Time Duration Calculator
Work out the hours and minutes between two clock times — including breaks and overnight shifts.
The Time Duration Calculator tells you the elapsed time between two times of day: 9:00 to 17:30 is 8 hours and 30 minutes. Enter a start and end time, optionally deduct an unpaid break, and the tool returns your net duration — the figure that matters for shifts, timesheets, class periods and appointments.
It handles the two situations that trip people up. An overnight shift that starts at 22:00 and ends at 06:00 the next morning is handled with a checkbox — no negative durations, no midnight math. And breaks are subtracted cleanly: clock in at 8:00, clock out at 16:30 with a 30-minute lunch, and the result is 8 hours, exactly what your timesheet should show.
The tool works on times of day (HH:MM, 24-hour). When you need the duration between two full date-times across several days — like a flight from Monday to Wednesday — use the Time Difference Calculator in the same collection.
Duration (net)
8h 0m
30 min break removed
Gross span
8h 30m
start to end without break
In minutes
480
total working minutes
Handy for shifts, class periods or any time window. For full date-and-time differences (across days), use the Time Difference Calculator.
How to use the Time Duration Calculator
- Enter the start time using the time picker (24-hour format).
- Enter the end time.
- Add the length of any unpaid break in minutes (leave at 0 for none).
- Tick 'End is next day' when a shift crosses midnight.
- Read your net duration in hours and minutes, plus the gross span.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate hours between two times?
Convert both times to minutes since midnight, subtract, then convert back: 09:00 is 540 minutes, 17:30 is 1050 minutes, so the difference is 510 minutes = 8 h 30 m. This calculator does exactly that for you, including the overnight case.
How do overnight shifts across midnight work?
Tick the 'End is next day' box. The tool then adds 24 hours to the end time before subtracting: 22:00 to 06:00 with the box ticked is 8 hours, not the nonsensical −16 hours you would get without it.
Should lunch breaks be included in the duration?
For payroll and timesheets, unpaid breaks are excluded from paid time — enter them in the break field and they are deducted from the gross span. Paid on-call breaks should stay at 0 minutes since you are paid for them.
Is this the same as a time difference between dates?
No. This tool compares clock times within one day (or across midnight with the checkbox). The Time Difference Calculator works with full dates and times and returns days, hours, minutes and seconds — use that for multi-day events.
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