Everhour supports approved timesheets for payroll review, while U.S. lunch-break calculations still need federal and state rule checks.
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.
A lunch-break calculation answers whether a break should reduce payable hours on a timesheet. For adult employees under the federal baseline, federal law does not require meal or rest breaks. State law, employer policy, or a contract can create stricter break requirements, so the first question is whether a break is required at all in the worker's location and category.
The second question is whether the break counts as hours worked. Short breaks provided by an employer, usually about 5 to 20 minutes, are compensable under federal law and count toward weekly overtime. A bona fide meal period is generally unpaid only when it lasts 30 minutes or more and the employee is completely relieved from duty.
Start with the gross shift span, subtract only unpaid bona fide meal periods, then total the paid hours inside the fixed workweek. An FLSA workweek is a fixed and regularly recurring period of seven consecutive 24-hour periods. Covered, nonexempt employees in the United States must receive overtime pay for hours worked over 40 in that workweek.
For example, an employee is on the schedule for 48 hours in one fixed workweek at $29 per hour and takes five 30-minute meals while completely relieved from duty. Unpaid meal time is 2.5 hours, so paid time is 45.5 hours. Regular pay is 40 × $29 = $1,160.00. Overtime is 5.5 × $43.50 = $239.25. Total gross pay before taxes, deductions, or state premiums is $1,399.25.
A state-by-state lunch-break review should separate three items: whether the state requires a meal period, whether the break is paid or unpaid, and whether missed-break premiums or penalties apply. The federal baseline does not create an adult meal-break mandate, so a required lunch break usually comes from state law, employer policy, or a contract.
The common mistake is treating every scheduled lunch as unpaid. A 30-minute entry is unpaid only when the employee is completely relieved of duty. If the employee answers calls, covers a counter, monitors equipment, or performs duties while eating, that time remains hours worked under the federal baseline and can affect overtime for covered nonexempt employees.
A one-off calculation is enough when you need to check one shift, subtract one unpaid meal, or confirm whether a weekly total crosses 40 paid hours. It also works for a quick audit when the break facts are clear: start time, end time, break length, relieved-of-duty status, hourly rate, and fixed workweek.
A managed workflow becomes necessary when multiple employees, locations, approvals, and payroll handoffs are involved. Everhour Timesheets collect weekly project hours and working hours by person, let users submit time for review, and let admins approve, reject, partially approve, or lock entries before payroll or billing uses the totals.
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.
Federal law does not require lunch or coffee breaks for adult employees. Break requirements, when they exist, come from state law, employer policy, or a contract. Federal law still controls how provided breaks are counted for covered nonexempt employees when deciding paid hours and weekly overtime.
An automatic lunch deduction is accurate only when the employee actually takes an unpaid bona fide meal period and is completely relieved from duty. If the employee works through lunch or performs duties while eating, the deducted time remains hours worked under the federal baseline and should be corrected.
Short breaks provided by an employer, usually about 5 to 20 minutes, are compensable hours worked under federal law. Those paid minutes count toward the weekly total for covered nonexempt employees, including overtime after 40 hours in a fixed FLSA workweek.
Start with the employee's work state, worker category, shift length, age category if relevant, and employer policy or contract. Then separate the state mandate from the pay calculation. A state can require a break, but the federal paid-versus-unpaid test still depends on whether the employee is completely relieved from duty.
Lunch deductions change overtime pay when they change the paid hours inside the fixed workweek. Covered, nonexempt employees in the United States receive overtime for hours worked over 40 in that workweek at not less than one and one-half times the regular rate.
Everhour Timesheets collect weekly project hours and working hours by person, then route submitted time for manager review. Admins can approve, reject, partially approve, or lock entries, giving payroll and billing teams a clearer record before final totals are used.
Track approved weekly hours before payroll or billing deadlines. Everhour Timesheets give teams submitted, reviewed, and locked time records that support cleaner payroll and billing review.
14-day free trial · No credit card · Cancel anytime
