Everhour Timesheets organize work hours for approval, but break-period math still starts with paid versus unpaid time.
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A break-period calculation tells you which minutes stay in the paid total and which minutes come out. For U.S. adult employees, federal law does not require lunch or coffee breaks. Break requirements, when they exist, come from state law or employer policy. The federal arithmetic still matters because payroll totals depend on whether each break counts as hours worked.
The calculation answers three practical questions: total span, unpaid break deduction, and paid hours. Short breaks provided by an employer, usually about 5 to 20 minutes, are compensable hours worked under federal law and count toward weekly overtime. A bona fide meal period is generally unpaid only when the employee is completely relieved from duty.
Start with the full clock span, then subtract only unpaid break time. A 10-minute rest break stays in the paid total. A 45-minute duty-free meal period comes out if the employee performs no duties during that time. An employee who answers calls, monitors a desk, or handles work while eating is still working for that meal period.
For example, assume an adult employee is on site for 10 hours at $27 per hour, takes two paid 10-minute rest breaks, and takes one duty-free 45-minute meal period. The rest breaks do not reduce pay. The unpaid meal equals 0.75 hour, so paid time is 9.25 hours. Straight-time pay for that day is $249.75.
Covered, nonexempt employees in the United States must receive overtime pay for hours worked over 40 in a fixed workweek. The FLSA workweek is 168 fixed hours, seven consecutive 24-hour periods, and hours cannot be averaged across multiple workweeks for overtime. Break-period math therefore changes overtime only when it changes hours actually worked in that workweek.
A common mistake is subtracting paid rest breaks before checking overtime. That understates hours worked because short paid breaks count toward weekly overtime. Another mistake is treating every lunch label as unpaid. The unpaid result depends on the relieved-of-duty test, state law, and policy or contract terms, not the word "lunch" in a timesheet row.
A calculator is enough when you need a single shift total, a quick payroll check, or a clean explanation of why a paid break stayed in the hours worked total. It also works for a small correction when the break start time, break end time, and work status are already clear.
A managed workflow matters when break entries affect weekly payroll, billing review, or manager approval. Everhour Timesheets collect weekly project hours and working hours by person, let users submit time for approval, and let admins approve, reject, partially approve, or lock time entries before payroll or billing review.
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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Only unpaid break periods reduce paid time. Under federal law, short employer-provided breaks, usually about 5 to 20 minutes, are compensable hours worked. A bona fide meal period is generally unpaid only when the employee is completely relieved from duty. State law, employer policy, or a contract can add stricter rules.
Subtract only unpaid break time from the total clock span. A 9-hour span with a duty-free 30-minute meal equals 8.5 paid hours. Paid rest breaks stay inside the paid total. Convert minutes to decimal hours by dividing minutes by 60, so 30 minutes equals 0.5 hour.
A break period affects weekly overtime when it changes hours actually worked. Covered, nonexempt employees receive overtime after 40 hours worked in a fixed workweek under the FLSA, at not less than 1.5 times the regular rate. Paid short breaks count toward that weekly total. Properly unpaid meal periods do not.
Federal time-clock rounding can use the nearest 5 minutes, tenth, or quarter-hour only when the practice averages out over time and does not underpay employees for actual hours worked. Rounding a 22-minute unpaid break to 30 minutes creates a payroll risk if the employee actually worked the missing minutes.
Federal law does not require lunch or coffee breaks for adult employees. State law, employer policy, or a contract can require breaks. When an employer provides breaks, federal pay rules still decide whether the break counts as hours worked, with short breaks generally paid and duty-free bona fide meal periods generally unpaid.
Everhour Timesheets collect weekly project hours and working hours by person so managers can review time before payroll or billing. Users submit time for approval, and admins can approve, reject, partially approve, or lock submitted entries when corrections are needed.
Move recurring break-period checks into a review flow. Everhour Timesheets keep submitted time controlled through approval, rejection, partial approval, and locked entries before payroll or billing.
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