Total Hours vs Decimal Hours

Total Hours Worked displays the amount of time worked in hours and minutes.

Decimal Hours displays the same amount of time as a decimal portion of an hour (or as a percentage). The number after the decimal DOES NOT represent minutes.

For example:
8 hours and 45 minutes = 8 full hours and 75% on an hour = 8.75
It does not mean 8 hours and 75 minutes.
Think of the .75 as 75% of one full hour.

Since 1 full hour equals 60 minutes:
60 minutes × 0.75 = 45 minutes
Or in other words:
8.75 hours = 8 hours and 45 minutes

Here are some examples, including numbers that don’t convert to an exact number of minutes:
8 hours and 15 minutes = 8.25 hours
8 hours and 30 minutes = 8.50 hours
8 hours and 45 minutes = 8.75 hours
8 hours and 22 minutes ≈ 8.37 hours
8 hours and 25 minutes ≈ 8.42 hours
9 hours and 8 minutes ≈ 9.13 hours

For example, to convert 8.37 hours to regular hours:
0.37 × 60 = 22 minutes
So 8.37 decimal hours is approximately 8 hours and 22 minutes.

Example: Full Pay Period
The same calculation applies when looking at the total hours for an entire pay period.
Let’s say an employee’s Total Hours Worked for a pay period is:
82 hours and 35 minutes

When displayed as Decimal Hours, this will appear as:
82.58 hours
The .58 DOES NOT mean 58 minutes.
Instead, the decimal represents a portion of one hour:
0.58 × 60 ≈ 35 minutes
So:
82.58 decimal hours ≈ 82 hours and 35 minutes

This is why the Total Hours Worked and Decimal Hours look different even though they represent the same amount of time worked.

Another Pay-Period Example:
Suppose an employee works the following during a pay period:
Monday: 8 hours 15 minutes
Tuesday: 7 hours 40 minutes
Wednesday: 8 hours 25 minutes
Thursday: 7 hours 55 minutes
Friday: 8 hours 10 minutes

The total is (please note that you CANNOT use a standard calculator to sum minutes up as standard calculator operates in the decimal system (base-100 format and NOT base-60):

40 hours and 25 minutes
When converted to decimal hours:
25 ÷ 60 = 0.4167
We divide minutes by total minutes in 1 full hour to know how many per cent the source minutes represent and then multiply by 100 as percentage operates in base-100 format.

So the total is approximately:
40.42 Decimal Hours

Again, 40.42 DOES NOT mean 40 hours and 42 minutes. The .42 represents approximately 42% of one hour, which is about 25 minutes.

The Important Takeaway
Total Hours Worked = Hours + Minutes
Decimal Hours = Hours + a portion of an hour
The decimal portion must be converted using 60 minutes per hour. Because of this, the decimal number and the minutes will not look the same.