Example 1
- Mode: hours between two times
- Start 8:00 AM, end 4:30 PM
8 hours and 30 minutes
How many hours from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM? 8 hours and 30 minutes, which is 8.5 h.
Hours Calculator
The calculator counts minutes between two clock times. From 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM is 8 hours and 30 minutes, which is 8.5 hours. When the ending time is earlier than the start, the calculator counts those hours through midnight.
Result
Enter a start time and an end time. The time between them appears here.
This is not a time card and not an overtime calculator. Overtime pay is on the overtime calculator. Calendar days between two dates are on the date difference page.
How it works
Start8:00 AM
End4:30 PM
Time8 h 30 min
From 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM the green piece is 8 hours and 30 minutes. The axis is a full day, midnight to midnight.
The calculator turns a clock time into minutes after midnight and subtracts the start from the end. 8:00 AM is 480 minutes, 4:30 PM is 990 minutes, and the difference is 510 minutes, which is 8 hours and 30 minutes. Those 510 minutes, divided by 60, are 8.5 hours.
When the end is earlier than the start, the calculator adds 1440 minutes, one full clock day, to the end. 10:00 PM is 1320 minutes after midnight, and 6:00 AM is 360 minutes. Adding the extra day makes 1800 minutes. 1800 minus 1320 leaves 480 minutes, which is 8 hours.
The calculator subtracts an optional break from those hours. From 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM with a 30-minute break, 8 hours remain. An empty break field leaves the result unchanged.
In add and subtract mode, the calculator moves the start time by the hours and minutes you enter. 2:45 PM plus 2 hours and 30 minutes is 5:15 PM. If the new time falls after midnight, the clock shows it on the next day, and the note under the result says how many days it moved.
If both clock times are the same, the result is 0 minutes rather than a full day. Add 24 hours in add mode for a full day. The calculator does not use a date or a time zone, so a daylight-saving change does not shorten that night.
This is not a time card and not an overtime calculator. Calendar days between two dates are on the date-difference page. Paste a string such as 1h 30min 45s on the Duration parsing page, with the IT calculators.
The bar under the result draws that day from midnight to midnight. With no break, the green piece covers the time from the start to the end. When you enter a break, the green piece is shorter by those minutes, and the red piece at the end has that many minutes. The break field does not name a clock time for the break. The result uses a 12-hour clock, so 16:30 is written as 4:30 PM and 22:00 is written as 10:00 PM.
Formula
minutes = end − start; if end < start, end = end + 1440
Decimal hours are the minutes divided by 60. After you add or subtract, the new clock time is what remains when you divide the total minutes by 1440. After midnight the clock starts the next day.
How to use it
- Choose hours between two times, add, or subtract.
- For the time between two clock times, enter a start and an end, for example 8:00 AM and 4:30 PM. The result is 8 hours and 30 minutes.
- When the end is earlier, for example 10:00 PM and 6:00 AM, the calculator counts through midnight. The result is 8 hours.
- Leave the break empty, or enter 30. From 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM, subtracting a 30-minute break leaves 8 hours.
- In add mode, enter a start time plus the hours and minutes. 2:45 PM plus 2 hours and 30 minutes is 5:15 PM.
8 hours and 30 minutes from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM
The calculator counts minutes after midnight and subtracts the start from the end. From 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM is 510 minutes, which is 8 hours and 30 minutes.
- min
- These are minutes after midnight. 8:00 AM is 480 minutes, and 4:30 PM is 990 minutes. The difference is 510 minutes, which is 8 hours and 30 minutes.
- 8.5 h
- Decimal hours come from dividing 510 by 60. That is the same length of time written with a decimal point, which is handy in a spreadsheet.
- 1440
- A full day has this many minutes. The calculator adds them when the end time is earlier than the start, for example from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM.
Examples
Example 2
- Mode: hours between two times
- Start 10:00 PM, end 6:00 AM
8 hours
From 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM the result crosses midnight and is 8 hours, which is 480 minutes.
Example 3
- Mode: add hours and minutes
- Start 2:45 PM, plus 2 hours and 30 minutes
5:15 PM
2:45 PM plus 2 hours and 30 minutes is 5:15 PM on the same clock day.
Related calculators
Frequently asked questions
How many hours are there from 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM?
8 hours and 30 minutes, which is 8.5 h and 510 minutes. The calculator counts minutes after midnight and subtracts the start from the end.
How many hours are there from 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM?
8 hours. The end time is earlier than the start, so the calculator counts those hours through midnight. That is 480 minutes. The calculator does not apply a daylight-saving change.
What is 2:45 PM plus 2 hours and 30 minutes?
5:15 PM on the same clock day. 2:45 PM is 885 minutes after midnight. Adding 150 minutes makes 1035, which is 5:15 PM.
Is this an overtime or time-card calculator?
No. This page counts clock hours. Pay rates and overtime are on the overtime calculator.
Does a 30-minute break shorten 8:00 AM to 4:30 PM?
Yes. 8 hours and 30 minutes, minus a 30-minute break, is 8 hours. An empty break field leaves the result unchanged.
What if both times are the same?
The result is 0 minutes. A full day is 24 hours. Use add mode when you want those 24 hours.
Does a DST change shorten the night from 2:00 AM to 3:00 AM?
No. From 2:00 AM to 3:00 AM the calculator always counts 1 hour, because it does not use a date or a time zone. From 10:00 PM to 6:00 AM is always 8 hours.
How is this different from the date difference?
The date page counts calendar days, for example 366 days in a leap year. Here the calculator counts hours and minutes across one or two clock days.
Is 2.5 hours the same as 2 hours 30 minutes?
Yes. In add mode, 2.5 hours is 2.5 times 60, which is 150 minutes. That is the same as 2 hours and 30 minutes.
Where do I paste 1h 30min 45s?
On the Duration parsing page, with the IT calculators. Here you type the hours into the fields instead of pasting a string like that.
Sources
A clock hour has 60 minutes. A full day has 1440 minutes.
Page updated September 30, 2026.