Shift Hours Chart
How many hours common shifts are, with and without an unpaid lunch
How many hours is a shift?
Clock hours, then paid hours after an unpaid lunch, with decimal hours for timesheets. 9 AM to 5 PM is 8 hours, or 7.5 paid after a 30-minute lunch.
| Shift | No break | 30-min lunch | 1-hour lunch |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day shifts | |||
| 6 AM – 2 PM06:00–14:00 | 8h 8.00 | 7h 30m 7.50 | 7h 7.00 |
| 6 AM – 2:30 PM06:00–14:30 | 8h 30m 8.50 | 8h 8.00 | 7h 30m 7.50 |
| 6 AM – 3 PM06:00–15:00 | 9h 9.00 | 8h 30m 8.50 | 8h 8.00 |
| 7 AM – 3 PM07:00–15:00 | 8h 8.00 | 7h 30m 7.50 | 7h 7.00 |
| 7 AM – 3:30 PM07:00–15:30 | 8h 30m 8.50 | 8h 8.00 | 7h 30m 7.50 |
| 7 AM – 4 PM07:00–16:00 | 9h 9.00 | 8h 30m 8.50 | 8h 8.00 |
| 7:30 AM – 4 PM07:30–16:00 | 8h 30m 8.50 | 8h 8.00 | 7h 30m 7.50 |
| 7:30 AM – 4:30 PM07:30–16:30 | 9h 9.00 | 8h 30m 8.50 | 8h 8.00 |
| 8 AM – 4 PM08:00–16:00 | 8h 8.00 | 7h 30m 7.50 | 7h 7.00 |
| 8 AM – 4:30 PM08:00–16:30 | 8h 30m 8.50 | 8h 8.00 | 7h 30m 7.50 |
| 8 AM – 5 PM08:00–17:00 | 9h 9.00 | 8h 30m 8.50 | 8h 8.00 |
| 8:30 AM – 4:30 PM08:30–16:30 | 8h 8.00 | 7h 30m 7.50 | 7h 7.00 |
| 8:30 AM – 5 PM08:30–17:00 | 8h 30m 8.50 | 8h 8.00 | 7h 30m 7.50 |
| 8:30 AM – 5:30 PM08:30–17:30 | 9h 9.00 | 8h 30m 8.50 | 8h 8.00 |
| 9 AM – 4:30 PM09:00–16:30 | 7h 30m 7.50 | 7h 7.00 | 6h 30m 6.50 |
| 9 AM – 5 PM09:00–17:00 | 8h 8.00 | 7h 30m 7.50 | 7h 7.00 |
| 9 AM – 5:30 PM09:00–17:30 | 8h 30m 8.50 | 8h 8.00 | 7h 30m 7.50 |
| 9 AM – 6 PM09:00–18:00 | 9h 9.00 | 8h 30m 8.50 | 8h 8.00 |
| 9:30 AM – 5:30 PM09:30–17:30 | 8h 8.00 | 7h 30m 7.50 | 7h 7.00 |
| 10 AM – 6 PM10:00–18:00 | 8h 8.00 | 7h 30m 7.50 | 7h 7.00 |
| 10 AM – 7 PM10:00–19:00 | 9h 9.00 | 8h 30m 8.50 | 8h 8.00 |
| Afternoon and evening | |||
| 11 AM – 7 PM11:00–19:00 | 8h 8.00 | 7h 30m 7.50 | 7h 7.00 |
| 12 PM – 8 PM12:00–20:00 | 8h 8.00 | 7h 30m 7.50 | 7h 7.00 |
| 1 PM – 9 PM13:00–21:00 | 8h 8.00 | 7h 30m 7.50 | 7h 7.00 |
| 2 PM – 10 PM14:00–22:00 | 8h 8.00 | 7h 30m 7.50 | 7h 7.00 |
| 3 PM – 11 PM15:00–23:00 | 8h 8.00 | 7h 30m 7.50 | 7h 7.00 |
| 4 PM – 12 AM16:00–00:00 (next day) | 8h 8.00 | 7h 30m 7.50 | 7h 7.00 |
| Overnight | |||
| 10 PM – 6 AM22:00–06:00 (next day) | 8h 8.00 | 7h 30m 7.50 | 7h 7.00 |
| 11 PM – 7 AM23:00–07:00 (next day) | 8h 8.00 | 7h 30m 7.50 | 7h 7.00 |
| 12 AM – 8 AM00:00–08:00 | 8h 8.00 | 7h 30m 7.50 | 7h 7.00 |
| 10- and 12-hour shifts | |||
| 6 AM – 4:30 PM06:00–16:30 | 10h 30m 10.50 | 10h 10.00 | 9h 30m 9.50 |
| 7 AM – 5:30 PM07:00–17:30 | 10h 30m 10.50 | 10h 10.00 | 9h 30m 9.50 |
| 6 AM – 6 PM06:00–18:00 | 12h 12.00 | 11h 30m 11.50 | 11h 11.00 |
| 7 AM – 7 PM07:00–19:00 | 12h 12.00 | 11h 30m 11.50 | 11h 11.00 |
| 6 PM – 6 AM18:00–06:00 (next day) | 12h 12.00 | 11h 30m 11.50 | 11h 11.00 |
| 7 PM – 7 AM19:00–07:00 (next day) | 12h 12.00 | 11h 30m 11.50 | 11h 11.00 |
| Short and part-time shifts | |||
| 9 AM – 1 PM09:00–13:00 | 4h 4.00 | no lunch break on a shift this short | no lunch break on a shift this short |
| 9 AM – 2 PM09:00–14:00 | 5h 5.00 | no lunch break on a shift this short | no lunch break on a shift this short |
| 10 AM – 2 PM10:00–14:00 | 4h 4.00 | no lunch break on a shift this short | no lunch break on a shift this short |
| 10 AM – 3 PM10:00–15:00 | 5h 5.00 | no lunch break on a shift this short | no lunch break on a shift this short |
| 4 PM – 8 PM16:00–20:00 | 4h 4.00 | no lunch break on a shift this short | no lunch break on a shift this short |
| 4:30 PM – 10 PM16:30–22:00 | 5h 30m 5.50 | no lunch break on a shift this short | no lunch break on a shift this short |
| 5 PM – 9 PM17:00–21:00 | 4h 4.00 | no lunch break on a shift this short | no lunch break on a shift this short |
Hours and minutes, then decimal hours. Short shifts have no lunch columns. On the two nights a year the clocks change, an overnight shift runs an hour longer or shorter: night shift hours. Different times, or a whole week: work hours calculator.
