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Time Between Two Times Calculator

Work out time between two times instantly with clear inputs, formula shown and shareable results.

About Time Between Two Times Calculator

Elapsed time is the difference in minutes from midnight, wrapping forward a day if the end is earlier than the start. From 09:15 to 17:45 is 510 minutes, or 8.5 hours. The decimal form matters for payroll, since 8:30 must be entered as 8.5 rather than 8.3 to be paid correctly.

Formulas

Elapsed minutes

minutes = end - start, adding 1440 if negative

Decimal hours

hours = minutes / 60

Worked example

With the default values below, Time Between Two Times Calculator returns Elapsed Time of 8.500. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.

Inputs used

Start houraccepts 0–23
9
Start minuteaccepts 0–59
15
End houraccepts 0–23
17
End minuteaccepts 0–59
45

Results

Elapsed Time
8.500 h
Elapsed Time As h:mm
8:30
Total Minutes
510
Crosses Midnight?
No - within the same day

Step by step

  1. 1Values used
  2. 2Elapsed minutes
  3. 3Decimal hours
  4. 4Elapsed Time= 8.500 h
  5. 5Elapsed Time As h:mm= 8:30
  6. 6Total Minutes= 510
  7. 7Crosses Midnight?= No - within the same day

Assumptions and limits

  • The result is derived only from the 4 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
  • In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, tax, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
  • Figures are rounded for display to 3 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.

How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does payroll use decimal hours?

Because pay is hours times rate, and 8:30 as 8.3 underpays by 12 minutes. The decimal 8.5 gives the correct product.

How are overnight shifts handled?

The calculator adds a day when the end time is earlier than the start, so 22:00 to 06:00 gives eight hours rather than a negative figure.

Related Calculators

Time Between Two Times Calculator – Calculate Elapsed Time