How to Calculate a Weekly Timesheet
To calculate a weekly timesheet, work out each day's paid hours — clock-out minus clock-in, minus any unpaid break — then add the days together in H:MM. Sum the minutes, carry one hour for every 60, and add the hours. A typical week of 8:00, 7:45, 8:00, 8:00 and 5:00 totals 36:45 (36.75 hours).
The five steps in order
Every weekly timesheet comes down to the same routine: figure out each day, then add the days up. Do it day by day so a single overnight shift or forgotten break doesn't throw off the whole week.
- Write down each day's start and end. Record the clock-in and clock-out in
H:MM, e.g. Monday 9:00 to 17:30. - Handle overnight shifts. If the end time is earlier than the start, the shift crossed midnight — add 24 hours to the end before subtracting.
- Subtract unpaid breaks. Take the gross shift length and remove any unpaid lunch or break.
- Total each day. Note the net paid hours for the day.
- Add up the week. Sum the minutes, carry every 60, then sum the hours for the weekly total.
How do I total each day?
A day's paid time is clock-out − clock-in − unpaid break. Subtract times the same way you add them: line up hours and minutes, and borrow across the hour when the minutes don't reach. For example, 17:30 − 9:00 is a clean 8:30, and 8:30 − 0:30 unpaid lunch leaves 8:00 of paid time.
When the minutes are short, borrow one hour (60 minutes). To take 45 minutes off an 8:30 shift: 8:30 becomes 7 hours and 90 minutes, then 90 − 45 = 45, giving 7:45. If borrowing across the hour trips you up, our companion guide on adding hours and minutes walks through the carry in the other direction.
How do I count a shift that crosses midnight?
Overnight shifts break naive subtraction because the clock-out looks smaller than the clock-in. The fix: if the end time is earlier than the start, add 24 hours to the end, then subtract.
Take a 22:00 → 06:30 shift. Because 06:30 is earlier than 22:00, add 24 hours: 06:30 + 24:00 = 30:30. Now subtract: 30:30 − 22:00 = 8:30. Sanity-check by splitting at midnight — 22:00 to 24:00 is 2:00, and midnight to 06:30 is 6:30, and 2:00 + 6:30 = 8:30. Then take off the 30-minute unpaid break to get 8:00 paid. There's no 24-hour cap to worry about; you're just measuring elapsed time.
A full worked example
Here's a realistic week with a mix of breaks and one overnight shift. Each row shows the gross shift, the unpaid break, and the net paid hours.
| Day | In → Out | Gross | Unpaid break | Paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 9:00 → 17:30 | 8:30 | 0:30 | 8:00 |
| Tue | 8:45 → 17:15 | 8:30 | 0:45 | 7:45 |
| Wed | 9:00 → 18:00 | 9:00 | 1:00 | 8:00 |
| Thu | 22:00 → 06:30 | 8:30 | 0:30 | 8:00 |
| Fri | 9:00 → 14:00 | 5:00 | 0:00 | 5:00 |
| Week | — | — | — | 36:45 |
Now add the paid column. Sum the minutes first: 0 + 45 + 0 + 0 + 0 = 45 minutes — under 60, so nothing carries. Then the hours: 8 + 7 + 8 + 8 + 5 = 36. The week is 36:45 — 36 hours and 45 minutes.
Double-check it in decimal: 8 + 7.75 + 8 + 8 + 5 = 36.75 hours, and 0.75 × 60 = 45 minutes, so 36.75 hours is 36:45. Both methods agree.
Turning the week into decimal hours and pay
Payroll systems almost always want decimal hours, not H:MM. Convert by dividing the leftover minutes by 60. Here are the values you'll hit most often on a timesheet:
| Minutes | Decimal | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | 0.25 | 8:15 = 8.25 |
| 30 | 0.50 | 1:30 = 1.5 |
| 45 | 0.75 | 36:45 = 36.75 |
| 60 | 1.00 | rolls to the next hour |
So the 36:45 week is 36.75 decimal hours. To find gross pay, multiply by the hourly rate. At $18 an hour: 36.75 × 18 = $661.50. (This is gross pay before taxes and any overtime rules — see the note below.)
A note on overtime
In the United States, non-exempt employees are generally owed overtime — usually time-and-a-half — for hours over 40 in a workweek, but the exact rules depend on your state, your role, and how your employer defines the week. The 36:45 example is under 40, so no overtime applies. If a week runs past 40 hours, total the week the same way, then split it into regular and overtime hours before applying rates. This is general information for the US, not legal or tax advice; check your local rules or your employer's policy.
Skip the weekly math
Hours adds up your days in H:MM, handles overnight shifts and breaks, flips to decimal in one tap, applies your hourly rate, and exports the week to CSV or PDF. Free, offline, no sign-in.
Frequently asked questions
How do I total a weekly timesheet by hand?
Work out each day's paid hours first, then add the days together in H:MM: sum all the minutes, carry one hour for every 60 minutes, and add the hours. Days of 8:00, 7:45, 8:00, 8:00 and 5:00 have 45 total minutes and 36 total hours, giving 36:45.
How do I count a shift that crosses midnight?
If the end time is earlier than the start time, the shift went past midnight. Add 24 hours to the end time, then subtract. A 22:00 to 06:30 shift becomes 30:30 − 22:00 = 8 hours 30 minutes.
Do I subtract lunch breaks from the timesheet?
Subtract any break that is unpaid. Take the gross shift length and remove the unpaid break before totaling — an 8:30 shift with a 30-minute unpaid lunch counts as 8:00 of paid time. Paid breaks stay in the total.