China break rules depend on working-time treatment and local practice. Everhour turns calendar events into timesheet entries.
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A China break calculation answers one practical question: how many hours count as working time after meal, rest, and short work breaks are separated. China's standard working-time system sets ordinary work at 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week, so the break total affects both daily paid time and weekly totals.
National law does not specify one universal meal-break or rest-break duration for ordinary adult employees. An ILO working-time review describes meal and rest breaks after about 4 hours, generally lasting 1 to 2 hours depending on the job, with at least 30 minutes excluded from working time. Short work breaks can be different because some 20-minute morning and afternoon work breaks count as working time.
Start with total shift span, subtract unpaid meal or rest time, and keep paid short work breaks inside working time. The base formula is: paid working time equals shift span minus unpaid break time. Straight-time gross pay equals paid working time multiplied by the hourly wage, before taxes, deductions, overtime premiums, rest-day premiums, statutory-holiday premiums, or contract rules.
For example, a production employee is on site for 10 hours at ¥42 per hour. The employee takes one unpaid 1-hour meal break and two 20-minute work breaks that count as working time. Paid working time is 10 hours minus 1 hour, or 9 hours. Straight-time gross pay is 9 hours times ¥42, or ¥378.00.
A common mistake is subtracting every pause from the day before checking whether the pause is unpaid. In China, the useful split is ordinary hours, unpaid meal or rest time, short breaks that count as working time, rest-day work, and statutory-holiday work. That structure keeps the calculation aligned with the pay category instead of hiding premium time inside one daily total.
China's Labor Law requires at least 150% of normal wages for extended working hours, 200% for rest-day work when compensatory leave is not arranged, and 300% for work on statutory holidays. Overtime after consultation with the trade union and workers generally may not exceed 1 hour per day. For special reasons, it may not exceed 3 hours per day and 36 hours per month, provided worker health is protected.
A one-off calculator is enough for checking a single shift, correcting a missed lunch entry, or explaining why a short work break stayed paid. It works best when the inputs are known: start time, end time, unpaid break length, paid break treatment, hourly wage, and whether the day is ordinary work, a rest day, or a statutory holiday.
A managed workflow is the better fit when the same team records breaks every week. Calendar-based entries, clock-in and clock-out records, break handling, approvals, and exports reduce re-entry before payroll review. Everhour can turn Google, Outlook, and iCloud calendar events into timesheet entries within a configurable time window, while excluding all-day, recurring, and pre-connection events.
This content is for general information only, may not be fully up to date, and is provided without any warranty or liability.
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China's national Labor Law and State Council working-hours regulation set working-hour caps, weekly rest, holidays, and overtime rules, but they do not specify one universal meal-break or rest-break duration for ordinary adult employees. Employers should apply the relevant national framework, local rules, approved schedule type, employment contract, and workplace policy.
Subtract only unpaid meal or rest time that is excluded from working time. The ILO working-time review of China describes meal and rest breaks as generally beginning after about 4 hours of work, lasting about 1 to 2 hours, with at least 30 minutes not counted as working time. Short work breaks may still count as working time.
Some short work breaks count as working time. The ILO review notes that some enterprises provide 20-minute work breaks in the morning and afternoon after about 2 hours of work, and those work breaks count as working time. Treat short breaks separately from unpaid meal or rest periods before calculating paid hours.
Rest-day and statutory-holiday hours can use different pay rates from ordinary extended hours. China's Labor Law requires at least 150% of normal wages for extended working hours, 200% for rest-day work when compensatory leave is not arranged, and 300% for statutory-holiday work. Separate columns prevent one blended total from understating premium pay.
An approved irregular or comprehensive working-hour system can change how working time is organized when the standard 8-hour-day and 40-hour-week system cannot be implemented because of the nature of work or production. Approval is required under the relevant framework. The break calculation still needs clear inputs for unpaid break time, paid working time, rest-day work, and holiday work.
Everhour integrates with Google Calendar, Outlook Calendar, and iCloud Calendar, turning events with defined start and end times into timesheet entries within a configurable 15-minute to 3-hour window. All-day, recurring, and pre-connection events are excluded, which keeps calendar-based time capture focused on current scheduled work.
Convert eligible calendar events into timesheet entries, review break-adjusted hours, and approve records before payroll handoff. Everhour keeps scheduled work and time records connected for cleaner timesheet review.
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