How to convert minutes to decimal
Divide the minutes by 60. That’s it. 15 minutes is 15 ÷ 60 = 0.25 hours. Then add the whole hours: 7 hours 45 minutes = 7 + 0.75 = 7.75 hours.
To go the other way, multiply the decimal part by 60. 8.3 hours → 0.3 × 60 = 18 minutes → 8 hours 18 minutes (not 8 hours 30 minutes).
Minutes to decimal chart
Why payroll uses decimal hours
You can’t multiply “7:45” by a pay rate, but you can multiply 7.75. That is why time clocks and payroll software convert everything to decimals. The classic mistake is reading 7:45 as 7.45 — which underpays by 18 minutes (0.30 hours) every time it happens. Over a year of daily shifts, that is more than 70 hours of lost pay.
Hundredths vs. tenths
Some employers track time in tenths of an hour, which are 6-minute steps. Rounding each punch to the nearest tenth is one of the methods 29 CFR 785.48(b) permits, along with rounding to the nearest 5 minutes or the nearest quarter hour, provided it does not, over a period of time, leave employees short of pay for the time they actually worked. Rounded to the nearest tenth:
| Minutes past the hour | Tenths of an hour |
|---|---|
| 0–2 | 0.0 |
| 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 | 1.0 |
Need to total a whole week? The time card calculator shows every day in both formats. For the rounding rules, see our time clock rounding guide.
Sources and limits
The rules on this page come from these official sources, which we read on September 26, 2026. Pay rules change and differ by state, and some employers and union contracts pay more than the law requires. This page is general information, not legal or payroll advice. If you think you have been underpaid, contact the U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour Division or your state labor department.