Start with actual shift times, then enter unpaid minutes
A roster might show 7:00 AM to 3:30 PM, but check when you actually started and finished before filling in a timesheet. That example span is 8 hours 30 minutes, or 510 minutes. If you took a 30-minute unpaid meal break, 510 − 30 = 480 paid minutes: 8 hours / 8.00 decimal hours.
Enter those actual times in the Australian Work Hours Calculator. New Australian entries start at zero break minutes. There is no automatic statutory meal-break deduction. The 30 minutes in this example is an input, not an entitlement rule.
A paid tea break is different from an unpaid meal break
Suppose the same shift includes a 15-minute paid tea break as well as the unpaid meal break. The paid interval is already inside the shift span. Enter only the 30 unpaid minutes; subtracting 45 would remove paid time as well.
| What happened | Calculator entry | Paid time |
|---|---|---|
| 30-minute unpaid meal break | 30 minutes, Paid break unticked | 8h 00m / 8.00 hours |
| That meal break plus a 15-minute paid tea break | Still only 30 unpaid minutes | 8h 00m / 8.00 hours |
| The entire 30-minute meal break is paid | 0 unpaid minutes, or 30 with Paid break ticked | 8h 30m / 8.50 hours |
The Paid break checkbox applies to the whole break amount entered for that shift. For mixed paid and unpaid intervals, leave it unticked and enter only the unpaid total. Confirm each interval’s paid status under the arrangement that applies to your work.
Check the applicable award or agreement separately
The Fair Work Ombudsman’s breaks guidance explains that awards, enterprise agreements and other registered agreements set meal- and rest-break rules, including timing, length and payment. Check the applicable award, enterprise agreement or other employment arrangements; do not assume one break pattern covers every job.
Fair Work’s hours, breaks and rosters guidance also explains ordinary hours and overtime. Overtime can depend on more than a weekly total. A single chosen threshold does not interpret those provisions or establish pay compliance.
Use this tool to check time arithmetic. Resolve entitlement and payment questions against the applicable provisions or seek appropriate help; the result does not certify a roster, missed break or wage rate.
Official sources checked 22 October 2026.
Split shifts: leave the gap outside both entries
For a split roster of 7:00 AM–11:00 AM and 3:00 PM–7:00 PM, enter two shifts on the same date. Four hours plus four hours gives 8 hours before unpaid breaks within either working interval. Do not also subtract the four-hour gap as lunch. This checks recorded time, not split-shift allowances or entitlement to that roster.
Overnight example: 9:30 PM to 6:00 AM
Count 150 minutes before midnight and 360 after midnight: 510 minutes. Less a 45-minute unpaid break, that is 465 minutes, or 7 hours 45 minutes / 7.75 decimal hours. The equivalent 24-hour entries are 21:30 to 06:00. An earlier finish means the next day.
On the weekly sheet, the whole shift is assigned to its start date. Check that convention if your payroll period ends at midnight. The calculator has no time-zone or daylight-saving adjustment; check actual elapsed time separately when the clock changes during a shift.
Check a varied weekly roster before estimating pay
Three shifts like the first example give 24 paid hours. Thursday 10:00 AM–6:00 PM less 30 unpaid minutes adds 7 hours 30 minutes. Friday 7:00 AM–12:00 PM with no unpaid break adds 5 hours. The week totals 2,190 minutes / 36 hours 30 minutes / 36.50 decimal hours. These are example entries, not a standard working week or a statement about when a break must be provided.
Use the Australian Timesheet Calculator to date each shift and inspect the daily breakdown. Compare actual entries with the roster for missed, shortened or extra shifts. A blank day contributes zero, rather than an assumed day of work or paid leave.
At a chosen flat rate of AUD 32 per hour with no overtime adjustment, 36.50 × 32 = AUD 1,168.00 gross. This example excludes tax, superannuation, allowances, penalty rates and casual loading. The optional threshold and multiplier are mathematical settings, not an award interpreter or a calculation of all amounts owed.
If a timesheet or payslip already shows a decimal duration, the Australian decimal-hours converter reads it as hours and minutes. For example, 7.60 means 7 hours 36 minutes; decimal digits are fractions of an hour, not minutes. Keep exact minutes until the final total rather than rounding every entry.