Hours to Decimal Calculator and Minutes to Decimal Chart

The formula

Decimal hours = hours + minutes ÷ 60

The hours stay as they are; only the minutes change. 7 hours 50 minutes is 7 + 50 ÷ 60 = 7 + 0.8333 = 7.83. 8 hours 5 minutes is 8 + 5 ÷ 60 = 8.08. Two decimals are the payroll norm; three decimals reduce the rounding error when many entries are added.

Only 15, 30 and 45 minutes convert to a finite decimal (0.25, 0.50, 0.75). Everything else is a rounded value, which is why 20 minutes appears as 0.33 and 40 minutes as 0.67 although the exact figures are 0.3333 and 0.6667.

Minutes to decimal chart

Minutes to decimal hours, 1 to 60, at two and three decimals
Min	2 dec.	3 dec.	Min	2 dec.	3 dec.
1	0.02	0.017	31	0.52	0.517
2	0.03	0.033	32	0.53	0.533
3	0.05	0.050	33	0.55	0.550
4	0.07	0.067	34	0.57	0.567
5	0.08	0.083	35	0.58	0.583
6	0.10	0.100	36	0.60	0.600
7	0.12	0.117	37	0.62	0.617
8	0.13	0.133	38	0.63	0.633
9	0.15	0.150	39	0.65	0.650
10	0.17	0.167	40	0.67	0.667
11	0.18	0.183	41	0.68	0.683
12	0.20	0.200	42	0.70	0.700
13	0.22	0.217	43	0.72	0.717
14	0.23	0.233	44	0.73	0.733
15	0.25	0.250	45	0.75	0.750
16	0.27	0.267	46	0.77	0.767
17	0.28	0.283	47	0.78	0.783
18	0.30	0.300	48	0.80	0.800
19	0.32	0.317	49	0.82	0.817
20	0.33	0.333	50	0.83	0.833
21	0.35	0.350	51	0.85	0.850
22	0.37	0.367	52	0.87	0.867
23	0.38	0.383	53	0.88	0.883
24	0.40	0.400	54	0.90	0.900
25	0.42	0.417	55	0.92	0.917
26	0.43	0.433	56	0.93	0.933
27	0.45	0.450	57	0.95	0.950
28	0.47	0.467	58	0.97	0.967
29	0.48	0.483	59	0.98	0.983
30	0.50	0.500	60	1.00	1.000

This is the same information as a time clock conversion chart: look up the minutes from the time clock, read off the decimal and add the whole hours. For 8 hours 37 minutes, the chart gives 0.62, so the decimal time is 8.62.

Decimal hours to hours and minutes

Minutes = decimal part × 60. The whole number before the decimal point stays as hours.

7.83 hours: 0.83 × 60 = 49.8, so 7 hours 50 minutes.
8.25 hours: 0.25 × 60 = 15, so 8 hours 15 minutes.
6.1 hours: 0.1 × 60 = 6, so 6 hours 6 minutes.
0.75 hours: 45 minutes.

Because two-decimal values are rounded, the reverse conversion can land a fraction of a minute off, as in the 49.8 above. Round to the nearest whole minute. A value such as 7.3 means 7 hours 18 minutes, not 7 hours 30 minutes; the decimal point is the signal that you are no longer looking at minutes.

Rounding traps when adding up

Rounded decimals should be added with care. Two methods give slightly different totals:

Five days of 7 hours 50 minutes, two ways
Method	Calculation	Total
Sum in hh:mm, convert once	5 × 7:50 = 39:10; 10 ÷ 60 = 0.17	39.17
Convert each day, sum the rounded values	5 × 7.83	39.15

The difference is only 0.02 hours here, but a two-week period with 10 rounded entries can drift by several minutes, always in the same direction for the same shift pattern. The correct practice is to total hours and minutes first and convert the final figure, or to carry three decimals during the addition and round to two at the end. The hours calculator adds in hh:mm for exactly this reason.

Decimal hours in payroll

Payroll multiplies hours by a rate, and multiplication needs decimal hours. 8:40 at $20 is not $168 (8.40 × 20) but $173.33 (8.67 × 20). Pay stubs and most time clock exports therefore show decimal hours, while employees tend to think in hours and minutes. The chart above bridges the two.

Employers may round punches to the nearest 5 minutes, tenth of an hour or quarter hour under 29 CFR 785.48(b), provided the rounding is neutral over time. Tenth-of-an-hour rounding is popular precisely because 6-minute steps convert to clean decimals: 0.1, 0.2, 0.3 and so on. Rounding is a separate step from conversion, and the 7-minute rule guide covers when it is and is not acceptable.

Frequently asked questions

How do I convert minutes to decimal hours?

Divide the minutes by 60. 45 minutes is 0.75, 20 minutes is 0.33 and 50 minutes is 0.83. Keep the hours as they are and add the decimal: 7 hours 50 minutes is 7.83. Only 15, 30 and 45 minutes convert exactly; the rest are rounded, normally to two decimals.

What is 7 hours 50 minutes in decimal?

7.83 hours. The 50 minutes divided by 60 give 0.8333, which rounds to 0.83, and the 7 hours are unchanged. At three decimals it is 7.833. At $20 an hour the exact pay is $156.67, not the $150 you would get by misreading it as 7.50.

How do I convert decimal hours back to minutes?

Multiply the part after the decimal point by 60. 0.83 times 60 is 49.8, so 7.83 hours is 7 hours 50 minutes after rounding. 0.25 is 15 minutes, 0.5 is 30 minutes and 0.1 is 6 minutes. The whole number stays as hours.

Is 8.5 hours the same as 8 hours 50 minutes?

No. 8.5 hours is 8 hours 30 minutes, because 0.5 of an hour is 30 minutes. 8 hours 50 minutes is 8.83 in decimal. Confusing the two is the most common timesheet error. A decimal point means fractions of an hour; a colon means minutes.

Why does my total differ from the sum of the daily decimals?

Because each daily decimal is rounded. Five days of 7:50 add up to 39:10, which is 39.17 hours, but five rounded values of 7.83 add up to 39.15. Add the hours and minutes first and convert the total once, or carry three decimals while adding and round at the end.

What is a time clock conversion chart?

It is a table that maps minutes from a time clock to decimal hours so that payroll can multiply by a rate. The chart on this page is one: 37 minutes reads as 0.62, so a punch total of 8 hours 37 minutes becomes 8.62 hours. Some employers use charts in 6-minute or 15-minute steps that also apply rounding.

Related calculators

Sources

29 CFR 785.48 – Use of time clocks (rounding)

Reviewed by the CalcHours editorial team. Calculations are based on the statutes cited below; they do not replace legal or payroll advice.

Last reviewed: October 11, 2026