Decimal hours converter
Timesheets and payroll often want hours as a decimal number. Type a time such as 7:45 to get decimal hours, or type a decimal such as 7.75 to get hours and minutes. The tool picks the direction from what you type.
Runs in your browser: nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
How to use it
- Type a time like
7:45, a duration like 1h 30m, or a number of hours like 7.75.
- Read the decimal hours and the hours-and-minutes form side by side.
- Use the copy button next to a value to put it in your timesheet.
A plain number is always read as hours here. If you need to convert seconds, use the seconds to h:mm:ss converter.
How it works
Decimal hours = hours + minutes / 60 + seconds / 3600. The reverse takes the whole hours and multiplies the fractional part by 60 for minutes. The decimal row shows up to four decimals without trailing zeros, the “2 places” row is the same value rounded for payroll-style entry, and the h:mm row is rounded to the nearest minute.
Worked example
7:45 is 7 + 45 / 60 = 7.75 hours, or 465 minutes. In the other direction, 8.33 hours is 8 hours and 0.33 x 60 = 19.8 minutes, shown as 8:20 (rounded) and exactly 8:19:48.
Common mistakes
- Reading 7.30 as 7 hours 30 minutes. In decimal hours 7.30 means 7 hours 18 minutes; half an hour is 7.5.
- Adding h:mm values as if they were decimals. Convert first, then add.
- Rounding each shift and then summing. Sum the exact times and round once at the end if your rules allow.
Frequently asked questions
How do I convert minutes to a decimal hour?
Divide the minutes by 60. Fifteen minutes is 15 / 60 = 0.25 hours, 30 minutes is 0.5, 45 minutes is 0.75, and 20 minutes is 0.3333 (0.33 rounded to two places).
How do I convert a decimal hour back to hours and minutes?
Keep the whole number as hours and multiply the fraction by 60. For 8.33 hours, 0.33 x 60 = 19.8, so it is about 8 hours 20 minutes. The h:mm result is rounded to the nearest minute; the h:mm:ss row shows the exact seconds, 8:19:48.
Why do some payroll systems use two decimal places?
Two places is a common convention, but it is a rounding. A tenth of an hour is 6 minutes, and a hundredth is 36 seconds, so a time like 8:20 (8.3333 hours) becomes 8.33 hours, which is 8:19:48. Check which rounding your payroll rules call for.
Can I enter more than 24 hours?
Yes. The hours part is not limited to a day, so 40:30 gives 40.5 hours. Minutes and seconds must stay below 60.