40-hour weeks, breaks and common questions
Which shifts make a 40-hour week?
Five days of 8 paid hours:
- With a 30-minute unpaid lunch: 6 AM–2:30 PM, 7 AM–3:30 PM, 7:30 AM–4 PM, 8 AM–4:30 PM, 8:30 AM–5 PM, 9 AM–5:30 PM. Each is 8 hours 30 minutes on the clock and 8 paid.
- With a 1-hour unpaid lunch: 6 AM–3 PM, 7 AM–4 PM, 7:30 AM–4:30 PM, 8 AM–5 PM, 8:30 AM–5:30 PM, 9 AM–6 PM, 10 AM–7 PM. Each is 9 hours on the clock and 8 paid.
- With paid breaks only: any 8-hour shift, such as 6 AM–2 PM, 7 AM–3 PM, 8 AM–4 PM, 8:30 AM–4:30 PM, 9 AM–5 PM, 9:30 AM–5:30 PM, 10 AM–6 PM.
- Four days: 10 paid hours a day: 6 AM–4:30 PM or 7 AM–5:30 PM with a 30-minute unpaid lunch.
Questions
How many hours is 9 to 5?
9 AM to 5 PM is 8 hours. With a 30-minute unpaid lunch it is 7.5 paid hours (37.5 a week over five days); with an hour’s unpaid lunch, 7 (35 a week over five days).
How many hours is 9 to 5:30?
9 AM to 5:30 PM is 8 hours 30 minutes (8.5 hours). With a 30-minute unpaid lunch it is 8 paid hours (40 a week over five days); with an hour’s unpaid lunch, 7.5 (37.5 a week over five days).
How many hours is 8 to 5?
8 AM to 5 PM is 9 hours. With a 30-minute unpaid lunch it is 8.5 paid hours (42.5 a week over five days); with an hour’s unpaid lunch, 8 (40 a week over five days).
How many hours is 7 to 3:30?
7 AM to 3:30 PM is 8 hours 30 minutes (8.5 hours). With a 30-minute unpaid lunch it is 8 paid hours (40 a week over five days); with an hour’s unpaid lunch, 7.5 (37.5 a week over five days).
How many hours is a 7 to 7 shift?
7 AM to 7 PM (or 7 PM to 7 AM) is 12 hours, 11.5 paid hours with a 30-minute unpaid lunch. Three of them make a 36-hour week, or 34.5 paid hours if the lunches are unpaid.
Is the lunch break counted in hours worked?
Only if it is paid. In the US, federal law doesn’t require breaks, but short rest breaks (5 to 20 minutes) count as paid work time, while a meal break of 30 minutes or more, when you are fully relieved of duty, can be unpaid. Some states require meal breaks: California’s is 30 minutes before the end of the fifth hour. In the UK you are entitled to a 20-minute rest break when you work more than 6 hours, paid only if your contract says so.
How do I work out the hours for a shift that isn’t in the chart?
Count from the start to the next whole hour, then the whole hours, then the minutes after the last one. 8:15 AM to 4:45 PM is 45 minutes to 9, 7 hours to 4 PM, and 45 more minutes: 8 hours 30 minutes, or 8.5 hours. Take off any unpaid break. For an overnight shift, count to midnight and add the morning.
Why does the chart show decimal hours?
Because pay is hours × hourly rate, and that needs a decimal: 7 hours 30 minutes is 7.50 hours, not 7.30. At $20 an hour, 7.50 hours is $150.00; reading it as 7.30 would pay $146.00.
Related
- Work hours calculator — your own shifts and breaks, totalled for the week, with gross pay
- Time duration calculator — the exact time between any two times
- Minutes to decimal chart — every minute of the hour as a decimal
- Overtime calculator — hours past 40 at time and a half