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Workplace Labor & Calculation Standards

Work Hours & Payroll Educational Guides

Step-by-step guides on time tracking mathematics, lunch break deductions, FLSA overtime standards, and paycheck audits.

Time Tracking
8 min read2026-10-24

How to Calculate Hours Worked: The Complete Step-by-Step Guide

Learn how to calculate daily and weekly work hours, subtract unpaid breaks, calculate overnight shifts crossing midnight, and convert minutes into payroll decimals.

Core Topic Focus:
  • Standard 12-hour AM/PM times must be converted to 24-hour military time or integer minutes before subtraction.
  • For shifts crossing 12:00 AM midnight, use the modulo midnight formula: (1440 - Clock In) + Clock Out.
By TimeCard Web Editorial Team
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Payroll Compliance
8 min read2026-10-24

How to Calculate Work Hours with Lunch Breaks: FLSA Rules & Formulas

Learn how to deduct lunch breaks from work hours, understand FLSA 29 CFR § 785.19 meal guidelines, and avoid common automatic deduction paycheck errors.

Core Topic Focus:
  • Under 29 CFR § 785.19, an unpaid meal break ordinarily lasts at least 30 minutes (though shorter periods may qualify under special conditions); complete relief from all duties is central.
  • Short rest breaks lasting 5 to 20 minutes are compensable work hours under 29 CFR § 785.18 and cannot be deducted.
By TimeCard Web Editorial Team
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Overtime & Wages
9 min read2026-10-24

How to Calculate Overtime Pay: FLSA Formulas, Regular Rates & Examples

Learn how to calculate 1.5x time-and-a-half overtime, determine the statutory regular rate of pay under 29 U.S.C. § 207, and avoid common payroll calculation errors.

Core Topic Focus:
  • Under the federal Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA 29 U.S.C. § 207), covered nonexempt employees must receive overtime pay of at least 1.5× their regular rate of pay for all hours worked over 40 in a single workweek.
  • Basic Overtime Formula: Overtime Hourly Rate = Base Regular Rate × 1.5. Total Weekly Pay = (40 × Regular Rate) + (Overtime Hours × Overtime Rate).
By TimeCard Web Editorial Team
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Payroll Compliance
8 min read2026-10-24

Biweekly Overtime Explained: Why 80 Hours Does Not Mean Zero Overtime

Learn why federal FLSA law evaluates overtime on a standalone workweek basis (29 CFR § 778.104) and how an 80-hour biweekly paycheck can still include overtime.

Core Topic Focus:
  • Under 29 CFR § 778.104, federal law evaluates overtime on a single-workweek basis: each 7-day (168-hour) workweek stands alone.
  • An employer cannot average hours worked over two weeks: working 45 hours in Week 1 and 35 hours in Week 2 requires 5 hours of overtime pay, even though the total is 80 hours.
By TimeCard Web Editorial Team
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Time Tracking
6 min read2026-10-25

Decimal Hours Conversion Chart: 1 to 60 Minutes Matrix for Payroll

Complete 1 to 60 minute decimal hours conversion chart for payroll. Includes 2-decimal and 4-decimal fractions, 8:30 vs 8.30 error demonstration, and free CSV download.

Core Topic Focus:
  • Clock time uses base 60 (60 minutes = 1 hour), whereas payroll accounting software operates on base 10 (hundredths of an hour).
  • To convert minutes to decimal hours, divide minutes by 60 (e.g. 15 min ÷ 60 = 0.25h; 45 min ÷ 60 = 0.75h).
By TimeCard Web Editorial Team
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Payroll Compliance
7 min read2026-10-25

How to Read a Pay Stub: Regular Hours, Overtime Hours & Gross Pay

Learn how to read your pay stub hours, verify regular and overtime line items, distinguish gross from net pay, and reconcile timesheets under FLSA recordkeeping rules.

Core Topic Focus:
  • Pay stubs and itemized wage statements typically display designated pay period start and end dates; hours worked outside those calendar dates belong to a different payroll cycle.
  • Employers subject to FLSA recordkeeping requirements must maintain records sufficient to show required hours and wage information. Employee-facing pay-statement formats and disclosure requirements vary by jurisdiction. Many payroll statements separately display regular and overtime earnings, but the exact format varies.
By TimeCard Web Editorial Team
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Free Online Calculators

Calculate Your Work Hours in Seconds

Put these formulas into practice using our collection of seven free, private, integer-minute calculation utilities.

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