Free hours pay calculator. Calculate shift pay from hourly rate, hours worked, breaks, and tips with weekly and annual projections.
The Hours Pay Calculator determines your exact earnings for a single shift based on your hourly rate, total hours worked, unpaid breaks, and tips. It then projects those shift earnings into weekly, monthly, and annual income based on your schedule.
Understanding per-shift pay is essential for hourly workers, especially those in service industries where tips form a major portion of income. A server earning $5/hour base with $120 in tips over a 6-hour shift actually earns $25/hour effective — but only $20/hour when you count the time spent on unpaid breaks and side work.
The shift earnings progress bar shows how your pay accumulates hour by hour, and the comparison table reveals how adding or reducing shifts impacts your income. Use this tool to evaluate shift scheduling decisions, understand the real value of overtime shifts, and project your income from hourly work. Check the example with realistic values before reporting.
Hourly and tipped workers need per-shift calculations to make scheduling decisions. Understanding that picking up one extra shift per week adds $200 or that unpaid breaks reduce your effective rate by 15% helps you make informed choices about your work schedule and negotiate better arrangements. Keep these notes focused on your operational context.
Paid Hours = Hours Worked − Unpaid Breaks Gross Pay = (Hourly Rate × Paid Hours) + Tips Net Pay = Gross × (1 − Tax Rate) Effective Rate = Gross Pay ÷ Paid Hours Weekly = Shift Pay × Shifts/Week
Result: $150 gross per shift / $585 weekly net
Paid hours: 7.5. Gross: $20 × 7.5 = $150. Tax: $33. Net: $117. Weekly: $117 × 5 = $585.
The most profitable shifts combine high base pay with strong tip potential. For tipped workers, weekend dinner shifts often generate 2-3x the tips of weekday lunches. Understanding your per-shift economics helps you prioritize scheduling requests and negotiate for the most valuable shifts.
A 30-minute unpaid break on an 8-hour shift reduces your paid hours by 6.25%. Over a year of 5-day weeks, that is 130 hours of unpaid time — equivalent to over 3 weeks of work. While breaks are important for well-being, understanding their financial impact helps you evaluate jobs with different break policies.
Shift workers often have variable schedules, making annual projections challenging. Track your average weekly shifts over 4-8 weeks for the most accurate projection. Account for holiday closures, seasonal slowdowns, and schedule changes when estimating annual income for loan applications or tax planning.
Yes. Unpaid breaks (usually 30 minutes for shifts over 6 hours) are not compensated. An 8-hour shift with a 30-minute break means 7.5 paid hours.
Yes. All tips are taxable income and must be reported. Cash tips over $20/month must be reported to your employer. Credit card tips are automatically reported.
Divide your total take-home (including tips) by total hours at work (including breaks). This gives your true per-hour value for the time you spend at your job.
The federal tipped minimum wage is $2.13/hour, but employers must make up the difference if tips plus wage do not reach $7.25/hour. Many states have higher tipped minimums.
Use the shifts comparison table to see the income impact. Consider whether the extra income outweighs fatigue, commute costs, and lost personal time.
Subtract round-trip commute costs from your shift pay. If commuting costs $10 and your shift pays $100 net, your real earnings are $90. This matters more for short shifts.