The formula
Decimal hours = minutes ÷ 60
So 45 minutes is 45 ÷ 60 = 0.75 hours, and 7 hours 45 minutes is 7.75 hours. The most common mistake is writing 7 hours 45 minutes as 7.45 — that is 7 hours and 27 minutes, and it underpays you by 18 minutes.
Minutes to decimal chart, 1 to 60
Rounded to two decimal places, which is what most payroll systems use.
| Min | Decimal | Min | Decimal | Min | Decimal |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.02 | 21 | 0.35 | 41 | 0.68 |
| 2 | 0.03 | 22 | 0.37 | 42 | 0.70 |
| 3 | 0.05 | 23 | 0.38 | 43 | 0.72 |
| 4 | 0.07 | 24 | 0.40 | 44 | 0.73 |
| 5 | 0.08 | 25 | 0.42 | 45 | 0.75 |
| 6 | 0.10 | 26 | 0.43 | 46 | 0.77 |
| 7 | 0.12 | 27 | 0.45 | 47 | 0.78 |
| 8 | 0.13 | 28 | 0.47 | 48 | 0.80 |
| 9 | 0.15 | 29 | 0.48 | 49 | 0.82 |
| 10 | 0.17 | 30 | 0.50 | 50 | 0.83 |
| 11 | 0.18 | 31 | 0.52 | 51 | 0.85 |
| 12 | 0.20 | 32 | 0.53 | 52 | 0.87 |
| 13 | 0.22 | 33 | 0.55 | 53 | 0.88 |
| 14 | 0.23 | 34 | 0.57 | 54 | 0.90 |
| 15 | 0.25 | 35 | 0.58 | 55 | 0.92 |
| 16 | 0.27 | 36 | 0.60 | 56 | 0.93 |
| 17 | 0.28 | 37 | 0.62 | 57 | 0.95 |
| 18 | 0.30 | 38 | 0.63 | 58 | 0.97 |
| 19 | 0.32 | 39 | 0.65 | 59 | 0.98 |
| 20 | 0.33 | 40 | 0.67 | 60 | 1.00 |
Converting decimal hours back to minutes
Minutes = decimal part × 60
For 6.4 hours, take the .4 and multiply by 60: 24 minutes, so 6.4 hours is 6 hours 24 minutes. For 38.85 hours, .85 × 60 = 51, so 38 hours 51 minutes.
Tenth-of-an-hour chart
Some payroll and billing systems record time in tenths of an hour — 6-minute blocks. This is how minutes map to tenths when rounding up to the next tenth, as billing usually does. For wages, time is more often rounded to the nearest tenth instead; see whether time clock rounding is legal.
| Minutes | Tenths of an hour |
|---|---|
| 1–6 | 0.1 |
| 7–12 | 0.2 |
| 13–18 | 0.3 |
| 19–24 | 0.4 |
| 25–30 | 0.5 |
| 31–36 | 0.6 |
| 37–42 | 0.7 |
| 43–48 | 0.8 |
| 49–54 | 0.9 |
| 55–60 | 1.0 |
A worked payroll example
You worked 38 hours 50 minutes at $18 an hour.
- 50 ÷ 60 = 0.8333, so 38 hours 50 minutes is 38.8333 hours.
- 38.8333 × $18 = $699.00.
Had it been entered as 38.50 by mistake, the pay would be $693.00 — $6 short in a single week.
Rounding tip. Rounding each day to two decimals before adding up can put a total a cent or two out. For exact pay, add the minutes first and convert the weekly total once. The hours calculator and time card calculator do this for you and can show results in either format.
Common questions
How do I convert minutes to decimal hours?
Divide the minutes by 60. 15 minutes is 0.25 hours, 30 minutes is 0.5 hours and 45 minutes is 0.75 hours.
What is 8 hours 30 minutes in decimal?
8.5 hours. 30 minutes divided by 60 is 0.5. It is not 8.30, which would be 8 hours 18 minutes.
How do I convert decimal hours to hours and minutes?
Multiply the decimal part by 60. 7.2 hours is 7 hours plus 0.2 times 60, which is 12 minutes: 7 hours 12 minutes.
What is 40 minutes as a decimal?
0.67 hours, rounded to two decimal places. The exact value is 0.6667.