An overnight shift with a midnight break
The end date and the break date make this night shift unambiguous.
The sample record
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Start | October 21, 2026 at 22:00 |
| End | October 22, 2026 at 06:00 |
| Unpaid break | October 22, 00:00–00:30 |
Check the arithmetic
There are 120 clock minutes before midnight and 360 after it. Those pieces explain one continuous 480-minute span; they do not create separate reporting records. The unpaid break removes 30 minutes, leaving 7.50 decimal hours.
Check the reporting date
The whole net shift belongs to October 21 because that is its start date. October 22 stays visible as the actual end date. If the end date is mistakenly entered as October 21, the editor must request a correction rather than silently assuming tomorrow.
When this example is not enough
The calculation uses wall-clock times without offsets. It does not account for a clock change during the night. Keep that limitation separate from the explicit calendar dates used here.
Use this example
Open related toolFrequently asked questions
Which date should the midnight break use?
The break from 00:00 to 00:30 belongs to October 22, matching the actual clock interval after midnight. The shift still reports under its October 21 start date.
Does the break change the shift’s reporting date?
No. Its unpaid minutes reduce the net duration to 07:30. The complete shift remains assigned to the start date and its reporting period.
Sources and method
- NIST SP 330, Section 4, Table 8Time-unit definitions only; not a payroll authority or product endorsement.
- Original worked calculationSynthetic example data, explicit input rules and direct integer-minute arithmetic.
Keep going
Overnight shift calculator
Calculate a dated overnight shift and its breaks, with explicit next-day input and a transparent hours-and-minutes result.
Enter an overnight shift
Enter explicit next-day dates, date breaks after midnight correctly, and keep whole-shift start-date reporting clear.
Worked time-card examples
Browse twelve checked examples of split shifts, overnight breaks, date boundaries, decimal durations and file review.