DateDelta

Decimal Time Calculator

Payroll systems want 7.75 hours, not 7 hours 45 minutes — this converts between the two instantly.

Hours

Minutes

Seconds

Decimal hours

7.758

Useful for timesheets and payroll, which usually need decimal hours rather than HH:MM:SS.

What you entered

Hours: 7Minutes: 45Seconds: 30

1
Convert minutes to a fraction of an hour
45 ÷ 60= 0.75
2
Convert seconds to a fraction of an hour
30 ÷ 3600= 0.0083
3
Sum hours, minutes, and seconds as decimal hours
7 + 0.75 + 0.0083= 7.7583 hours

Result

Decimal hours: 7.758

7h 45m 30s converts to 7.758333333333334 decimal hours.

Hours and minutes converted to decimal hours

Divide the minutes by 60 and add to the hours. Payroll systems almost always want decimal hours.

Time worked	Decimal hours
0h 20m	0.3333
1h 15m	1.2500
2h 50m 30s	2.8417
7h 45m	7.7500
8h 30m	8.5000
9h 6m	9.1000

The conversion people get wrong is writing 7h 45m as 7.45 rather than 7.75 - minutes are sixtieths, not hundredths, so 45 minutes is three quarters of an hour. The 9h 6m row is the coincidence that makes it look easy: 6 minutes really is 0.1 hours, which is why time is often rounded to the nearest 6 minutes in professional billing. Only 0, 6, 12, 18 and so on convert to clean decimals; everything else recurs, as the 20-minute row shows at 0.3333.

Why payroll uses decimal hours

Decimal hours are easier to multiply by an hourly rate than clock time — 7.75 hours × $20/hr is simple multiplication, while 7 hours 45 minutes × $20/hr requires converting the minutes first anyway.

The common mistake

45 minutes is not '.45' of an hour — it's 45 ÷ 60 = 0.75 hours. Treating minutes as if they were already a decimal (using the minute value directly after the decimal point) is a frequent payroll calculation error.

Frequently asked questions

I worked 7 hours and 45 minutes — what do I enter on my timesheet?

7.75 hours. Minutes ÷ 60 gives the decimal: 45/60 = 0.75. A common mistake is writing 7.45, but that's wrong — 0.45 hours is only 27 minutes, not 45. This tool does the conversion automatically.

My timesheet shows 38.25 hours — how many hours and minutes is that?

38 hours and 0.25 × 60 = 15 minutes. So 38 hours 15 minutes total. Enter the decimal above and the HH:MM:SS format appears instantly.

Why do payroll systems use decimal hours instead of HH:MM?

Decimal hours are much easier to multiply by an hourly rate. 7.75 hours × $25/hr = $193.75 — simple multiplication. Doing 7:45 × $25 requires converting minutes to a fraction of an hour first, which is where payroll errors happen.