Lunch Break Calculator

Enter your shift start, end, and break time to instantly see your net paid hours, unpaid break deductions, and exact daily pay — free work break time calculator.

Enter Your Shift Details

Shift Start Time

Please enter a shift start time.

Shift End Time

Please enter a shift end time.

Use next-day end if shift crosses midnight

Lunch / Meal Break (minutes)

Typically 30–60 min unpaid

Break Pay Status

Rest Breaks (paid, minutes)

Short paid breaks (e.g. 2 × 10 min = 20)

Days Worked Per Week

Hourly Rate ($)

Optional — needed for pay calculation

Currency Symbol

Overnight Shift?

Adds 24 hrs to end time if needed

Estimated Tax Rate (%)

Optional — shows take-home pay

Additional Unpaid Breaks (minutes)

Any other unpaid time deducted from pay

Schedule & Shifts

Weeks Per Year 52

Used for annual pay projection

Paid Vacation Days / Year 10

Reduces net working days per year

Public Holidays / Year 11

e.g. 11 federal holidays in the US

Break Frequency per Shift 1×

How many meal breaks per shift

Pay & Compensation

Overtime Rate Multiplier 1.5×

Applies after daily overtime threshold

Overtime After (hrs/day) 8h

Hours before overtime rate kicks in

Pay Raise / Year (%) 3%

Projects future annual salary growth

Employer Benefits Value ($/hr) $0

Health, dental, 401k etc. in $/hr terms

Break & Rest Rules

Min. Shift for Mandatory Break (hrs) 5h

Shift length that triggers a required break

Rest Break Duration (min) 10

Duration of each paid rest break

Commute Time Each Way (min) 0

Calculates real cost of your workday

Employment Type

Self-Employment Tax Add-on (%) 0%

Additional FICA taxes for self-employed

401(k) / Pension Contribution (%) 0%

Pre-tax deduction from gross pay

State / Local Tax (%) 0%

State income tax rate

Projections

Project Ahead (years) 1

Long-term earnings projection horizon

Inflation Rate (%) 3%

Adjusts real value of future earnings

Cost of Living Index 100

Relative cost of living adjustment

Emergency Fund Goal (months) 3

How many months of pay to save as buffer

Your Shift Breakdown

Fill in your shift times on the left and click Calculate to see your paid hours and break breakdown.

Net Paid Hours Today

0h 0m

paid work time

Shift Breakdown

Total Shift Duration —

Unpaid Break Time —

Paid Rest Breaks —

Net Paid Hours —

Daily Gross Pay —

Weekly Gross Pay —

Tax Withheld (est.) —

Est. Take-Home / Day —

Quick Examples — click to load

Time Breakdown

Hours Comparison (Shift vs Paid vs Break)

Quick Settings

22 options

Schedule

Days Worked / Week 5d

Work days per week for weekly pay

Weeks / Year 52w

Annual working weeks for yearly income

Vacation Days / Year 10d

Paid leave reduces annual working days

Public Holidays / Year 11d

Federal / bank holidays not worked

Shift Length (hrs) 8h

Total shift duration (before breaks)

Commute Each Way (min) 0m

Daily time cost outside paid hours

Pay

Hourly Rate ($) $0

Syncs with main calculator hourly rate

Overtime Multiplier 1.5×

Pay rate for overtime hours

Overtime After (hrs) 8h

Daily threshold before OT rate applies

Annual Raise (%) 3%

Year-over-year wage growth rate

Benefits Value ($/hr) $0

Health, dental, retirement in $/hr

Sick Days / Year 5d

Paid sick leave days per year

Breaks

Meal Break (min) 30m

Syncs with main break duration field

Rest Break (min) 10m

Each paid rest break duration

Break Frequency / Shift 1×

Number of meal breaks taken per shift

Mandatory Break Threshold (hrs) 5h

Shift length that requires a break by law

Extra Unpaid Time (min) 0m

Syncs with additional unpaid breaks field

Paid Rest Breaks (min total) 0m

Syncs with paid rest breaks total field

Tax & Deductions

Federal Tax Rate (%) 22%

Syncs with estimated tax rate field

State / Local Tax (%) 0%

State or local income tax rate

Self-Employment Tax (%) 0%

Additional FICA for self-employed workers

401(k) / Pension (%) 0%

Pre-tax retirement contribution rate

Health Insurance (% of pay) 0%

Employee share of health premium

Other Deductions (%) 0%

Union dues, garnishments, misc.

Projections

Project Ahead (years) 1yr

Earnings projection horizon

Inflation Rate (%) 3%

Deflates future real earnings value

Cost of Living Index 100

Purchasing power adjustment by location

Emergency Fund (months) 3mo

Income buffer savings target

Savings Rate (%) 10%

% of take-home to save each month

Investment Return (%) 7%

Annual return on invested savings

How Lunch Break Deductions Work

When you take a meal break of 30 minutes or more and you are fully free from job duties, that time is usually unpaid. Your employer subtracts it from your shift total before calculating your daily pay.

For example, if you work a 9-hour shift and take a 30-minute unpaid lunch, you get paid for 8.5 hours. Short rest breaks (10–20 minutes) are different — the U.S. Department of Labor says those generally count as paid work time under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA).

Some states and countries go further. California requires a 30-minute unpaid meal break for any shift over 5 hours. The UK requires a 20-minute rest break for shifts over 6 hours. Always check your local rules.

