How to convert hours and minutes to decimal hours
Keep the whole hours, divide minutes by 60, divide seconds by 3,600, then add the pieces together. For example, 7 hours 45 minutes becomes 7.75 decimal hours.
Quick minutes-to-decimal reference
| Minutes | 2 decimals | 4 decimals |
|---|---|---|
| 0 min | 0.00 | 0.0000 |
| 5 min | 0.08 | 0.0833 |
| 10 min | 0.17 | 0.1667 |
| 15 min | 0.25 | 0.2500 |
| 20 min | 0.33 | 0.3333 |
| 25 min | 0.42 | 0.4167 |
| 30 min | 0.50 | 0.5000 |
| 35 min | 0.58 | 0.5833 |
| 40 min | 0.67 | 0.6667 |
| 45 min | 0.75 | 0.7500 |
| 50 min | 0.83 | 0.8333 |
| 55 min | 0.92 | 0.9167 |
| 60 min | 1.00 | 1.0000 |
Why decimal hours are useful
Decimal time makes multiplication and totals easier in payroll, billing, spreadsheets, and project tracking. A common mistake is treating 30 minutes as .30 hours; 30 minutes is actually .50 hours because an hour contains 60 minutes.
7 hours 45 minutes
Forty-five minutes is three quarters of an hour. Divide 45 by 60 and add the result to the whole hours.
Common questions
Is 7 hours 30 minutes equal to 7.30 hours?
No. Thirty minutes is half of an hour, so 7:30 converts to 7.50 decimal hours.
What are the common quarter-hour conversions?
15 minutes = 0.25 hours, 30 minutes = 0.50 hours, and 45 minutes = 0.75 hours.
Can I convert decimal hours back to clock time?
Yes. Switch the converter mode and enter a non-negative decimal-hour value to get hours, minutes, and seconds.
The exact decimal-time formula is documented on How calculations work.
Decimal to hours conversion is built into this same calculator
Switch the conversion direction to turn a value such as 7.75 decimal hours into 7 hours 45 minutes. Keeping both directions in one tool avoids making you bounce between duplicate calculator pages.
For a full shift total before conversion, use the Work Hours & Shift Calculator or Lunch Break Calculator.