To convert minutes to decimal hours, divide the minutes by 60. 15 minutes = 0.25 hours, 30 minutes = 0.5 and 45 minutes = 0.75, so 7 hours 45 minutes is 7.75 hours. To go back, multiply the decimal part by 60: 0.75 x 60 = 45 minutes.
How to use the converter
- Hours and minutes to decimal: type the hours and the minutes on the left. The decimal appears on the right, with a line like "7:45 = 7.75 hours (465 minutes)".
- Decimal to hours and minutes: type a decimal on the right, for example 8.6, and the left side shows 8 h 36 min.
- The chart under the converter lists every minute from 1 to 60 with its decimal value. Print it and keep it next to the timesheets.
Minutes above 59 work too: 0 h 90 min gives 1.5 hours.
Worked example: a week of hours for payroll
Payroll and many timesheet systems want hours as a decimal number, because that is what an hourly rate can be multiplied by. A week at $22.50 an hour:
| Day | Hours and minutes | Decimal |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 8:15 | 8.25 |
| Tue | 7:50 | 7.83 |
| Wed | 8:40 | 8.67 |
| Thu | 6:25 | 6.42 |
| Fri | 8:00 | 8.00 |
| Week | 39:10 | 39.17 |
39:10 is 2,350 minutes. 2,350 / 60 = 39.1667, so the decimal total is 39.17 hours.
For pay, use the exact minutes: 2,350 / 60 x $22.50 = $881.25. If you multiply the rounded 39.17 instead, you get 881.325, which rounds to $881.33, 8 cents more than the exact pay. Small on one week, but it repeats on every paycheck. The time card calculator works this way: it adds minutes, converts once and rounds the pay to the cent at the end.
How the conversion works
Hours and minutes to decimal: decimal hours = hours + minutes / 60.
- 7:45 = 7 + 45 / 60 = 7 + 0.75 = 7.75
- 8:20 = 8 + 20 / 60 = 8 + 0.3333 = 8.33
- 1:05 = 1 + 5 / 60 = 1 + 0.0833 = 1.08
Some minutes don't divide evenly by 60, so the decimal is rounded. This converter rounds to two decimal places, so 1:10 = 1.1667 is shown as 1.17. The hours and minutes are always exact.
Decimal to hours and minutes: the whole number is the hours, and the decimal part times 60 is the minutes.
- 7.6 hours: 0.6 x 60 = 36, so 7 hours 36 minutes
- 8.33 hours: 0.33 x 60 = 19.8, which rounds to 20, so 8 hours 20 minutes
- 0.1 hours: 0.1 x 60 = 6 minutes
Quick chart of common values
Minutes to decimal hours (the full chart from 1 to 60 is above):
| Minutes | Decimal | Minutes | Decimal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 5 | 0.08 | 30 | 0.50 |
| 6 | 0.10 | 35 | 0.58 |
| 10 | 0.17 | 40 | 0.67 |
| 12 | 0.20 | 45 | 0.75 |
| 15 | 0.25 | 50 | 0.83 |
| 20 | 0.33 | 55 | 0.92 |
| 25 | 0.42 | 60 | 1.00 |
Decimal hours back to minutes:
| Decimal | Minutes | Decimal | Minutes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 0.1 | 6 | 0.6 | 36 |
| 0.2 | 12 | 0.7 | 42 |
| 0.25 | 15 | 0.75 | 45 |
| 0.3 | 18 | 0.8 | 48 |
| 0.4 | 24 | 0.9 | 54 |
| 0.5 | 30 | 1.0 | 60 |
Common mistakes
- Reading 7.30 as 7:30. 7.30 hours is 7 hours 18 minutes. 7 hours 30 minutes is 7.5.
- Typing 1:45 as 1.45. 1:45 is 1.75 hours. Writing 1.45 underpays 18 minutes.
- Adding rounded daily decimals. Three days of 8:20 are 25:00, which is 25.00 hours. Adding 8.33 three times gives 24.99. Add hours and minutes first and convert the total.
Tenths of an hour and payroll rounding
Some employers record time in tenths of an hour (6 minutes each) or in quarter hours (15 minutes each). Under the federal rules, rounding clock times to the nearest 5 minutes, tenth of an hour or quarter hour is accepted, provided it is not used in a way that, over time, fails to pay employees for all the time they actually worked (29 CFR 785.48(b)). In plain terms: the rounding has to even out over time and must not shortchange employees. That rounding applies to the clock in and out times, before any conversion. The time card calculator can round punches to the nearest 5, 6 or 15 minutes; this converter never rounds the minutes you type.
This is a calculation, not legal advice.
FAQ
What is 45 minutes in decimal?
0.75 hours, because 45 / 60 = 0.75. So 7 hours 45 minutes is 7.75 hours.
What is 40 minutes in decimal?
0.67 hours. 40 / 60 is 0.6667, which rounds to 0.67 at two decimal places.
What is 20 minutes in decimal?
0.33 hours. 20 / 60 is 0.3333, which rounds to 0.33. 10 minutes is 0.17 and 30 minutes is 0.5.
How do I convert decimal hours back to hours and minutes?
Keep the whole number as hours and multiply the decimal part by 60 for the minutes. 6.4 hours is 6 hours plus 0.4 x 60 = 24 minutes, so 6:24.
What is 7.5 hours in hours and minutes?
7 hours 30 minutes. 0.5 x 60 = 30.
How do I convert hours to decimal in Excel or Google Sheets?
If the cell holds a time such as 7:45, multiply it by 24 (=A1*24) and format the result as a number. Spreadsheets store a time as a fraction of a day: 7:45 is stored as 7.75 / 24 = 0.3229, and multiplying by 24 turns it back into 7.75 hours.
Why does 8:20 show as 8.33 and not 8.2?
Because 20 minutes is a third of an hour, not two tenths. 20 / 60 = 0.3333, rounded to 0.33. The digits after the point are parts of an hour, not minutes.
How many minutes is a tenth of an hour?
6 minutes. 0.1 x 60 = 6, so 0.5 hours is 30 minutes and 0.9 hours is 54 minutes.