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About decimal hours
Payroll and timesheet programs often want hours as a decimal number: 7 hours 30 minutes is 7.5 hours, and 45 minutes is 0.75 hours. A clock shows hours and minutes, so you have to convert.
Type the minutes (and the hours, if any) and the converter shows the decimal hours at once. It also rounds to the nearest tenth and the nearest quarter hour, the two rules most employers use, and shows the steps. It works the other way too: 7.75 hours is 7:45. To add up a week, choose Add up a list and paste your times.
Features
- Minutes to decimal — 45 min = 0.75 h, 1:15 = 1.25 h
- Decimal to hours:minutes — 7.75 h = 7:45, 8.33 h = 8:19:48
- Payroll rounding — nearest tenth (6 minutes) and nearest quarter hour (15 minutes)
- Add up a list — paste 7:30, 7h 45m or 45 min lines and get the total
- Steps shown — the division by 60 and the rounding, with your numbers
- Chart in the tool — every 5 minutes as a decimal, your row marked
- Saved on your device — your list is still there next time
The formula
Decimal hours = hours + minutes ÷ 60
- 45 minutes: 45 ÷ 60 = 0.75 hours
- 7 hours 30 minutes: 7 + 30 ÷ 60 = 7 + 0.5 = 7.5 hours
- 20 minutes: 20 ÷ 60 = 0.3333… ≈ 0.33 hours
And back: minutes = the decimal part × 60. For 7.75 hours, 0.75 × 60 = 45, so 7.75 hours is 7 hours 45 minutes.
| Decimal hours | Hours:minutes |
|---|---|
| 0.1 | 0:06 |
| 0.25 | 0:15 |
| 0.5 | 0:30 |
| 0.75 | 0:45 |
| 1.2 | 1:12 |
| 4.6 | 4:36 |
| 7.5 | 7:30 |
| 7.75 | 7:45 |
| 8.33 | 8:19:48 |
| 37.5 | 37:30 |
Minutes to decimal hours chart (1–60)
Rounded to 2 decimals, as most payroll forms use.
| Minutes | Hours | Minutes | Hours | Minutes | Hours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.02 | 21 | 0.35 | 41 | 0.68 |
| 2 | 0.03 | 22 | 0.37 | 42 | 0.7 |
| 3 | 0.05 | 23 | 0.38 | 43 | 0.72 |
| 4 | 0.07 | 24 | 0.4 | 44 | 0.73 |
| 5 | 0.08 | 25 | 0.42 | 45 | 0.75 |
| 6 | 0.1 | 26 | 0.43 | 46 | 0.77 |
| 7 | 0.12 | 27 | 0.45 | 47 | 0.78 |
| 8 | 0.13 | 28 | 0.47 | 48 | 0.8 |
| 9 | 0.15 | 29 | 0.48 | 49 | 0.82 |
| 10 | 0.17 | 30 | 0.5 | 50 | 0.83 |
| 11 | 0.18 | 31 | 0.52 | 51 | 0.85 |
| 12 | 0.2 | 32 | 0.53 | 52 | 0.87 |
| 13 | 0.22 | 33 | 0.55 | 53 | 0.88 |
| 14 | 0.23 | 34 | 0.57 | 54 | 0.9 |
| 15 | 0.25 | 35 | 0.58 | 55 | 0.92 |
| 16 | 0.27 | 36 | 0.6 | 56 | 0.93 |
| 17 | 0.28 | 37 | 0.62 | 57 | 0.95 |
| 18 | 0.3 | 38 | 0.63 | 58 | 0.97 |
| 19 | 0.32 | 39 | 0.65 | 59 | 0.98 |
| 20 | 0.33 | 40 | 0.67 | 60 | 1 |
Rounding to the tenth or the quarter hour
Many employers do not pay by the exact minute. They round each time to a block:
- Tenth of an hour = blocks of 6 minutes (0.1 h). Lawyers and consultants often bill this way.
- Quarter hour = blocks of 15 minutes (0.25 h). In the US this is often called the 7-minute rule: 1 to 7 minutes round down, 8 to 14 round up.
The converter rounds to the nearest block; a time exactly in the middle rounds up. Some firms always round up or always down — ask which rule your employer uses.
Nearest tenth of an hour
| Minutes | Decimal hours |
|---|---|
| 0–2 | 0 |
| 3–8 | 0.1 |
| 9–14 | 0.2 |
| 15–20 | 0.3 |
| 21–26 | 0.4 |
| 27–32 | 0.5 |
| 33–38 | 0.6 |
| 39–44 | 0.7 |
| 45–50 | 0.8 |
| 51–56 | 0.9 |
| 57–60 | 1 |
Nearest quarter hour
| Minutes | Decimal hours |
|---|---|
| 0–7 | 0 |
| 8–22 | 0.25 |
| 23–37 | 0.5 |
| 38–52 | 0.75 |
| 53–60 | 1 |
Example: a week on a timesheet
| Day | Hours:minutes | Decimal (exact) | Decimal (2 places) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 7:30 | 7.5 | 7.5 |
| Tuesday | 8:15 | 8.25 | 8.25 |
| Wednesday | 7:45 | 7.75 | 7.75 |
| Thursday | 6:50 | 6.8333 | 6.83 |
| Friday | 8:20 | 8.3333 | 8.33 |
| Total | 38:40 | 38.6667 | 38.67 |
The exact total is 38:40, which is 38.67 hours. If you round every day to 2 decimals first and then add, you get 38.66 — a little less. That is why Add up a list adds the exact minutes first and rounds only the total.
Frequently asked questions
What is 45 minutes as a decimal?
45 ÷ 60 = 0.75. So 45 minutes is 0.75 hours.
How do I convert 7 hours 30 minutes to decimal?
Divide the minutes by 60 and add the hours: 30 ÷ 60 = 0.5, so 7:30 is 7.5 hours.
How do I turn decimal hours back into hours and minutes?
Keep the whole number as hours and multiply the decimal part by 60. 8.25 hours: 0.25 × 60 = 15, so it is 8 hours 15 minutes.
Is 7.5 hours the same as 7 hours 50 minutes?
No. 7.5 hours is 7 hours 30 minutes, because 0.5 of an hour is 30 minutes. 7 hours 50 minutes is 7.83 hours.
What is the 7-minute rule?
It is a way to round to the nearest quarter hour: 1 to 7 minutes past a quarter round down, and 8 to 14 minutes round up. So 8:07 counts as 8:00 and 8:08 counts as 8:15.
Should I round each day or only the total?
For the most exact pay, add the real minutes and round only the total. If your employer rounds each day, use the tenth or quarter hour value of each day.
Related tools
- Work Hours Calculator — clock-in and clock-out times, breaks and pay
- Time Duration Calculator — the time between a start and an end
- Overtime Calculator — overtime hours at time and a half
- Printable Timesheet — a weekly timesheet to print and fill in
- Military Time Converter — 24-hour time to AM/PM and back
How to use it
- Choose Minutes → decimal, Decimal → h:mm or Add up a list
- Type the minutes (and the hours, if any), or tap an example like 45 min or 7:30
- Read the decimal hours and the rounded values in the result
- To add up a week, paste one time per line in Add up a list
- Press Copy to copy the result and the steps
