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Hours and Minutes Calculator (Time Addition)
Type one duration per line and this hours and minutes calculator adds them up. The total shows as h:mm and as decimal hours for payroll. A line that starts with a minus sign is taken away, which suits an unpaid break. Minutes carry at 60, so 1:50 plus 0:40 makes 2:30 rather than 1:90. To move a clock time instead, such as 9:00 AM plus 5 hours, use the add time calculator. For the time between a start and an end clock time, see hours between two times.
Quick answer: Add the hours and the minutes in two separate sums, then turn each 60 minutes into one hour. So 1:50 plus 0:40 gives 1 hour and 90 minutes, which is 2:30. When you subtract and the minutes run short, borrow 60 minutes from the hours. For decimal hours, divide the minutes by 60.
Worked example: a five-shift week with one correction
Say your shifts this week ran 8:15, 7:50, 9:05, 6:40 and 8:30. Your manager also took off 0:45 for a long lunch. You would type the five shifts on separate lines, then -0:45 as the last line.
The hours add to 38 on their own. The minutes come to 140, which is 2 hours and 20 minutes. Put together, the five shifts make 40:20.
Taking off the 45-minute lunch leaves 39:35. Payroll systems usually want decimals, and 35 minutes is 0.58 of an hour. So the figure to report is 39.58 hours.
Result: 39:35 total, or 39.58 decimal hours for payroll.
Weekly hours reference table
| Daily shift | 4 days (hh:mm) | 4 days (decimal) | 5 days (hh:mm) | 5 days (decimal) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6:00 | 24:00 | 24.00 | 30:00 | 30.00 |
| 7:00 | 28:00 | 28.00 | 35:00 | 35.00 |
| 7:30 | 30:00 | 30.00 | 37:30 | 37.50 |
| 7:45 | 31:00 | 31.00 | 38:45 | 38.75 |
| 8:00 | 32:00 | 32.00 | 40:00 | 40.00 |
| 8:15 | 33:00 | 33.00 | 41:15 | 41.25 |
| 8:30 | 34:00 | 34.00 | 42:30 | 42.50 |
| 8:45 | 35:00 | 35.00 | 43:45 | 43.75 |
| 9:00 | 36:00 | 36.00 | 45:00 | 45.00 |
| 9:30 | 38:00 | 38.00 | 47:30 | 47.50 |
| 10:00 | 40:00 | 40.00 | 50:00 | 50.00 |
| 12:00 | 48:00 | 48.00 | 60:00 | 60.00 |
Add hours and minutes in Excel or Google Sheets
Type each duration as h:mm, such as 8:15, in B2 to B8. The cell format is the part most people miss. A plain time format resets to zero after 24 hours, so a 40-hour week would show as 16:00. Use the custom format [h]:mm in Excel, or Format, Number, Duration in Google Sheets.
| What you want | Formula |
|---|---|
| Total of B2:B8 (format as [h]:mm) | =SUM(B2:B8) |
| Total as decimal hours | =SUM(B2:B8)*24 |
| Total as text, past 24 hours | =TEXT(SUM(B2:B8),"[h]:mm") |
| One duration minus another | =B2-B3 |
| Build a duration from hours in C2 and minutes in D2 | =TIME(C2,D2,0) |
| Total in minutes | =SUM(B2:B8)*1440 |
Excel cannot show a negative time with the default date system. If a subtraction could go below zero, work in decimal hours instead.
Common mistakes
Picture a nurse adding three shifts of 7:50, 8:40 and 6:45 on a phone calculator. Typed as 7.50 plus 8.40 plus 6.45, the phone shows 22.35. The right total is 23:15, because minutes roll over at 60 and not at 100.
On this page a dot works like a colon. So 1.5 is read as 1:05, not as an hour and a half, and 1:30 is the way to write 90 minutes. The box also refuses minutes of 60 or more, which means 1:75 has to go in as 2:15.
A lunch you were not paid for goes on its own line with a minus sign, so a 30-minute lunch is -0:30. Keep the shifts in h:mm as well. A week of five shifts, each rounded to two decimals, can come out a minute away from the true total.
Adding and subtracting hours and minutes
How do I add hours and minutes together?
Say you worked 2 hours 45 minutes in the morning and 3 hours 30 minutes after lunch. The hours make 5 and the minutes make 75. Since 75 minutes is 1 hour 15 minutes, the day comes to 6 hours 15 minutes, written 6:15.
How do I subtract hours and minutes?
Say a shift ran 3 hours 20 minutes and you need to take off 1 hour 45. Twenty minutes is less than 45, so swap one of the 3 hours for 60 minutes and write 2:80. Now 2:80 minus 1:45 leaves 1:35. In the calculator you would type 3:20 on one line and -1:45 on the next.
How do you calculate hours and minutes on a calculator?
A normal calculator works in hundreds, so convert first. Divide the minutes by 60 to get decimal hours, add the decimals, then multiply the leftover fraction by 60. 1.75 hours plus 2.5 hours is 4.25 hours, or 4:15.
How do I add hours and minutes in Excel?
Type each time as h:mm and add them with =SUM(B2:B8). Give the total cell the custom format [h]:mm, or it will reset after 24 hours. Multiply the sum by 24 for decimal hours.
How do I add up hours on a timesheet for payroll?
Enter each day's hours as h:mm, one per line, and press Add times. The decimal total is the one most payroll forms want. To start from clock-in and clock-out times, use the work hours calculator.
How do I subtract a break from my hours?
Put the break on its own line with a minus sign. 8:30 followed by -0:30 gives 8:00. Paid breaks usually stay in the total, so only take off unpaid time.
Can the total go over 24 hours?
Yes. The total stays in hours rather than days, so a full week reads 40:00 and not 1 day 16 hours.
How do I convert an hours and minutes total to decimal?
Divide the minutes by 60 and add the answer to the hours. 39:35 becomes 39 plus 0.58, or 39.58 hours. The hours to decimal calculator has a full minutes chart.
How do I write 1 hour 15 minutes?
It is 1:15 in hours and minutes and 1.25 in decimal hours. As plain minutes it is 75. The minutes converter handles that last form.
Cite this page
APA: ClockTotals. (2026, October 16). Hours and Minutes Calculator (Time Addition). https://clocktotals.com/hours-and-minutes-calculator/
MLA: “Hours and Minutes Calculator (Time Addition).” ClockTotals, 16 Oct. 2026, clocktotals.com/hours-and-minutes-calculator/.
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