Time Card Calculator UK

Time Card Calculator UK

1. 1

   Select your period

   Choose Day, Week, 2 Weeks, or Month. Weekly view helps you check hours against the 48-hour WTR average and your contractual standard week.

2. 2

   Enter start and finish times

   Enter the time you started and finished work each day (e.g. 09:00 and 17:30). Overnight shifts spanning midnight are handled automatically.

3. 3

   Deduct unpaid breaks

   Enter the duration of unpaid rest breaks in minutes (e.g. 30 for lunch). Do not deduct paid breaks if your contract includes them.

4. 4

   Review your totals

   The calculator shows regular hours (up to your set weekly norm) and overtime separately. Cross-check against your employer's timesheets or HR system.

5. 5

   Enter your hourly rate

   Enter your gross hourly rate (£) to estimate gross pay including overtime at whatever rate your contract specifies. Verify that your total average pay per hour never falls below the NLW/NMW.

Working time limits under the WTR

The Working Time Regulations set a maximum average of 48 hours per week over a 17-week reference period. Workers can individually opt out in writing, but the opt-out must be genuinely voluntary and can be withdrawn with 7 days' notice (or up to 3 months if specified). Even with an opt-out, workers retain full rights to minimum rest periods.

Young workers (under 18) have stricter limits: 8 hours per day and 40 hours per week, with no opt-out. Night workers (regularly working 3+ hours between 11pm and 6am) are limited to 8 hours average per 24-hour period and are entitled to free health assessments.

Overtime pay

The UK has no statutory overtime rate. Your right to overtime pay, and the rate at which it is paid, depends entirely on your employment contract. Typical arrangements include time-and-a-half (1.5×) for weekday overtime and double time (2×) for weekends or bank holidays, but these are contractual. One statutory protection does apply: your average pay across all hours worked — including overtime — must never fall below the National Living Wage (NLW) or National Minimum Wage (NMW) for your age group.

Rest breaks and rest periods

Workers whose daily working time exceeds 6 hours are entitled to a rest break of at least 20 minutes. This break is unpaid unless the contract provides otherwise. Between working days there must be a minimum of 11 consecutive hours' rest. Workers are also entitled to either 24 consecutive hours' rest per week or 48 hours' rest per fortnight.

Holiday entitlement

Full-time workers in the UK are entitled to at least 5.6 weeks' paid holiday per year (28 days including bank holidays for a 5-day week). Part-time workers receive the same entitlement pro-rata. From April 2024, accrual-based holiday for irregular-hours workers is calculated at 12.07% of hours worked. Holiday pay must be calculated on "normal remuneration" — including regular overtime — not just basic pay, following the Supreme Court ruling in Harpur Trust v Brazel (2022) for term-time workers and the earlier Bear Scotland ruling.

Time Card Calculator UK — Frequently Asked Questions

Is there a legal overtime rate in the UK?

No. The UK has no statutory minimum overtime rate. Your employer is not legally required to pay you more for overtime unless your contract says so. The only statutory protection is that your average pay across all hours — including overtime — must not fall below the National Living Wage (£11.44/hour for workers aged 21+ from April 2024, rising annually). If you work unpaid overtime that pulls your average below the NLW, your employer is breaking minimum wage law. Always check your contract for specific overtime rates before agreeing to extra hours.

Can I be forced to work more than 48 hours a week in the UK?

Not without your written agreement. The Working Time Regulations 1998 cap average weekly hours at 48 hours over 17 weeks. Your employer can ask you to sign an opt-out agreement, but you are not obliged to sign and cannot be dismissed or treated unfairly for refusing. If you have signed an opt-out, you can withdraw it by giving at least 7 days' notice (or up to 3 months if your agreement specifies). Even with an opt-out, you retain rights to 11 hours' daily rest, 24 hours' weekly rest and a 20-minute break after 6 hours.

How many hours is full-time in the UK?

There is no statutory definition of full-time in the UK — it is defined by the employment contract. In practice, 37.5 or 40 hours per week is the most common standard for full-time employment. The ONS defines full-time as 30 or more hours per week for statistical purposes. Monthly hours vary by the number of working days: for a 37.5-hour week, the average is around 163 hours/month; for a 40-hour week, around 173 hours/month. Use the monthly view in this calculator to get the exact total for any given month.

How is holiday pay calculated in the UK?

Workers with fixed hours and pay are entitled to holiday pay based on their normal weekly pay. Workers with irregular hours or variable pay must have their holiday pay calculated based on their average weekly earnings over the previous 52 paid weeks (the 52-week reference period introduced in April 2020). Crucially, regular overtime must be included in this calculation following the Bear Scotland Ltd v Fulton ruling. From April 2024, irregular-hours and part-year workers accrue holiday at 12.07% of hours worked in each pay period.

What rest breaks am I entitled to in the UK?

Under the Working Time Regulations, adult workers (18+) are entitled to: (1) a 20-minute rest break when the working day exceeds 6 hours — this can be taken as one break, not necessarily in the middle of the shift; (2) 11 consecutive hours' rest between working days; and (3) 24 consecutive hours free from work each week, or 48 hours per fortnight. These are minimum entitlements — your contract may provide more. Young workers (16–17) have a 30-minute break after 4.5 hours and stricter daily and weekly rest rights.

What is the difference between a time card and a timesheet in the UK?

In the UK context, the two terms are used interchangeably. A time card (or timecard) traditionally referred to a physical punch-clock card; a timesheet typically refers to a weekly or monthly paper or digital record of hours worked. Both serve the same purpose: recording start times, finish times and breaks to calculate pay. Under the Working Time Regulations, employers are required to keep adequate records to demonstrate compliance with the 48-hour limit and rest period requirements. Records need not follow a specific format, but should be sufficient to verify working time.