Subtract the unpaid time you actually took
Read the start and finish from your rota or clocking record. Work out the elapsed minutes, then deduct only the breaks that are unpaid. Enter your actual break duration; the calculator does not infer a lunch break from the length of your working day.
Day shift: 09:00 to 17:00
- Eight hours elapsed = 480 minutes.
- With a 30-minute unpaid lunch: 480 − 30 = 450 minutes.
- 450 ÷ 60 = 7.50 decimal hours, or 7 hours 30 minutes.
If the same 30-minute break is paid, do not subtract it: the total stays at 8 hours. Confirm whether a break is paid from your employment arrangement rather than assuming every lunch is unpaid.
Night shift: 22:00 to 06:00 the following day
Count 2 hours to midnight and 6 hours after midnight: 8 hours before breaks. With a 20-minute unpaid break, 480 − 20 = 460 minutes, or 7 hours 40 minutes. The decimal display rounds 460 ÷ 60 to 7.67 hours. The 20 minutes here is an example input, not an automatic legal deduction.
In 12-hour notation, this is 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM. On the UK Work Hours Calculator, an earlier finish means the following day. The tool measures clock times; it does not adjust for a change between GMT and BST. Check elapsed time separately for a shift crossing a clock change.
UK rest breaks: entitlement and pay are separate
GOV.UK explains that adult workers generally have a right to one uninterrupted 20-minute rest break when they work more than six hours in a day. Whether that break is paid depends on the employment contract. This is not a rule to deduct 20 minutes from every long shift.
See GOV.UK: rest breaks at work. Exceptions and different arrangements may apply; GOV.UK also sets out exceptions and different rules for younger workers. This guide calculates time, not your legal eligibility. Check the relevant guidance and your contract if you need to resolve an entitlement.
Sources checked 22 October 2026.
Add the daily results to a weekly timesheet
Five of the day shifts above give 5 × 450 = 2,250 paid minutes: 37 hours 30 minutes, or 37.50 decimal hours. This rota is an example, not a standard that the calculator imposes. If one day has a different break, calculate that day separately before adding the totals.
Use the UK Timesheet Calculator to enter the week, or convert decimal hours to hours and minutes to check a recorded total. Keep exact minutes while adding: displayed decimal values may already be rounded.
Check these details before recording your hours
- Use the correct start day for an overnight shift; the weekly tool assigns all its minutes to that day.
- For a split shift, record each working interval. Do not deduct the gap twice.
- If paid and unpaid breaks are mixed, enter only the unpaid minutes with Paid break unticked.
- A duration of 7:30 means 7 hours 30 minutes; 7.30 decimal hours means 7 hours 18 minutes.
- Optional gross-pay estimates use your rate and overtime settings. They do not assume a statutory overtime premium or calculate take-home pay.