Our free shift calculator helps you quickly compute total working hours, overtime pay, and earnings. Just enter your start time, end time, and break duration to get instant, accurate results perfect for employees, freelancers, and HR managers.
Our basic shift calculator makes it easy to calculate the total hours you work in a single shift, including overtime and breaks. Simply enter your start and end times, add your break duration, and input your hourly rate to instantly see your total pay, including overtime and tax estimates. Perfect for hourly employees, freelancers, or anyone tracking work hours for payroll.
Results update automatically as you type.
The advanced shift calculator lets you track multiple shifts over days, weeks, or months with detailed analytics. Add each shift’s start and end times, breaks, and hourly rates to calculate total work hours, overtime, and net earnings. View comprehensive summaries, average pay per shift, and projected weekly or monthly income. Perfect for employees, freelancers, and employers managing payroll efficiently.
Track weekly and monthly hours with our advanced shift tracker and payroll calculator.
Calculate exact work hours including overnight shifts
Automatic overtime calculation at 1.5x rate
Track unlimited shifts with detailed analytics
Download your shift data for payroll
Night, weekend, and holiday pay rates
Works perfectly on all devices
Your data stays on your device, never stored
Instant calculations with no loading time
Our basic shift calculator helps you quickly calculate work hours, breaks, and earnings for a single shift:
Track multiple shifts over time with comprehensive analytics:
Our shift calculator automatically calculates overtime pay for hours worked beyond 8 hours per shift. Overtime hours are paid at 1.5 times your regular hourly rate. For example:
A shift differential is extra pay added on top of your base hourly rate for working less desirable hours such as evenings, nights, weekends, or public holidays. Depending on where you work it may also be called a shift allowance, shift loading, or shift premium. Use the shift type selector in the calculator above to apply a differential automatically and see the impact on your gross and net pay instantly.
There are two common ways employers calculate a shift differential:
This calculator uses percentage differentials through the Shift Type menu, so you can model real payroll scenarios without doing the math by hand:
Suppose you work an 8-hour night shift at a $20.00/hr base rate with a 30-minute unpaid break and a 50% night differential (Night 1.5x):
Differentials apply to both regular and overtime hours, so if the same night shift ran 10 hours, the overtime hours (over 8) would be paid at 1.5× the base rate and then uplifted by the night differential as well.
Night shift differential is the most common type, typically 10–15% in retail and up to 50% or more in healthcare and manufacturing. Weekend differentials reward Saturday and Sunday coverage, while holiday differentials (often double time) apply to recognized public holidays. Enter your real base rate and pick the matching shift type to see exactly how much each differential adds to your take-home pay.
Not sure how long your shift actually is or how much of it is paid? Enter your start and end time in the calculator above and the answer appears instantly — no hourly rate required. Here is how the most common shift lengths break down once an unpaid break is removed.
An 8 hour shift is 8 hours of clock time, for example 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM. With a standard 30-minute unpaid lunch break you are paid for 7.5 hours. A full 1-hour break leaves 7 paid hours. Eight-hour shifts rarely trigger overtime, since overtime in this calculator starts after 8 worked hours.
A 10 hour shift is 10 hours of clock time, such as 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM. After a 30-minute break you are paid for 9.5 hours, of which 1.5 hours fall into overtime (anything over 8 worked hours is paid at 1.5×). Four-day weeks built on 10-hour shifts are popular in warehousing and manufacturing.
A 12 hour shift is 12 hours of clock time, for example 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM or an overnight 7:00 PM to 7:00 AM. After a 30-minute break you are paid for 11.5 hours, with 3.5 of those hours at the overtime rate. Twelve-hour shifts are standard for nurses, security, and emergency services, and pair well with the Night or Weekend differential.
Common start/end times and how many hours they run before breaks (the calculator handles overnight shifts that cross midnight automatically):
For any combination not listed here, just type your exact start and end time into the shift calculator above to get the precise hours, overtime, and pay in a single step.
Overtime isn't calculated the same way everywhere, and knowing your rule changes what you should actually be paid. There are two common frameworks, and some workplaces apply both at once.
Under the U.S. federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA), non-exempt employees earn overtime for hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek, paid at no less than 1.5× the regular rate. There is no federal requirement for daily overtime, so under federal rules alone, four 10-hour days (40 hours) trigger no overtime.
Some states go further. California, for example, requires overtime after 8 hours in a single day, and double time after 12 hours in a day. Under a daily rule, those same four 10-hour days produce 8 hours of overtime even though the week totals only 40. Alaska, Nevada and Colorado also have daily-overtime provisions, each with their own thresholds.
The same hours can be worth very different pay depending on which rule applies. If you work compressed schedules, long shifts, or in a state with daily overtime, it's worth confirming whether your employer calculates overtime daily, weekly, or both — and always taking the rule that pays you more where the law requires it. The calculator above applies overtime after 8 worked hours per shift; if your workplace uses a weekly 40-hour rule instead, total your shifts for the week and compare against 40 to find your overtime hours. For a deeper walkthrough, see our guide on how to calculate overtime pay.
Overtime in most places is paid at 1.5× your regular hourly rate ("time and a half"). Use this quick reference to see your overtime rate and what a few overtime hours are worth, without doing the math by hand. For a precise figure including breaks, tax and shift differentials, use the calculator at the top of the page.
| Regular rate | Overtime rate (1.5×) | 2 OT hours | 5 OT hours | 10 OT hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $12.00 | $18.00 | $36.00 | $90.00 | $180.00 |
| $15.00 | $22.50 | $45.00 | $112.50 | $225.00 |
| $18.00 | $27.00 | $54.00 | $135.00 | $270.00 |
| $20.00 | $30.00 | $60.00 | $150.00 | $300.00 |
| $25.00 | $37.50 | $75.00 | $187.50 | $375.00 |
| $30.00 | $45.00 | $90.00 | $225.00 | $450.00 |
| $35.00 | $52.50 | $105.00 | $262.50 | $525.00 |
Note: some states require double time (2×) beyond a daily threshold — for example, California pays 2× for hours past 12 in a single day. The table above shows standard time-and-a-half only.
