How to convert time to decimal hours
An hour has 60 minutes, so to turn minutes into a fraction of an hour you divide by 60. Add that to the whole hours and you have decimal hours.
Example: 7 hours 45 minutes → 45 ÷ 60 = 0.75 → 7.75 hours.
At $22/hour that's 7.75 × $22 = $170.50. Had you entered 7.45 by mistake, you'd have been paid $163.90 — $6.60 short.
How to convert decimal hours back to hours and minutes
Keep the whole number as hours, then multiply the decimal part by 60 to get minutes.
Example: 8.2 hours → 0.2 × 60 = 12 → 8 hours 12 minutes.
Minutes to decimal hours chart
Use this chart to convert minutes on a timesheet to decimal hours. Values are rounded to two decimal places, which is what most payroll systems use.
| Min | Decimal | Min | Decimal | Min | Decimal | Min | Decimal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.02 | 16 | 0.27 | 31 | 0.52 | 46 | 0.77 |
| 2 | 0.03 | 17 | 0.28 | 32 | 0.53 | 47 | 0.78 |
| 3 | 0.05 | 18 | 0.30 | 33 | 0.55 | 48 | 0.80 |
| 4 | 0.07 | 19 | 0.32 | 34 | 0.57 | 49 | 0.82 |
| 5 | 0.08 | 20 | 0.33 | 35 | 0.58 | 50 | 0.83 |
| 6 | 0.10 | 21 | 0.35 | 36 | 0.60 | 51 | 0.85 |
| 7 | 0.12 | 22 | 0.37 | 37 | 0.62 | 52 | 0.87 |
| 8 | 0.13 | 23 | 0.38 | 38 | 0.63 | 53 | 0.88 |
| 9 | 0.15 | 24 | 0.40 | 39 | 0.65 | 54 | 0.90 |
| 10 | 0.17 | 25 | 0.42 | 40 | 0.67 | 55 | 0.92 |
| 11 | 0.18 | 26 | 0.43 | 41 | 0.68 | 56 | 0.93 |
| 12 | 0.20 | 27 | 0.45 | 42 | 0.70 | 57 | 0.95 |
| 13 | 0.22 | 28 | 0.47 | 43 | 0.72 | 58 | 0.97 |
| 14 | 0.23 | 29 | 0.48 | 44 | 0.73 | 59 | 0.98 |
| 15 | 0.25 | 30 | 0.50 | 45 | 0.75 | 60 | 1.00 |
Tenths and quarter-hour rounding
Many employers and law firms don't track exact minutes. Instead they round to the nearest tenth of an hour (6-minute increments) or quarter hour (15-minute increments).
| Minutes worked | Tenths of an hour | Minutes worked | Quarter hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1–6 | 0.1 | 0–7 | 0.00 |
| 7–12 | 0.2 | 8–22 | 0.25 |
| 13–18 | 0.3 | 23–37 | 0.50 |
| 19–24 | 0.4 | 38–52 | 0.75 |
| 25–30 | 0.5 | 53–60 | 1.00 |
| 31–36 | 0.6 | ||
| 37–42 | 0.7 | ||
| 43–48 | 0.8 | ||
| 49–54 | 0.9 | ||
| 55–60 | 1.0 |
The quarter-hour "7-minute rule" shown above is the rounding practice the U.S. Department of Labor accepts, as long as it averages out over time and doesn't systematically favor the employer. Legal billing typically rounds up to the next tenth.
Converting a full week
If you need to total several shifts with start and end times and breaks, the time card calculator does the whole week at once and adds overtime.
Frequently asked questions
What is 7 hours and 30 minutes in decimal?
7.5 hours (30 ÷ 60 = 0.5).
What is 45 minutes as a decimal?
0.75 hours (45 ÷ 60).
What is 20 minutes in decimal hours?
0.33 hours (20 ÷ 60 = 0.3333…).
How do I convert 8.75 hours to hours and minutes?
Keep the 8 hours, then 0.75 × 60 = 45 minutes, so 8.75 hours = 8 hours 45 minutes.
Why can't I just write 7.30 for 7 hours 30 minutes?
Because 7.30 in decimal means 7 hours and 18 minutes (0.30 × 60). Payroll multiplies decimal hours by your rate, so always convert minutes by dividing by 60.