Guides
Work hours calculator
How long did you work today, and how much overtime is that? Enter start, end and break. The calculator subtracts the break, compares the result with your daily target and tells you whether the break meets the legal minimum.
How to calculate your working time
End minus start minus break. Example: 08:00 to 17:00 is 9 hours; minus a 30-minute break that leaves 8:30 of work. With a target of 8 hours that is 30 minutes of overtime. If a shift ends after midnight, the calculator counts across midnight.
Calculating overtime
Overtime is the time above your contracted hours. Work it out per week or month: a long Monday and a short Friday often cancel out. Part-time workers use their own target, for example 4 hours a day.
Proving overtime
If you want overtime paid and it comes to a dispute, you have to prove it: which days, from when to when, and that your employer ordered or accepted it. A record kept day by day is the best evidence.
Converting minutes to decimal hours
Payroll often needs decimal hours, sometimes called industrial minutes. Divide the minutes by 60: 45 minutes are 0.75 hours, so 7:45 is 7.75. The most common values:
| Minutes | Decimal hours |
|---|---|
| 5 min | 0.08 |
| 10 min | 0.17 |
| 15 min | 0.25 |
| 20 min | 0.33 |
| 30 min | 0.50 |
| 40 min | 0.67 |
| 45 min | 0.75 |
| 50 min | 0.83 |
Overtime and shortfall without doing the maths
Mark My Hours records start and end on its own, takes breaks into account and shows your target, actual hours and balance for the week and month. The PDF proof of hours lists every day with start, end, break and net time.
Frequent questions
How do I calculate my working time with a break?
End minus start, then subtract the break. 07:30 to 16:15 is 8:45; minus a 45-minute break gives 8:00.
How much overtime is allowed?
Germany: at most 10 hours a day, if you average 8 hours per working day over six months. Austria: at most 12 hours a day and 60 a week. Switzerland: 45 or 50 hours a week depending on the sector. Croatia: at most 50 hours a week including overtime. Your contract may allow less.
Does the commute count as working time?
The normal trip from home to work does not count. Travel between two job sites during the working day usually does.
How do I convert hours and minutes to decimal hours?
Divide the minutes by 60 and add them to the hours. 8:20 is 8 + 20/60 = 8.33 hours. Mark My Hours can show the totals as decimals right away.
Rather not calculate at all?
Mark My Hours notices when you arrive at work and when you leave, and writes your hours down on its own. At the end of the month you send your proof of hours as a PDF.
Get the app7 days free, then a one-time CHF 6
Not legal advice; as of October 2026. Collective agreements and your employment contract may set different rules.