This time duration calculator finds the elapsed time between two clock times — in hours and minutes, total minutes, and decimal hours for timesheets — with an overnight option for shifts that cross midnight.

–

Elapsed Time Without the Mental Borrowing

Clock arithmetic’s cousins: our Hours Calculator totals worked hours across days, and the Overtime Calculator prices them. Part of our Everyday Life Calculators collection.

Worked Example (Verified)

  • 9:47 AM → 6:23 PM (defaults): 8 h 36 min = 516 minutes = 8.60 decimal hours — the borrow-across-noon subtraction (18:23 − 9:47) that eats a minute of everyone’s life weekly
  • Overnight: 10:30 PM → 6:15 AM ticks the box → 7 h 45 min; without it you’d get a negative duration and a confused timesheet
  • Decimal traps: 8.60 hours is NOT 8 hours 60 minutes — decimal .60 = 36 min; timesheets live in decimals, humans in sixties, this tool speaks both

Duration Discipline

  • Rounding rules for payroll are policy (nearest 6 min / quarter hour in many workplaces) — know yours before rounding in your own favor systematically.
  • Flight and event math deserves the same care with time zones — durations are zone-proof only when both ends share a zone.
  • Lunch subtraction belongs in the calc, not in memory at month’s end: the break field exists for it.

Related Tools

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you calculate the duration between two times?

Convert both times to minutes since midnight, subtract, and convert back: 18:23 (1,103 min) − 9:47 (587 min) = 516 min = 8 h 36 min. This calculator handles the borrowing, overnight roll-over and break subtraction automatically, and reports decimal hours for payroll.

What is 8.6 hours in hours and minutes?

8 hours and 0.6×60 = 36 minutes: 8 h 36 min. Decimal hours multiply the fractional part by 60 to get minutes — the reverse trip divides minutes by 60 (36 min = 0.60 h). Confusing 8.6 with “8:60” is the classic timesheet typo.

How do overnight shifts calculate?

Add 24 hours (1,440 minutes) to the end time when it falls after midnight: 22:30 → 06:15 becomes 7 h 45 min. The overnight checkbox (or an end earlier than the start) applies the roll here.

Should breaks be subtracted?

Unpaid breaks, yes — that’s what most wage rules count as hours worked, and what your timesheet should show. Enter the break in minutes and the duration net of it is what payroll sees; paid rest breaks usually stay in, per policy and jurisdiction.

How do I total a week’s durations?

Add the decimal hours from each day (decimals exist precisely so they sum cleanly): 8.60 × 5 = 43.0 h. Our Hours Calculator is built for the multi-day version of this job.

Is this time duration calculator free?

Yes — free, instant, no sign-up.