Everhour supports approved timesheets, while break pay rules still require clear separation between paid and unpaid time.
Enter your daily hours and rate to instantly calculate total hours, regular pay, and any overtime — no spreadsheet needed.
The calculator gives you the number — Everhour takes it from there.
One click and you're timing. Start a timer, add an entry, edit the details. This is exactly how it feels in Everhour.
Set a budget, assign rates, and get alerted before you're over.
Measurement
Track your budget through time or costs
Every report you need — configured your way, always up to date.
Tracked hours flow straight into a polished invoice — no copy-paste, no manual math.
This calculation answers how many paid hours remain after you classify each break on a U.S. timesheet. A short employer-provided break, usually about 5 to 20 minutes, stays in paid hours under federal law. A bona fide meal period is generally unpaid only when the employee is completely relieved from duty and the break is usually 30 minutes or longer.
The result matters for straight-time pay, weekly overtime checks, billing review, and payroll handoff. Federal law does not require lunch or coffee breaks for adult employees. Break requirements, when they exist, come from state law or employer policy, so the calculation should separate federal paid-hour arithmetic from any state-specific mandate or company rule.
Start with the gross shift span from clock-in to clock-out. Keep short paid breaks inside that span because federal law treats those minutes as compensable hours worked when the employer provides them. Subtract only unpaid meal periods that meet the relieved-of-duty test. Time spent answering calls, watching equipment, serving customers, or doing required tasks while eating remains hours worked.
Use actual minutes before converting to decimal hours. A 20-minute paid break is not added on top of the shift because it already sits inside the gross span. A 60-minute unpaid meal is subtracted once. Rounding can apply to the nearest 5 minutes, tenth, or quarter-hour only when the method averages out over time and does not underpay employees for actual hours worked.
Use this formula: paid hours = gross shift span minus unpaid break time. Pay equals paid hours times the regular hourly rate, before any weekly overtime adjustment. For example, an employee clocks in from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, a 9-hour span, earns $26 per hour, takes one paid 20-minute rest break, and takes one unpaid 1-hour meal period.
The paid rest break stays in the 9-hour span. The unpaid meal period comes out, so paid hours are 8 hours. Straight-time pay for the shift is 8 hours times $26, or $208. If the employee is covered and nonexempt, weekly totals still control federal overtime. Hours worked over 40 in one fixed FLSA workweek require at least 1.5 times the regular rate.
A one-off calculation is enough when you need to check one shift, separate one meal deduction, or explain a payroll line item. It also works for a quick estimate before entering time into payroll. The calculation stops being enough when multiple people submit timesheets, breaks vary by day, approvals matter, or weekly overtime must be checked before billing or payroll.
Everhour Timesheets collect weekly project hours and working hours by person, then let users submit time for approval. Managers can approve, reject, partially approve, and lock submitted time before reports, billing, or payroll review. That workflow keeps break decisions attached to reviewed timesheets instead of scattered across notes, spreadsheets, and correction messages.
This content is for general information only, may not be fully up to date, and is provided without any warranty or liability.
High Performer
G2
Summer 2026
Best Ease Of Use
Capterra
Summer 2026
Rated in the top time trackers across G2, Capterra, and TrustRadius — with consistent praise for ease of use, integrations, and support.
Short employer-provided breaks, usually about 5 to 20 minutes, stay paid under federal law and count as hours worked. A meal period is generally unpaid only when the employee is completely relieved from duty. State law or employer policy can require specific breaks, but the federal arithmetic starts with whether the time is compensable.
A meal spent doing work stays paid because the employee is not completely relieved from duty. Required desk coverage, customer service, phone monitoring, cleanup, equipment watching, and work messages during the meal period all point to working time. The label on the schedule does not control the calculation.
Paid break minutes should stay in hours worked when the employer provides a short break that falls in the usual 5-to-20-minute range. Deducting those minutes lowers paid hours and can also lower weekly overtime. Review the break type first, then subtract only unpaid meal periods that meet the relieved-of-duty standard.
The FLSA does not require extra pay for Saturdays, Sundays, holidays, or regular rest days unless weekly overtime is worked. Covered, nonexempt employees receive overtime after 40 hours in a fixed workweek at not less than one and one-half times the regular rate. State law, policy, or contract terms can create stricter rules.
Break deductions are usually applied to each shift, but overtime must be checked by fixed workweek for covered nonexempt employees. An FLSA workweek is 168 fixed hours, seven consecutive 24-hour periods. Hours cannot be averaged across multiple workweeks to avoid overtime.
Everhour Timesheets collect weekly project hours and working hours by person, then support submit, approve, reject, and partially approve workflows. Submitted and approved time can be locked, so payroll or billing review uses a reviewed record instead of editable notes.
Track approved weekly hours in Everhour Timesheets, lock reviewed entries, and keep payroll or billing handoff tied to a clear approval record.
14-day free trial · No credit card · Cancel anytime
