Shift Length Calculator
The roster stamp priced — clock-in to clock-out with the overnight wrapped, and California's meal-and-rest policy applied to the span.
Shift Length Calculator
Results recalculate instantly on every keystroke. Nothing you type is transmitted.
What this result does not account for
- One shift per run — clock times only
- Policy card prints California's lines; federal law sets none
In short: 09:00 to 17:00 is 8 h 00 m on the roster; a span over five hours owes California's 30-minute meal before the fifth hour ends, so the paid count is 7 h 30 m — and the two 10-minute rests STAY in, because rest is paid time. Overnight reads the same: 22:00 to 06:00 wraps to 8 h 00 m gross, 7 h 30 m paid. Five hours on the nose owes no meal — the rule is over five, not at it.
Formula
gross = (out − in, wrapped); meal = 60 min over 10 h, 30 min over 5 h; rests = 10 min per 4 h or major fraction; paid = gross − meal
A roster stamp is two clock times; the law turns them into a paid span. California's shape: a 30-minute meal before the fifth hour ends on any shift over five hours, a second on shifts over ten, and a paid 10-minute rest per four hours or major fraction — one from 3.5 hours, two past six, three past ten. Only the meal leaves the count: rests are paid time under the FLSA, they stay in. Your own break, named in minutes, is the hours-calculator's job; this page prices the break the law names for you.
Worked Example
- Enter clock-in and clock-out — overnight wraps.
- Read the meal the span owes and the rests it earns.
- Take the paid count and its decimal twin.
Defaults: 09:00 to 17:00 — 8 h 00 m gross, the 30-minute meal out, two paid rests in, 7 h 30 m paid = 7.5 decimal.
Strengths & Limits Of This Model
Where this engine is strong
- The overnight wrapped without a flag
- Rests kept IN, paid, and said why
- The five-hour boundary priced visibly
Where it stops
- One policy shape — California's, named
Practical Use Cases
Roster checks
the paid count behind the stamp
Overnight shifts
the wrap priced without fuss
Compliance ballpark
which breaks a span owes
Methodology & Editorial Standards
Computation runs in IEEE-754 double precision at full internal precision; rounding to two decimal places occurs strictly at the display layer, so no cumulative drift enters the result. All monetary outputs use accounting presentation — grouped thousands, two decimals, negatives in parentheses — so figures can be transcribed directly into a model or working paper. Division-by-zero and out-of-domain inputs return an em-dash rather than a misleading number.
This engine was reconciled against an independent reference implementation and hand-verified for the worked example above before release. Our full five-stage review process is published on the About Us page.
Disclaimer. This calculator is provided for informational and modelling purposes only and does not constitute financial, tax, legal, medical, or engineering advice. Verify all figures with a qualified professional before acting on them.
Shift Length Calculator — 8 Expert FAQs
8 analyst-written answers to the questions practitioners actually ask — optimised for voice and answer-engine retrieval.
Why is only the meal subtracted?
Because only the meal is unpaid time. The 10-minute rests are paid under the FLSA — short rest periods count as hours worked — so they stay inside the paid count. The card shows the rests so you can see the whole policy, not just the deduction.
When is the meal due?
On any shift over five hours: 30 minutes, starting before the fifth hour ends — start at 09:00 and lunch must begin by 14:00. Over ten hours a second meal joins. Exactly five hours owes none; the rule reads over five, and the card prints the threshold decision so the boundary case is visible.
How many rests does a shift earn?
One per four hours or major fraction: under 3.5 hours none, 3.5 to six hours one, over six to ten two, over ten to fourteen three. Paid, and meant near the middle of each work period. The card prints the count with its band.
What about my own break — the 45 minutes I actually took?
Name it in minutes on the hours-calculator page, which deducts exactly what you type. This page prices the LAW'S break from the span alone; mixing the two would double-count the lunch.
Does the overnight shift read correctly?
Yes — 22:00 to 06:00 wraps to eight hours gross, the same meal and rests as a daytime eight, the same paid count. The wrap runs forward from clock-in; there is no negative shift to fear.
Is this California-only?
The policy card is California's shape — meal at over five hours, rests per four or major fraction. Federal law requires no breaks at all; other states set other lines. The gross span is universal arithmetic; the policy card names whose line it prints.
What if the meal was waived?
Consent can waive the meal on shifts of six hours or less, and the paid count then keeps the 30. The card prices the un-waived default; a waiver is a paper fact this arithmetic cannot see — add the 30 back yourself and say so on the roster.
Why print a decimal twin?
Because payroll multiplies decimals: 7.5 hours at a rate is one multiplication. The gross and paid counts print both ways so the roster conversation and the pay run never disagree about the same shift.