Payroll time conversion chart: minutes to decimal hours

Payroll needs hours as decimals. Divide the minutes by 60: 15 min = .25, 30 min = .50, 45 min = .75. So 8 hours 20 minutes = 8.33 hours. The chart below covers every minute from 1 to 60; print it or download the PDF.

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onlineclock.app/payroll-time-conversion-chart · minutes ÷ 60 = decimal hours

Minutes to decimal hours (1–60)

Find the minutes, read the decimal. Add it to the whole hours: 6 h 38 min = 6 + .63 = 6.63 hours.

Min	Decimal	Min	Decimal	Min	Decimal	Min	Decimal
1	0.02	16	0.27	31	0.52	46	0.77
2	0.03	17	0.28	32	0.53	47	0.78
3	0.05	18	0.30	33	0.55	48	0.80
4	0.07	19	0.32	34	0.57	49	0.82
5	0.08	20	0.33	35	0.58	50	0.83
6	0.10	21	0.35	36	0.60	51	0.85
7	0.12	22	0.37	37	0.62	52	0.87
8	0.13	23	0.38	38	0.63	53	0.88
9	0.15	24	0.40	39	0.65	54	0.90
10	0.17	25	0.42	40	0.67	55	0.92
11	0.18	26	0.43	41	0.68	56	0.93
12	0.20	27	0.45	42	0.70	57	0.95
13	0.22	28	0.47	43	0.72	58	0.97
14	0.23	29	0.48	44	0.73	59	0.98
15	0.25	30	0.50	45	0.75	60	1.00

Rounding to the quarter hour (the "7-minute rule")

Minutes past the hour → round to. Example: a 9:07 punch counts as 9:00; 9:08 counts as 9:15.

Minutes past the hour	Rounds to	Decimal
0–7	:00	.00
8–22	:15	.25
23–37	:30	.50
38–52	:45	.75
53–59	next :00	1.00 (next hour)

Rounding to tenths of an hour (6-minute steps)

Minutes	Tenths	Minutes	Tenths	Minutes	Tenths	Minutes	Tenths
1–3	.0	16–21	.3	34–39	.6	52–57	.9
4–9	.1	22–27	.4	40–45	.7	58–60	1.0
10–15	.2	28–33	.5	46–51	.8

How to use it on a time card

Work out the time worked each day (out minus in, minus unpaid breaks). The time card calculator does this for you, including lunch and overnight shifts.
Split the total into hours and minutes, for example 38 h 50 min.
Look up the minutes: 50 min = .83. Total = 38.83 hours.
Multiply by the rate: 38.83 × $17.25 = $669.82. Over 40 hours in a week? See the overtime calculator.

Is rounding legal?

Under US federal law, employers may round recorded time to the nearest 5 minutes, tenth of an hour or quarter hour, but only if the practice works both ways and does not, over time, fail to pay employees for all the time they actually worked (29 CFR 785.48(b)). Rounding that always favors the employer is not allowed. Several states are stricter, and many employers now pay to the exact minute. This chart is for convenience, not legal advice.

Questions people ask

How do I convert minutes to decimal hours for payroll?

Divide the minutes by 60. 45 minutes = 45 ÷ 60 = 0.75 hours, so 7 hours 45 minutes is 7.75 hours. Then multiply by the hourly rate: 7.75 × $20 = $155.

What is 7 hours 30 minutes in decimal?

7.5 hours (30 ÷ 60 = 0.5).

What is the 7-minute rule?

A common way to round punches to the nearest quarter hour: 1–7 minutes past the quarter round down, 8–14 round up. US federal rules (29 CFR 785.48(b)) allow rounding to the nearest 5 minutes, tenth or quarter of an hour only if it evens out over time and does not short-change employees. Some states are stricter, so check your state labor office.

Is 0.1 hours 6 minutes?

Yes. One tenth of an hour is 6 minutes, so 0.5 hours is 30 minutes and 0.75 is 45 minutes.

Should I use 2 decimal places?

Most payroll systems use two (hundredths). Some round to tenths. Use whatever your payroll provider or employer specifies, and apply it the same way every time.

Sources

Last updated October 21, 2026.