photograph your timesheet before submitting it. If a dispute arises, your independent records carry weight with labor agencies.
- Verify every paycheck. Compare the hours on your pay stub against your personal log each pay period. Report discrepancies to HR or payroll immediately.
- Know your classification. Understand whether you are exempt or non-exempt. Exempt employees are not entitled to overtime — but misclassification is common and worth verifying with an employment attorney if in doubt.
- Report all hours worked. Off-the-clock work — answering emails, attending mandatory meetings, or setting up before a shift — must be compensated. Track and report it.
- Understand your state's rules. Some states mandate daily overtime, required meal and rest breaks, or reporting-time pay. Check your state's Department of Labor website for specifics.