Time Card Calculator

Free Online Time Card Calculator for Employees and Freelancers

Tracking your work hours accurately is essential whether you are an hourly employee, a freelancer billing clients, or a small business owner managing a team. Our free time card calculator takes the guesswork out of weekly pay calculations by letting you enter clock-in and clock-out times for each day of the week, subtract break durations, and automatically compute your total hours, overtime, and gross pay.

Why Accurate Time Tracking Matters

The Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA) requires employers to pay non-exempt employees overtime at a rate of at least 1.5 times their regular rate for all hours worked beyond 40 in a workweek. Miscalculating hours can lead to underpayment, which exposes employers to legal liability and back-pay claims. For freelancers, underestimating your hours means you effectively lower your hourly rate without realizing it, eroding your profitability over time. A reliable time card calculator helps you stay compliant and ensures every minute of work is accounted for.

How Overtime Is Calculated

Under federal law, overtime kicks in after 40 hours in a single workweek. Some states have additional rules. California, for instance, requires daily overtime pay after 8 hours in a single day and double-time after 12 hours. Our calculator uses a configurable weekly overtime threshold so you can adjust it to match your jurisdiction or employment contract. The default overtime multiplier is 1.5x (time-and-a-half), but you can change it to 2x for double-time scenarios or any other multiplier your agreement specifies.

Handling Break Deductions

Most labor laws require employers to provide meal breaks and rest periods. Unpaid meal breaks (typically 30 minutes) should be subtracted from your total work time. Our calculator lets you enter break durations per day so your net hours reflect only the time you were actually working. Paid rest breaks, on the other hand, should not be subtracted. Check your state or local regulations to determine which breaks are paid versus unpaid.

Tips for Freelancers Using Time Cards

Even if you are not required by law to track hours, maintaining a detailed time log benefits freelancers in multiple ways. First, it gives you hard data on how long projects actually take versus your estimates, allowing you to refine your quoting process. Second, it provides documentation if a client disputes an invoice. Third, it helps you identify unprofitable clients or projects that consistently run over budget. Pair this time card calculator with a freelance rate calculator to ensure your effective hourly rate stays above your target. If you discover that a project's actual hours push your effective rate below your minimum, it is a signal to renegotiate scope or pricing.

Weekly vs. Biweekly Pay Periods

This calculator focuses on a single seven-day workweek. If your employer uses biweekly pay periods, simply run the calculator twice (once for each week) and add the results. Remember that overtime is calculated per workweek, not per pay period. Working 35 hours one week and 45 the next means you earn 5 hours of overtime for the second week, even though your biweekly total of 80 hours averages out to 40 per week.