Shift Length Calculator
Calculate paid shift hours after unpaid breaks for any start and finish minute, including overnight shifts. See hours, minutes and decimal hours.
A finish time earlier than the start is treated as the next day.
Your results
Calculation breakdown
- On-site time
- Finish time − start time (adds 24 hours after midnight)
- Paid time
- On-site time − unpaid break
- Decimal hours
- Paid minutes ÷ 60
Worked example
A shift from 07:00 to 15:30 with a 30-minute unpaid break is 8.5 hours on-site, giving 8 paid hours. A night shift from 22:45 to 07:15 with the same break is 8h 30m on-site and also 8 paid hours.
Assumptions
- Assumes the entered break is unpaid; paid breaks should be left out of this field.
- Covers a single shift of less than 24 hours.
- Does not calculate penalty rates or overtime — check your award or agreement separately.
How this calculator works
Enter your shift start and finish time plus any unpaid break, and this calculator works out both the total time on-site and the paid hours worked. It's useful for casual and shift workers checking their rostered hours against their payslip.
Calculate shift hours after unpaid breaks
Enter the shift start and finish times to the minute, then subtract unpaid meal or rest breaks. The calculator handles a finish time after midnight and reports paid time and on-site time in hours and minutes and as decimal hours.
For example, 7 hours 30 minutes equals 7.5 decimal hours, not 7.30. Always convert the minutes by dividing them by 60 before multiplying by an hourly rate.
Compare the result with your roster and award
A duration calculator does not decide which breaks are paid, when overtime begins or which penalty rate applies. Those rules can depend on the applicable award, enterprise agreement, contract and employment status.
Keep the roster, actual start and finish times and approved breaks together. If the calculated hours differ from a payslip, check the employer's rounding rules and the current Fair Work conditions that apply to the role.
Official sources and assumptions
Check the official or authoritative references used to review this calculator's rates, formulas and assumptions.
Frequently asked questions
Are meal breaks always unpaid?
It depends on your award or agreement — enter the unpaid break minutes that apply to your specific arrangement.
What if my shift crosses midnight?
The calculator automatically treats a finish time earlier than the start time as falling the next day.
Does this calculate penalty rates?
No, this calculator only measures shift length; use a dedicated penalty rate calculator to work out pay for weekend or overnight shifts.
Content responsibility
Maintained by CalcAussie and last updated 15 October 2026. Checks applied: calculation method, worked examples, Australian terminology, material assumptions, official references where an external rule applies, and user-facing limitations.
Calculator results remain estimates based on the figures entered. Check material decisions against current official information and report a suspected error so it can be reproduced and corrected.
Actual entitlements can depend on your award, enterprise agreement, contract, employment status and individual circumstances.