Subtract a break once
09:00–17:30 is 8 hours 30 minutes on site. A 30-minute unpaid break leaves 8 worked hours. Enter 30 in the unpaid-break field.
Do not also split out that same break and subtract it again. For separate shifts of 09:00–12:00 and 12:30–17:30, the half-hour gap is already excluded.
Add multiple unpaid breaks before entering the total
For 09:00–17:30 with a 30-minute unpaid lunch and a separate 15-minute unpaid break, enter 45 break minutes. The result is 8 hours 30 minutes minus 45 minutes: 7 hours 45 minutes, or 7.75 decimal hours.
If that second 15-minute break counts as paid working time, enter only the 30 unpaid minutes instead. The result is then 8 worked hours. Keep a note of the break types in your own record so the total can be checked.
Planning a clock-out time uses the same break in reverse
When you calculate hours already worked, subtract an unpaid break from the elapsed shift. When you plan a finish time, add it to your target work duration. Starting at 08:15 with a target of 7 hours 30 minutes and 45 unpaid break minutes gives a finish time of 16:30.
Use the clock-out calculator to plan one continuous workday. For separate work periods with a long gap, enter each period in the timecard calculator so the gap is excluded automatically.
Paid breaks are different
A break counted as paid working time should not be entered as unpaid. Use the policy applicable to your record; the calculator does not decide whether a break is legally paid.
Unpaid breaks cannot be negative or longer than the shift. Incorrect values must be fixed before a final export.
Calculate your shift
Use the timecard calculator with unpaid breaks and overnight shifts to add a week or two weeks of completed shifts. If you know your start time and the work hours you need to complete, use the clock-out calculator with a lunch break to find your finishing time.