Quick answer: a timesheet total is (end - start - unpaid break) for each day, added up for the week. 9:00 to 5:30 with a 30-minute break is 8.00 hours; five of those make a 40.00-hour timesheet.
Timesheet or time card?
A time card records clock punches: in, out to lunch, back from lunch, out. A timesheet usually records the start and end of the day and the length of the break, often with the job or project. This calculator is set up the timesheet way, with a break-minutes column; switch Breaks to clock out and in if you punch for lunch.
Which breaks come off the timesheet?
Under federal rules, a meal break of about 30 minutes or more where you are completely off duty can be unpaid and deducted (29 CFR 785.19). Short rest breaks of 5 to 20 minutes are work time and must not be deducted (29 CFR 785.18). If you eat at your desk while answering calls, that time counts as work.
Totals payroll wants
Payroll systems take decimal hours: 38 hours 45 minutes is entered as 38.75. The calculator shows both the hours:minutes total for the timesheet and the decimal total for payroll, plus regular and overtime hours separately, because they are paid at different rates.
Need a blank sheet? Print the weekly timesheet template or the daily timesheet for task-by-task logs.
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.
Billing clients from the same sheet? Track what share of the day was billable with the billable hours calculator. For a single day split by task, print the monthly timesheet or the daily version.
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 785.18; 29 CFR 785.19; 29 CFR 516.2. Rules checked . Found a problem? Tell us.
Questions
How do I fill out a timesheet?
Write the date, your start time, end time and unpaid break for each day, then the hours for the day. Total the week, split into regular and overtime hours, sign it and hand it to your supervisor to approve.
Should rest breaks be subtracted on a timesheet?
No. Rest breaks of 5 to 20 minutes are paid work time under federal rules. Only a real meal break, usually 30 minutes or more with no work, is deducted.
How do I total a timesheet in decimal hours?
Add the hours and minutes for the week, then divide the minutes by 60. 37 hours 30 minutes is 37.5 hours; 41 hours 20 minutes is 41.33 hours.