What are decimal hours?

Decimal hours write a length of time as one number of hours. Minutes become a fraction of an hour, so 7 hours 45 minutes is 7.75 hours, because 45 minutes is three quarters of an hour.

Timesheets, payroll and invoicing software often ask for hours this way, since a decimal number is easy to multiply by an hourly rate. 7.75 hours at 20 per hour is 155, while 7:45 can't be multiplied directly.

Tool description

Type hours and minutes, such as 7:45, and the tool shows them as decimal hours. Switch the direction to type decimal hours, such as 7.75, and see them as hours and minutes. The swap button turns the result around.

The tool shows:

  • The converted value, ready to copy
  • Hours and minutes, such as 7 h 45 min
  • Total minutes

Hours and minutes can include seconds, as in 7:45:30, and can go past 24 hours, as in 38:30 for a week's work. A whole number like 8 counts as 8 hours. Decimal hours can use a point or a comma as the decimal mark.

Rounding

Decimal hours show up to four decimals. Some values don't divide evenly: 20 minutes is 0.3333… hours, so a timesheet that takes two decimals would want 0.33. Going the other way, decimal hours are rounded to the nearest minute, and the hours and minutes below the result also show any seconds.

Examples

  • 7:45 is 7.75 hours, 465 minutes
  • 8:20 is 8.3333 hours
  • 0:15 is 0.25 hours
  • 7.5 hours is 7:30
  • 1.1 hours is 1:06

Features

  • Converts both ways as you type, with a swap button
  • Seconds and totals past 24 hours
  • Point or comma as the decimal mark
  • Numbers in your regional number format