How to Calculate Job Hours (Step-by-Step + Calculator)

Whether you’re tracking your hours for a paycheck, managing a freelance project, or logging time for your small businessโ€”knowing how to calculate job hours is super useful.

The good news? Itโ€™s easier than you think. This guide walks you through everything step by step, and weโ€™ve included a free calculator to make it even simpler.

Donโ€™t want to do the math? Just use the calculator below. You can enter your start and end times (even with AM/PM) and optional break time, and itโ€™ll do the rest.

Use the + Add Day option for multiple days.

โœจ Enter time in the 24 hour format (e.g. 5PM is 17:00)

โš™๏ธ Job Hours Calculator

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๐Ÿ•’ What Are Job Hours?

Job hours are the total time spent working on a job or shift. Theyโ€™re used to calculate:

  • Wages and earnings
  • Project costs
  • Time tracking reports
  • Overtime eligibility
  • Productivity analysis

๐Ÿงพ What Youโ€™ll Need

To calculate job hours, all you need is:

  • A start time (when you began working)
  • An end time (when you stopped working)
  • Optionally, any breaks or unpaid time during the shift

๐Ÿงฎ How to Calculate Job Hours

Here’s the basic formula:

Job Hours = (End Time โˆ’ Start Time) โˆ’ Breaks

Example:

You work from 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM, with a 30-minute unpaid break.

In the calculator above you would enter start time: 9:00 and end time 17:30

  1. Total time: 8.5 hours
  2. Break: 0.5 hour
  3. Job Hours = 8.5 โˆ’ 0.5 = 8 hours

โœ… You worked 8 billable hours.

๐Ÿ’ผ Why Itโ€™s Important

Tracking your job hours helps with:

  • Getting paid accurately ๐Ÿ’ต
  • Planning your week more efficiently ๐Ÿ“…
  • Managing time across multiple clients or jobs
  • Calculating costs for project-based work

๐Ÿ“Œ Final Thoughts

Calculating your job hours doesnโ€™t have to be complicated. Once you understand the basic formulaโ€”and use our simple calculatorโ€”youโ€™ll always know exactly how much time youโ€™ve put in.