How to convert time to decimal hours
- Separate hours and minutes. For 7:45, the hours are 7 and the minutes are 45.
- Divide the minutes by 60. 45 ÷ 60 = 0.75. (If you have seconds, divide them by 3,600.)
- Add the hours back. 7 + 0.75 = 7.75 decimal hours.
- Round for payroll. Two decimal places is standard: 7:20 = 7.333… ≈ 7.33.
How to convert decimal hours to hours and minutes
Keep the whole number as hours, then multiply the part after the decimal point by 60 to get minutes. 8.4 hours → 0.4 × 60 = 24 → 8:24. If the minutes come out with a fraction, multiply that fraction by 60 for seconds, or round to the nearest minute: 1.33 hours is 1 hour 19.8 minutes, which rounds to 1:20.
Why payroll uses decimal hours
Pay is hours × rate, and a calculator cannot multiply “7 hours 45 minutes” directly. Converting to 7.75 lets you multiply: 7.75 × $18 = $139.50. Writing 7:45 as 7.45 instead would pay only $134.10—a small error that adds up across a week or a whole team. Many time clocks print “hundredths” or “industrial minutes”, which are simply decimal hours.
Minutes to decimal hours chart (0–59)
Decimal is rounded to two places, the usual payroll standard; the exact column shows four places.
| Minutes | Decimal | Exact |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | 0.00 | 0.0000 |
| 1 | 0.02 | 0.0167 |
| 2 | 0.03 | 0.0333 |
| 3 | 0.05 | 0.0500 |
| 4 | 0.07 | 0.0667 |
| 5 | 0.08 | 0.0833 |
| 6 | 0.10 | 0.1000 |
| 7 | 0.12 | 0.1167 |
| 8 | 0.13 | 0.1333 |
| 9 | 0.15 | 0.1500 |
| 10 | 0.17 | 0.1667 |
| 11 | 0.18 | 0.1833 |
| 12 | 0.20 | 0.2000 |
| 13 | 0.22 | 0.2167 |
| 14 | 0.23 | 0.2333 |
| 15 | 0.25 | 0.2500 |
| 16 | 0.27 | 0.2667 |
| 17 | 0.28 | 0.2833 |
| 18 | 0.30 | 0.3000 |
| 19 | 0.32 | 0.3167 |
| Minutes | Decimal | Exact |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | 0.33 | 0.3333 |
| 21 | 0.35 | 0.3500 |
| 22 | 0.37 | 0.3667 |
| 23 | 0.38 | 0.3833 |
| 24 | 0.40 | 0.4000 |
| 25 | 0.42 | 0.4167 |
| 26 | 0.43 | 0.4333 |
| 27 | 0.45 | 0.4500 |
| 28 | 0.47 | 0.4667 |
| 29 | 0.48 | 0.4833 |
| 30 | 0.50 | 0.5000 |
| 31 | 0.52 | 0.5167 |
| 32 | 0.53 | 0.5333 |
| 33 | 0.55 | 0.5500 |
| 34 | 0.57 | 0.5667 |
| 35 | 0.58 | 0.5833 |
| 36 | 0.60 | 0.6000 |
| 37 | 0.62 | 0.6167 |
| 38 | 0.63 | 0.6333 |
| 39 | 0.65 | 0.6500 |
| Minutes | Decimal | Exact |
|---|---|---|
| 40 | 0.67 | 0.6667 |
| 41 | 0.68 | 0.6833 |
| 42 | 0.70 | 0.7000 |
| 43 | 0.72 | 0.7167 |
| 44 | 0.73 | 0.7333 |
| 45 | 0.75 | 0.7500 |
| 46 | 0.77 | 0.7667 |
| 47 | 0.78 | 0.7833 |
| 48 | 0.80 | 0.8000 |
| 49 | 0.82 | 0.8167 |
| 50 | 0.83 | 0.8333 |
| 51 | 0.85 | 0.8500 |
| 52 | 0.87 | 0.8667 |
| 53 | 0.88 | 0.8833 |
| 54 | 0.90 | 0.9000 |
| 55 | 0.92 | 0.9167 |
| 56 | 0.93 | 0.9333 |
| 57 | 0.95 | 0.9500 |
| 58 | 0.97 | 0.9667 |
| 59 | 0.98 | 0.9833 |
Rounding rules: quarter hours and tenths
Some employers round time before converting it. With quarter-hour rounding (the “7-minute rule”), 1–7 minutes past the quarter round down and 8–14 round up, so every value lands on .00, .25, .50 or .75. With tenth-of-an-hour rounding, time is counted in 6-minute blocks: 0.1 hour = 6 minutes, 0.5 = 30 minutes and 0.8 = 48 minutes. U.S. Department of Labor rules allow these practices only when they are neutral and do not consistently underpay workers. If your employer pays to the minute, convert the exact time instead.
Common conversions
7:30 = 7.50 · 7:45 = 7.75 · 8:10 = 8.17 · 8:20 = 8.33 · 8:40 = 8.67 · 37:30 = 37.50 · 40:15 = 40.25. In reverse, 0.1 hour is 6 minutes, 0.2 is 12, 0.3 is 18, 0.6 is 36 and 0.9 is 54 minutes. In a spreadsheet, a time stored as h:mm can be turned into decimal hours by multiplying the cell by 24 and formatting the result as a number.
Tips
- Add up minutes first and convert once at the end to avoid rounding drift.
- Need the time between two clock times first? Use the hours calculator, which shows both formats.
- Converting a week of decimal hours into pay? The overtime calculator accepts decimal or h:mm hours.