Time to Decimal Calculator
Convert hours, minutes, and seconds into decimal hours for payroll and timesheets, or turn decimal hours back into hours and minutes.
How to Convert Time to Decimal Hours
Payroll systems, invoices, and timesheets use decimal hours because a single number can be multiplied by an hourly rate. Converting is simple: divide the minutes by 60, divide the seconds by 3600, and add everything to the hours.
Decimal hours = hours + (minutes ÷ 60) + (seconds ÷ 3600)
For example, 7 hours and 45 minutes is 7 + 45 ÷ 60 = 7.75 hours. If you earn $20 per hour, that shift pays 7.75 × $20 = $155.
Decimal Hours to Hours and Minutes
Going the other way is just as quick: keep the whole hours, then multiply the decimal part by 60 to get minutes. Pay stubs and payroll exports often show decimals like 7.8 or 38.58, and this is how you read them as clock time.
| Decimal | Hours and minutes | Decimal | Hours and minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.10 | 0h 06m | 7.25 | 7h 15m |
| 0.25 | 0h 15m | 7.50 | 7h 30m |
| 0.33 | 0h 20m | 7.75 | 7h 45m |
| 0.50 | 0h 30m | 7.80 | 7h 48m |
| 0.67 | 0h 40m | 8.20 | 8h 12m |
| 0.75 | 0h 45m | 8.33 | 8h 20m |
| 0.90 | 0h 54m | 8.50 | 8h 30m |
Worked Example: A Full Week in Decimals
Say you worked 7:45 on Monday, 8:20 on Tuesday, 8:00 on Wednesday, 7:50 on Thursday, and 6:40 on Friday. In decimals that is 7.75 + 8.33 + 8.00 + 7.83 + 6.67 = 38.58 hours. At $18 an hour, the week pays $694.50.
One payroll detail: for the most accurate pay, add up the minutes first (2,315 minutes) and convert once at the end (2,315 ÷ 60 = 38.583 hours). Multiplying the rounded 38.58 by $18 gives $694.44, six cents short. Our time card calculator always totals in exact minutes for this reason.
The Most Common Decimal Mistake
Writing 7 hours 30 minutes as 7.30. In decimal hours, 7.30 means 7 hours and 18 minutes (0.30 × 60), so the entry quietly costs you 12 minutes of pay. Seven and a half hours is 7.50. The same trap turns 8:45 into 8.45 instead of 8.75, an 18-minute loss. Whenever a timesheet asks for decimal hours, convert the minutes with the chart below rather than copying the clock digits.
Rounding Decimal Hours for Payroll
Most payroll systems store hours to two decimal places, which is why 20 minutes shows as 0.33 rather than 0.3333. Some industries, such as law firms and agencies, bill in tenths of an hour instead: every 6 minutes is 0.1, so 20 minutes becomes 0.3. If your employer rounds clock punches before converting, see how time clock rounding works.
Minutes to Decimal Conversion Chart
Use this chart for quick lookups when filling out a timesheet by hand. Values are rounded to two decimal places, the format most payroll systems expect.
| Minutes | Hour Decimal |
|---|---|
| 1 | 0.02 |
| 2 | 0.03 |
| 3 | 0.05 |
| 4 | 0.07 |
| 5 | 0.08 |
| 6 | 0.10 |
| 7 | 0.12 |
| 8 | 0.13 |
| 9 | 0.15 |
| 10 | 0.17 |
| 11 | 0.18 |
| 12 | 0.20 |
| 13 | 0.22 |
| 14 | 0.23 |
| 15 | 0.25 |
| Minutes | Hour Decimal |
|---|---|
| 16 | 0.27 |
| 17 | 0.28 |
| 18 | 0.30 |
| 19 | 0.32 |
| 20 | 0.33 |
| 21 | 0.35 |
| 22 | 0.37 |
| 23 | 0.38 |
| 24 | 0.40 |
| 25 | 0.42 |
| 26 | 0.43 |
| 27 | 0.45 |
| 28 | 0.47 |
| 29 | 0.48 |
| 30 | 0.50 |
| Minutes | Hour Decimal |
|---|---|
| 31 | 0.52 |
| 32 | 0.53 |
| 33 | 0.55 |
| 34 | 0.57 |
| 35 | 0.58 |
| 36 | 0.60 |
| 37 | 0.62 |
| 38 | 0.63 |
| 39 | 0.65 |
| 40 | 0.67 |
| 41 | 0.68 |
| 42 | 0.70 |
| 43 | 0.72 |
| 44 | 0.73 |
| 45 | 0.75 |
| Minutes | Hour Decimal |
|---|---|
| 46 | 0.77 |
| 47 | 0.78 |
| 48 | 0.80 |
| 49 | 0.82 |
| 50 | 0.83 |
| 51 | 0.85 |
| 52 | 0.87 |
| 53 | 0.88 |
| 54 | 0.90 |
| 55 | 0.92 |
| 56 | 0.93 |
| 57 | 0.95 |
| 58 | 0.97 |
| 59 | 0.98 |
| 60 | 1.00 |
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I convert time to decimal hours?
Divide the minutes by 60 and add the result to the hours. For example, 7 hours 30 minutes is 7 + 30/60 = 7.5 decimal hours.
Why do payroll systems use decimal hours?
Payroll software multiplies hours worked by an hourly rate, so time must be a single decimal number. 7:45 becomes 7.75 hours, which can be multiplied directly by a pay rate.
What is 15 minutes in decimal?
15 minutes is 0.25 hours. 30 minutes is 0.50 hours, and 45 minutes is 0.75 hours.
What is 7.5 hours in hours and minutes?
7 hours 30 minutes. Multiply the decimal part by 60: 0.5 × 60 = 30 minutes. Likewise 8.25 hours is 8 hours 15 minutes and 7.8 hours is 7 hours 48 minutes.
How do I convert decimal hours back to minutes?
Multiply the decimal part by 60. 0.75 hours is 0.75 × 60 = 45 minutes. To get total minutes, multiply the whole number by 60 instead: 2.5 hours is 150 minutes.
Is 7.30 the same as 7 hours 30 minutes?
No. 7.30 in decimal is 7 hours 18 minutes, because 0.30 × 60 = 18. Seven and a half hours is written 7.50 in decimal. Mixing these up is the most common timesheet error.
What is 8 hours 20 minutes in decimal?
8.33 hours. 20 ÷ 60 = 0.333, which rounds to 0.33 for payroll.
Is this time to decimal converter free?
Yes. The converter is completely free, requires no account, and works on desktop, tablet, and mobile.
More Free Time Tools
- Time Card Calculator - add up weekly work hours with breaks and download a PDF timesheet.
- Time Duration Calculator - find the exact time between a start and end time.
- Time Difference Calculator - measure the time between two dates.