Quick answer: a time clock total is the time between each in punch and the next out punch, added up. Punches at 6:58 AM, 11:30 AM, 12:00 PM and 3:31 PM make 4:32 + 3:31 = 8:03, or 8:00 if your clock rounds to the quarter hour.
Check your punches against your pay
Enter the punch times exactly as your time clock or app shows them, then choose the same rounding your employer uses. If the calculator's total is higher than the hours on your pay stub, look at rounding and automatic lunch deductions first; those are the usual causes.
Rounding rules for time clocks
Federal rules allow rounding punches to the nearest 5 minutes, tenth of an hour or quarter hour, as long as it evens out over time (29 CFR 785.48). With quarter-hour rounding, 8:07 counts as 8:00 and 8:08 counts as 8:15. See every minute in the time clock rounding chart.
Early punches and missed punches
Time you are allowed to work counts as hours worked even if nobody asked you to (29 CFR 785.11). Clocking in early to chat or wait is different from starting work early. For a missed punch, enter the time you actually started or stopped and tell your supervisor, who has to record the correct time.
Keep one card per employee or job, send a card as a link, set custom overtime rules and handle split shifts: see everything the time card does.
Lunch punches confusing the total? The lunch break calculator shows hours worked around a meal and when to clock out.
Overnight shifts on the two nights a year when clocks change are an hour shorter (March) or longer (November) than the clock times suggest; federal rules pay the hours actually worked, so adjust that one shift by hand.
Sources: 29 CFR 785.48; 29 CFR 785.11. Rules checked . Found a problem? Tell us.
Questions
How do I calculate hours from time clock punches?
Pair the punches: in with the next out. Subtract each pair and add the results. Lunch is the gap between the first out and the second in, and is not counted.
Does my employer round my time clock punches?
Many do, to 5, 6 or 15 minutes. Rounding is allowed only if it is neutral over time and does not always favor the employer. Check your handbook or ask payroll.
Why does my paycheck show fewer hours than my punches?
The usual reasons are rounding, an automatic 30-minute meal deduction on days you worked through lunch, or a missed punch. Compare day by day with this calculator.