Add Time Calculator
Add up a list of hours and minutes — shifts, tasks or billable time — or subtract some. The total is shown in hours and minutes, decimal hours and minutes, without the 60-minute carrying mistakes.
Enter some hours and minutes.
On this page
How to add hours and minutes
Adding time trips people up because minutes carry over at 60, not 100. The reliable way is to add the hours and the minutes separately, then turn every 60 minutes into an hour:
- Add the hours: 8 + 7 + 8 = 23 hours.
- Add the minutes: 15 + 50 + 5 = 70 minutes.
- Carry the minutes: 70 minutes = 1 hour 10 minutes, so the total is 24 hours 10 minutes.
- In decimal hours: 24 + 10 ÷ 60 = 24.17 hours.
Don't add times as decimals. 7:50 + 8:15 typed into a regular calculator as 7.50 + 8.15 gives 15.65 — but the right answer is 16 hours 5 minutes, or 16.08 hours.
Subtracting time
Switch a line to − to take time away, for example to subtract unpaid breaks from a total or to see how many hours you have left. When the minutes don't go, borrow an hour: 10:15 − 3:40 becomes 9:75 − 3:40 = 6 hours 35 minutes.
When totals pass 24 hours
A total of hours worked isn't a clock time, so it can go past 24: 41 hours 30 minutes is a normal weekly total. The calculator also shows it as days, hours and minutes (1 day 17 hours 30 minutes) when that's useful, such as for a total of on-call or travel time.
Frequently asked questions
How do I add hours and minutes in Excel?
Enter times as h:mm (for example 7:50), add them with =SUM(), and format the result cell as [h]:mm so it doesn't reset at 24 hours. Multiply by 24 to get decimal hours.
What is 7:45 plus 8:30?
16 hours 15 minutes: 7 + 8 = 15 hours and 45 + 30 = 75 minutes = 1 hour 15 minutes. In decimal, 16.25 hours.
Can I add more than eight lines?
Add the first eight, note the total, then reset and start the next batch with that total on the first line.
Sources
- Base-60 time arithmetic; decimal hours = minutes ÷ 60. How we calculate.