Break Time Calculation Formula

The math is simple once you know which breaks are paid and which are not:

Total Shift = End Time − Start Time
Unpaid Deduction = Unpaid Meal Break + Extra Unpaid Time
Net Paid Hours = Total Shift − Unpaid Deduction
Daily Pay = Net Paid Hours × Hourly Rate

Example: 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM = 9 hours. Minus 30-min unpaid lunch = 8.5 paid hours. At $18/hr, daily pay = $153.00.

Quick Reference — Break Deduction by Shift Length

Shift Length	Typical Break	Break Status	Paid Hours
4 hours	None required	—	4.0 hrs
5 hours	30 min meal	Unpaid (CA)	4.5 hrs
6 hours	30–60 min meal	Unpaid	5.0–5.5 hrs
7.5 hours	30 min meal	Unpaid	7.0 hrs
8 hours	30–60 min meal	Unpaid	7.0–7.5 hrs
9 hours	60 min meal	Unpaid	8.0 hrs
10 hours	60 min meal	Unpaid	9.0 hrs
12 hours	60 min meal	Unpaid	11.0 hrs

Break Rules Around the World

Break requirements vary widely by country and state. Here are the key rules for common regions:

USA (Federal): No federally required meal break. Short rest breaks (≤20 min) must be paid.
California: 30-min unpaid meal break required for shifts over 5 hours. Second meal break for shifts over 10 hours.
UK: 20-min unpaid rest break for shifts over 6 hours (Working Time Regulations).
EU: 11 hours rest between working days. Rest break after 6 hours — amount set by country.
Australia: 30-min unpaid meal break after 5 hours under most awards.
Canada: Generally 30-min break for every 5 consecutive hours (varies by province).

Always check your specific state, province, or national labor authority for exact rules that apply to your industry and contract. Use our work hours calculator to quickly find out how many hours you worked in a day or week.

Daily Gross Pay by Break Duration & Hourly Rate

Based on an 8-hour shift. Unpaid meal break deducted from total hours before pay calculation.

Hourly Rate	No Break 8.0 hrs paid	15-min break 7.75 hrs paid	30-min break 7.5 hrs paid	45-min break 7.25 hrs paid	60-min break 7.0 hrs paid

Formula: (8 hrs − unpaid break hrs) × rate. Currency: $.

Break Time as a Percentage of Shift

How much of your total shift is unpaid break time, and how much pay you lose per day.

Break Duration	6-hr Shift	7-hr Shift	8-hr Shift	9-hr Shift	10-hr Shift	12-hr Shift

Break % = Break Time ÷ Total Shift × 100. Helps you understand how much of your day is unpaid.

Weekly Pay Difference — Paid vs Unpaid Break

How much more you earn per week if your lunch break is paid instead of unpaid (5 days/week, 8-hr shift).

Hourly Rate	15-min break/day +1.25 hrs/wk	30-min break/day +2.5 hrs/wk	45-min break/day +3.75 hrs/wk	60-min break/day +5 hrs/wk	Annual Difference (30-min break)

Weekly difference = break hrs × 5 days × rate. Annual = weekly difference × 52 weeks.

Net Paid Hours by Shift Length & Break Duration

Quickly find your actual paid hours for any combination of shift length and break time.

Shift Hours	No Break	15 min break	30 min break	45 min break	60 min break	90 min break

Net Paid Hours = Shift Length − Unpaid Break. Highlighted cells show common combinations.

Global Meal & Rest Break Requirements

A reference guide to break laws and requirements around the world.

Country / Region	Shift Threshold	Required Break	Paid?	2nd Break	Rest Breaks	Law / Standard
🇺🇸 USA (Federal)	No requirement	None mandated	N/A	N/A	≤20 min = paid	FLSA
🇺🇸 California	Over 5 hrs	30 min meal	Unpaid	Over 10 hrs	10 min per 4 hrs	CA Labor Code
🇬🇧 United Kingdom	Over 6 hrs	20 min rest	Unpaid	No	Daily rest 11 hrs	Working Time Regs
🇦🇺 Australia	Over 5 hrs	30 min meal	Unpaid	Varies	Award specific	Fair Work Act
🇨🇦 Canada	5 consecutive hrs	30 min	Unpaid	Varies	Varies by province	Canada Labour Code
🇩🇪 Germany	6 hours	30 min	Unpaid	9+ hrs: 45 min	11 hr daily rest	ArbZG
🇫🇷 France	6 hours	20 min	Unpaid	No	11 hr daily rest	Labour Code
🇯🇵 Japan	Over 6 hrs	45 min	Unpaid	Over 8 hrs: 60 min	Weekly rest day	Labour Standards Act
🇮🇳 India	5 hours	30 min	Unpaid	Varies	1 rest day/week	Factories Act
🇧🇷 Brazil	4–6 hours	15–60 min	Unpaid	Varies	11 hr daily rest	CLT
🇿🇦 South Africa	Over 5 hrs	60 min	Unpaid	No	12 hr daily rest	BCEA
🇸🇬 Singapore	No mandate	By contract	By contract	N/A	Rest day per week	Employment Act

Rules vary by industry and employment contract. Always verify with your local labor authority. This table is for reference only.

Daily Take-Home Pay After Tax (8-hr Shift, 30-min Unpaid Break)

Daily net pay estimates after common tax rates, based on 7.5 paid hours per day.

Hourly Rate	Daily Gross	After 15% Tax	After 22% Tax	After 28% Tax	After 32% Tax	After 37% Tax

Assumes 7.5 paid hours (8-hr shift minus 30-min unpaid lunch). Tax rates are illustrative — actual withholding depends on filing status and deductions.