Break Time Calculator
Enter your shift times and breaks. Unpaid meal breaks are deducted; short paid rest breaks stay in your paid time. You get paid hours, decimal hours and — if you choose California rules — the number of meal and rest breaks normally due.
- Paid time = shift length − unpaid meal breaks.
- Short rest breaks (5–20 min) are paid under US federal rules.
- Meal breaks of 30+ min can be unpaid if you are fully relieved of duty.
- Federal law does not require breaks; many states do.
Paid vs unpaid breaks
Under the US Fair Labor Standards Act, employers do not have to give breaks at all — but if they do, the type of break decides whether it is paid:
- Rest breaks of about 5–20 minutes are work time and must be paid.
- Bona fide meal periods, usually 30 minutes or more, can be unpaid if the employee is completely relieved of duty. Eating at your desk while answering calls is not a bona fide meal period.
- Breaks to express breast milk must be provided under federal law for a year after a child’s birth; they may be unpaid unless the employee is not relieved of duty or other breaks are paid.
How to use the Break Time calculator
Fill in the fields above and press Calculate. Results appear straight away, in your browser — nothing is sent or stored.
- Shift start — starts at 8:00 AM; replace it with your own figure.
- Shift end — starts at 5:00 PM; replace it with your own figure.
- Unpaid meal break — starts at 30; replace it with your own figure.
- Paid rest breaks — starts at 20; replace it with your own figure.
- Hourly rate
- Break rules to check — choose from: US federal (FLSA), California.
Change any value and press Calculate again to compare scenarios. All figures are estimates for planning; check them against your own policy, contract and local rules before using them for payroll.
California meal and rest breaks
California has some of the most detailed rules in the US. For non-exempt employees, in general:
- A 30-minute unpaid meal period for shifts over 5 hours, starting before the end of the fifth hour. It can be waived by mutual consent if the shift is 6 hours or less.
- A second 30-minute meal period for shifts over 10 hours (waivable if the shift is 12 hours or less and the first meal was not waived).
- A paid 10-minute rest break for every 4 hours worked or “major fraction” of 4 hours: one for 3.5–6 hours, two for over 6 up to 10 hours, three for over 10 up to 14 hours.
- Missed breaks can trigger an extra hour of pay at the regular rate, as a premium.
Paid time for common shifts
How many hours is 9 AM to 5 PM with a 30-minute unpaid break?
7 h 30 min of paid time.
How many hours is 8 AM to 5 PM with a 1-hour unpaid break?
8 hours of paid time.
How many hours is 8 AM to 4:30 PM with a 30-minute unpaid break?
8 hours of paid time.
How many hours is 7 AM to 7 PM with a 30-minute unpaid break?
11 h 30 min of paid time.
How many hours is 9 AM to 3 PM with a 15-minute paid break?
6 hours (paid breaks are not deducted) of paid time.
How many hours is 6 AM to 2:30 PM with a 30-minute unpaid break?
8 hours of paid time.
Break rules in other states
Many states require meal breaks for longer shifts, and a smaller number also require rest breaks. Requirements differ in length, timing, who is covered and whether minors have extra protections. Check your state labor department’s website before setting a break policy, and record the breaks actually taken.
Worked examples
Real-world scenarios, worked through step by step.
Office day
8:00 AM–5:00 PM, 30-minute unpaid lunch, two 10-minute paid breaks: 8 h 30 min paid.
California 9-hour shift
8.5 hours worked after a 30-minute meal: one meal period and two 10-minute paid rest breaks are due.
Short shift
5 hours with a 15-minute break: the break is paid, so 5 hours are paid.
12-hour shift
7:00 AM–7:00 PM with a 30-minute meal: 11.5 paid hours; California would require a second meal period unless validly waived.
Automatic lunch deductions
Many payroll systems deduct 30 minutes automatically on every shift. That is fine when people really take the break — but when they work through lunch, the deduction underpays them and creates back-pay risk. A safer approach is to record actual meal breaks with a clock-out and clock-in, or allow staff to cancel an automatic deduction when the break was missed.
With time tracking that records breaks, the paid time on each timesheet matches what happened.
Breaks and productivity
Breaks are not only a legal question. Regular short breaks reduce fatigue and errors, especially in physical work, customer service and safety-critical roles. Teams that skip breaks routinely tend to show it in their productivity and absence numbers.
Designing a break policy
A clear written policy prevents most break disputes. It should cover:
- Which breaks are paid and which are unpaid, and their length.
- When breaks should be taken (for example, meal period before the end of the fifth hour).
- How breaks are recorded — clock-out and clock-in, or a break button in the time app.
- What to do if a break is missed or interrupted, and how it is paid.
- Any state-specific rules for your locations, and extra rules for minors.
Review the policy against actual records every few months. If meal breaks are routinely short or missed, the issue is usually staffing, not discipline — and the fix is in scheduling.
Breaks for remote and flexible workers
Remote employees are covered by the same rules. Short breaks are paid; genuine meal breaks can be unpaid if the employee is fully off duty. A timer that the employee pauses for meal breaks keeps the record accurate without supervision.