A shift isn't all paid time. The clock hours you're present get split into paid regular hours, an unpaid break, and — once you pass the daily threshold — overtime. This diagram shows how a 10-hour clock shift (7:00 AM–5:00 PM) with a 30-minute unpaid lunch actually breaks down.
This is exactly how the calculator at the top treats your shift: it subtracts the unpaid break first, then counts anything over 8 worked hours as overtime. Change the numbers above and the breakdown updates instantly.
Here's a complete, realistic week for an hourly worker earning $18.00/hour, with a 30-minute unpaid break each day and overtime after 8 worked hours per day. Follow the steps, then see the totals.
| Day | Shift | Clock h | Paid h | Regular | OT | Day pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM | 8.0 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 0.0 | $135.00 |
| Tue | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM | 8.0 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 0.0 | $135.00 |
| Wed | 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM | 9.0 | 8.5 | 8.0 | 0.5 | $157.50 |
| Thu | 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM | 8.0 | 7.5 | 7.5 | 0.0 | $135.00 |
| Fri | 9:00 AM – 5:30 PM | 8.5 | 8.0 | 8.0 | 0.0 | $144.00 |
| Sat | Off | — | — | — | — | $0.00 |
| Sun | Off | — | — | — | — | $0.00 |
| Total | 5 shifts | 41.5 | 39.0 | 38.5 | 0.5 | $706.50 |
Each day's overtime is calculated on that day's worked hours (the daily rule). Under a weekly 40-hour rule instead, this same week — 39.0 paid hours — would have no overtime at all, showing again why the rule that applies to you matters.
The same 7.5 paid hours at a $20.00/hour base rate are worth very different amounts once a shift differential is applied. This chart compares the gross pay for one shift across each differential the calculator supports.
Whether a break is paid changes your worked hours. There's no single federal rule for meal breaks in the U.S., but these are the common conventions the calculator follows when you enter break minutes:
| Break type | Typical length | Usually paid? | Counts as worked time? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Short rest break | 5–20 min | Usually paid | Yes |
| Meal / lunch break | 30–60 min | Usually unpaid | No |
| On-call / interrupted break | Varies | Often paid | Often yes |
| Off-duty / left premises | 30+ min | Unpaid | No |
Enter only your unpaid break minutes in the calculator — paid breaks already count as worked time. Rules vary by state and employer, so confirm your specific policy.
A shift calculator is a free online tool that helps workers and employers calculate work hours, overtime, breaks, and earnings. It's perfect for hourly workers, shift workers, and payroll management. Our calculator handles everything from simple time tracking to complex overtime calculations with tax deductions.
To calculate shift hours, simply enter your start time, end time, and break duration. Our shift calculator will automatically compute your total hours, working hours, and break time. The calculator also handles overnight shifts that cross midnight.
Overtime is calculated for any hours worked beyond 8 hours in a single shift. Overtime hours are paid at 1.5 times your regular hourly rate. For example, if your hourly rate is $15 and you work 10 hours, you'll earn: (8 hours × $15) + (2 hours × $22.50) = $165.
Shift multipliers are additional pay rates for working during specific times or days. Our calculator includes: Regular (1x), Evening (1.25x), Night (1.5x), Weekend (1.5x), and Holiday (2x). These multipliers apply to your entire shift including overtime hours.
Yes! Our advanced shift calculator allows you to add and track unlimited shifts. You can name each shift, view comprehensive statistics, and export all your data to Excel for payroll or record-keeping.
Yes, our shift calculator is completely free to use. There are no hidden fees, subscriptions, or limitations. You can calculate unlimited shifts and export your data at no cost.
Absolutely! Our shift calculator is fully responsive and optimized for mobile devices. You can calculate your shifts on any smartphone or tablet with ease.
Our shift calculator uses precise algorithms to calculate hours, overtime, and earnings. All calculations follow standard payroll practices. However, for official payroll purposes, always verify with your employer's specific policies.
Shift differential pay (also called shift allowance or shift loading) is a premium added for working evenings, nights, weekends or holidays. Calculate it as base hourly rate × differential. A 15% differential on $20/hr adds $3/hr. In this calculator, choose a shift type: Evening applies a 25% differential (1.25x), Night and Weekend apply 50% (1.5x), and Holiday applies 100% (2x). The premium applies to regular and overtime hours.
An 8-hour shift is 8 hours of clock time, e.g. 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM, minus any unpaid break (a 30-minute break leaves 7.5 paid hours). A 10-hour shift is 10 hours clock time such as 7:00 AM to 5:00 PM, and a 12-hour shift is 12 hours such as 7:00 AM to 7:00 PM. Enter your exact start and end time and break, and the calculator shows worked hours instantly, including overtime for anything over 8 hours.
Whether you are an hourly employee checking your paycheck, a shift worker juggling rotating schedules, a freelancer converting tracked time into billable hours, or an employer running a quick payroll sense-check, this tool gives you accurate work-hour and pay figures in seconds — free, private, and with nothing to install. For step-by-step guides on overtime, payroll hours, shift differentials and pay cycles, browse the blog.