Time Duration Calculator: Hours Between Two Times
To find the time between two clock times, convert both to minutes past midnight and subtract. From 9:00 AM to 5:30 PM is 8 hours 30 minutes.
Duration
8h 30m
Total minutes
510 min
Show the math
- 1
Convert both times to minutes past midnight
09:00 = 540 min · 17:30 = 1050 min
= 540 min, 1050 min
Read the steps as text
- Convert both times to minutes past midnight. 09:00 = 540 min · 17:30 = 1050 min
- Subtract the start time from the end time. 1050 − 540 = 510 min
- Convert back to hours and minutes. 510 ÷ 60 = 8h, remainder 30m
How the duration is worked out
Each time is first converted to minutes past midnight — so 9:00 AM becomes 540 minutes and 5:30 PM becomes 1,050 minutes. Subtracting the start from the end gives the duration directly in minutes, which is then converted back into hours and minutes for the result.
If the end time is earlier on the clock than the start time — say, a shift from 10 PM to 6 AM — the calculator assumes the end time falls on the following day and adds 24 hours (1,440 minutes) before subtracting, so overnight spans come out correctly rather than as a negative number.
Frequently asked questions
- How do I calculate hours between two times?
- Convert both times to minutes past midnight, subtract the earlier from the later, then divide by 60 to get hours and minutes. This calculator does it automatically — just enter a start and end time.
- Can this handle an overnight shift?
- Yes. If the end time is earlier on the clock than the start time, it's treated as being on the next day, so a 10 PM to 6 AM shift correctly comes out as 8 hours.
- Does this work with dates, not just times of day?
- No — for a duration that spans multiple calendar days, use the days-between-dates calculator instead. This tool is for the hours and minutes between two clock times.