HoursPad

Overnight shifts and payroll

When a shift crosses midnight, the clock goes back to zero but the hours do not. This guide shows how to count the hours and which day to put them on.

Example: 10:00 PM to 6:30 AM is 8 h 30 min on the clock, or 8 h (8.00 hours) after a 30-minute unpaid break.

Estimate based on what you entered. Not legal or payroll advice; check it against your employer's records.

How to use it

  1. Write down the start time and the end time, even if the end is the next morning.
  2. If the end time is earlier on the clock than the start time, add 24 hours to it.
  3. Subtract the start time and any unpaid break.
  4. Put the shift on the date it started and add it to that week's total.

The arithmetic

Times after midnight are smaller numbers, so a plain subtraction gives a negative answer. Fix it by adding a full day. 6:30 AM is 390 minutes after midnight. Adding 1,440 minutes makes it 1830. Subtract the start (1320 minutes after midnight) and you get 510 minutes, which is 8 h 30 min. HoursPad does this for you when the out time is earlier than the in time.

Which day does the shift belong to?

HoursPad counts a shift on the date it started. This is a choice made by HoursPad, not a legal rule, and it keeps one shift on one row of a time card. It matters when a shift crosses the end of a week or a pay period, because the hours are counted in the week the shift started.

A week of nights

Take six shifts of 10:00 PM to 6:30 AM with a 30-minute break. The first five start Sunday to Thursday. The sixth starts on a Saturday night and ends Sunday morning, but HoursPad counts it on Saturday. The week total is 48 h (48.00 hours), of which 8 h is over the 40-hour threshold used by HoursPad's federal overtime mode.

The workweek

Overtime depends on how the workweek is drawn, so the workweek start matters for night work. Here is what the federal regulation says a workweek is:

Under federal regulations, a workweek is a fixed and regularly recurring period of 168 hours, which is seven consecutive 24-hour periods.

HoursPad lets you choose the day the workweek starts. It does not say when your employer's workweek starts; ask them.

Try it

Use the night shift hours calculator for one shift or a week of them, or the hours calculator for a single shift. The hour that daylight saving time adds or removes is covered in daylight saving time and night shifts.

Questions

How do I calculate hours for a shift that crosses midnight?

Add 24 hours to the end time, then subtract the start time. For 10:00 PM to 6:30 AM, that is 6:30 AM plus 24 hours, minus 10:00 PM, which is 8 hours 30 minutes. Then subtract any unpaid break.

Which day does an overnight shift count on in HoursPad?

The day it started. A shift that begins Friday at 10:00 PM and ends Saturday at 6:00 AM is counted on Friday. This is how HoursPad works, so use a different date if your payroll counts it another way.

What if my shift crosses the end of the workweek?

HoursPad puts the whole shift in the workweek it started in. If your employer splits it at midnight instead, add up the two parts yourself and compare.

Is there extra pay for working overnight?

HoursPad does not make claims about night-work pay. Your employer can confirm how your shifts are paid. HoursPad's pay tools estimate pay from the rate you type.

Official sources

  1. 29 CFR § 778.105 Determining the workweek, Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR).
    “An employee's workweek is a fixed and regularly recurring period of 168 hours—seven consecutive 24-hour periods.”
    Checked November 11, 2026. Rules change; verify with the source.

These are summaries of what the official sources say, not legal advice. Laws change and exceptions apply. Check with your employer or your state labor department about your own job.