How MinuteFolio calculates hours

The clock model

A shift has a start date and clock time and an end date and clock time. The calculation takes their difference in calendar minutes. It does not use the computer’s local timezone to reinterpret the entered dates, and it does not infer daylight-saving or travel offsets. The actual end date must be explicit.

Breaks and counted minutes

Breaks carry their own dated intervals and a paid flag. They must remain inside the shift and cannot overlap. Paid breaks are already inside the span and remain included. Invalid or unfinished records cannot produce a final valid shift total.

Day and period attribution

The complete net shift belongs to its start date and to the reporting period containing that date. This rule applies across midnight, weekly boundaries and month boundaries. The actual end date remains visible. The same shift is not counted again in the next period; this is an app convention, not a legal payroll allocation rule.

Duration and decimal conversion

NIST’s time-unit reference states the relationship between hours and minutes. 450 minutes is 07:30 and 7.50 hours; 7.30 decimal hours is 438 minutes or 07:18. Add original minute values before formatting. A fractional-minute decimal is rejected by default unless an explicit supported nearest-minute conversion is chosen.

Rounding and personal rules

Rounding is off by default. An optional rule names an increment, direction, halfway behavior and a single application level: shift, day or period. Original records remain available. A user threshold separates regular and extra hours arithmetically. An optional amount multiplies hours by the entered rate; neither operation determines statutory pay.

Files and independent checks

CSV exposes record data, JSON preserves the full editable project, and PDF provides a reading copy. The CSV format reference is RFC 4180; the project schema is specific to MinuteFolio. Worked examples are synthetic original calculations. Source references support units and format behavior, not endorsement, traffic estimates or legal conclusions.

Sources and method

• NIST SP 330, Section 4, Table 8Time-unit definitions only; not a payroll authority or product endorsement.
• RFC 4180: Common Format and MIME Type for CSV FilesInformational CSV field and quoting reference; not a payroll schema or universal spreadsheet-safety guarantee.
• Original worked calculationSynthetic example data, explicit input rules and direct integer-minute arithmetic.