Break time on payroll: examples
| Shift | Breaks | Paid time | Decimal |
|---|---|---|---|
| 8:00 AM–4:30 PM | 30 min unpaid | 8 h 0 min | 8.00 |
| 8:00 AM–5:00 PM | 60 min unpaid + 2 × 10 min paid | 8 h 0 min | 8.00 |
| 7:00 AM–3:00 PM | 2 × 15 min paid | 8 h 0 min | 8.00 |
| 6:00 AM–6:30 PM | 30 min unpaid | 12 h 0 min | 12.00 |
| 4:00 PM–12:30 AM | 30 min unpaid | 8 h 0 min | 8.00 |
Note the third row: two 15-minute breaks are paid, so a 7-to-3 shift is a full 8 paid hours.
Breaks for minors
Many states set stricter break rules for workers under 18 — for example a required meal break after fewer hours — alongside limits on hours and times of day. If you employ minors, check your state’s child labor rules as well as its adult break rules.
Do it in Excel or Google Sheets
Shift start in B2, shift end in C2 (as times), unpaid meal minutes in D2.
- Shift length in hours
=MOD(C2-B2,1)*24 - Paid hours after the meal break
=MOD(C2-B2,1)*24-D2/60 - California meal periods due (rough check)
=IF(MOD(C2-B2,1)*24-D2/60>10,2,IF(MOD(C2-B2,1)*24-D2/60>5,1,0)) - California rest breaks due
=IF(E2<3.5,0,ROUNDUP((E2-2)/4,0))
Paid rest breaks are not subtracted because they count as work time. E2 is the paid-hours cell.
Who uses the Break Time calculator — and why
- Employees checking paid time after lunch.
- Shift supervisors scheduling breaks.
- Payroll teams reviewing automatic deductions.
- California employers checking meal and rest counts.
- Retail and hospitality managers.
- Healthcare teams on long shifts.
How we calculate
- Paid time = shift span − unpaid meal minutes; paid rest breaks are not deducted (29 CFR 785.18).
- California check: meal periods per Labor Code § 512 (one after 5 hours worked, two after 10); rest breaks of 10 minutes per 4 hours or major fraction under the IWC wage orders.
- Waivers, industry wage orders and collective agreements can change the California rules.
- All calculations run in your browser; nothing you type is sent to StaffTiming or stored.
Formulas checked against the sources above. Last reviewed: October 2026. This tool gives estimates for planning, not legal, tax or payroll advice.
Key terms explained
- Rest break
- A short, paid break during a shift.
- Meal period
- A longer break for a meal, which can be unpaid if the employee is fully relieved of duty.
- Bona fide
- Genuine — the employee is truly free from work.
- Meal period waiver
- An agreement to skip a meal period, allowed only in limited cases in some states.
- Premium pay
- An extra hour of pay owed in California for a missed meal or rest break.
- Automatic deduction
- A payroll setting that subtracts a fixed break from every shift.
- Lactation break
- Time to express breast milk, protected under federal law.
- Non-exempt
- An employee covered by wage-and-hour rules, including overtime.
Frequently asked questions
Are breaks required by federal law?
No. US federal law does not require meal or rest breaks for adults, but if short breaks are given, they must be paid.
Is a 30-minute lunch paid?
It can be unpaid if you are completely relieved of duty. If you have to work during it, it must be paid.
Are 15-minute breaks paid?
Yes, under US federal rules short breaks of about 5–20 minutes count as work time.
How many breaks do I get in an 8-hour shift?
It depends on your state and employer. In California, typically one 30-minute meal and two paid 10-minute rest breaks.
Can I skip lunch to leave early?
Some employers allow it, but where meal breaks are legally required they generally cannot be waived simply to leave early.
What happens if I miss a break in California?
The employer generally owes one extra hour of pay at the regular rate per workday for missed meal breaks, and one for missed rest breaks.
Do smoke breaks count as paid time?
Short breaks of up to about 20 minutes are paid under federal rules regardless of what they are used for.
Does break time count toward overtime?
Paid rest breaks count as hours worked; unpaid meal periods do not.
Is this calculator legal advice?
No. It is a planning tool; check the rules for your state and industry.
How should breaks be recorded?
Record actual meal break start and end times, rather than relying on automatic deductions.
Do remote workers get breaks?
The same rules apply as in the workplace: short breaks are paid and genuine meal breaks can be unpaid, subject to state law.
Can an employer require me to stay on site during lunch?
They can in some cases, but if you are not fully relieved of duty, the time may have to be paid.
How long is a lunch break by law?
There is no federal minimum. Where states require meal breaks, 30 minutes is common, for example in California for shifts over 5 hours.
Is a 20-minute break paid?
Under US federal rules, yes. Breaks of up to about 20 minutes are paid work time.
Can an employer make me work through lunch unpaid?
No. If you work during a meal period, that time must be paid.
How many breaks in a 10-hour shift?
It depends on the state and employer. In California, a 10-hour shift typically includes one 30-minute meal and two paid 10-minute rest breaks; a second meal applies only above 10 hours worked.
Do short breaks reduce overtime?
No. Paid short breaks count as hours worked toward overtime.
Automate this with real tracked data.
StaffTiming records hours as they happen and turns them into payroll-ready timesheets, so you never re-type a calculation.