Timesheet Calculator With Lunch Breaks 2026
A weekly timesheet that deducts lunch breaks, handles overnight shifts and splits regular from overtime hours.
Filling in the timesheet
Enter a start and end time for each day and the unpaid break in minutes. Blank days are ignored, so a four-day week or a split schedule needs no extra work. Each row shows its own decimal total and the week adds up in the results panel.
Set the overtime threshold to the number of hours after which your premium starts. Forty is the federal default. If your state or contract uses a different figure, or your employer pays overtime after 37.5 hours, change it and the split follows.
Why a timesheet and a paycheck disagree
The usual reason is rounding. Employers may round clock times to the nearest quarter hour, provided the rounding is neutral over time and does not systematically favour the employer. Over a week that can move your total by a fraction of an hour.
The second reason is break policy. Some employers auto-deduct a 30-minute lunch whether or not it was taken, which is lawful only if the break was genuinely available and the employee was relieved of duty. If you worked through an auto-deducted break, the difference between this total and your paid hours is what you should raise.
Keeping your own record
Wage claims turn on records. Federal law puts the record-keeping duty on the employer, but where the employer\u2019s records are missing or unreliable, an employee\u2019s own consistent record carries real weight. Print the week from this page and keep it, or write the times down somewhere they are not editable after the fact.
2026 tax rates used on this page
| Item | Rate | Limit or threshold |
|---|---|---|
| Social Security (OASDI) | 6.2% | First $184,500 of wages, maximum $11,439 |
| Medicare | 1.45% | No cap |
| Additional Medicare | 0.9% | Wages above $200,000 single, $250,000 joint, $125,000 separate |
| Federal income tax | 10% to 37% | Seven brackets, after the standard deduction |
| Standard deduction | — | $16,100 single, $32,200 joint, $24,150 head of household |
| Federal supplemental rate | 22% | Applied to bonuses under the flat method |
| Dependent credits | — | $2,000 per child under 17, $500 per other dependent |
Sources: IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 and the Social Security Administration 2026 announcement. Verified 17 September 2026.
2026 federal brackets
| Rate | Single | Married filing jointly |
|---|---|---|
| 10% | $0 to $12,400 | $0 to $24,800 |
| 12% | $12,400 to $50,400 | $24,800 to $100,800 |
| 22% | $50,400 to $105,700 | $100,800 to $211,400 |
| 24% | $105,700 to $201,775 | $211,400 to $403,550 |
| 32% | $201,775 to $256,225 | $403,550 to $512,450 |
| 35% | $256,225 to $640,600 | $512,450 to $768,700 |
| 37% | $640,600 and above | $768,700 and above |
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate a timesheet with lunch breaks?
For each day, subtract the start time from the end time, then subtract the unpaid break in minutes. Convert to decimal hours by dividing minutes by 60 and add the days together. The timesheet above deducts the break automatically and totals the week.
Should a lunch break be paid?
Federal law does not require employers to provide meal breaks. Where a break of 30 minutes or more is provided and the employee is relieved of all duty, it is unpaid. Short rest breaks of 20 minutes or less are counted as paid work time.
Can my employer deduct a lunch I did not take?
Only if the break was genuinely available and you were relieved of duty. Auto-deducting a break you worked through is a wage violation. Keep your own record of the days it happened and raise them together with payroll.
How do I handle a shift that runs past midnight?
Enter the times as they are, such as 22:00 to 06:00, and the calculator counts forward across midnight for eight hours. For overtime, the hours count towards the workweek in which they were worked.
Can employers round my clock times?
Yes, to the nearest quarter hour, provided the rounding is neutral and does not consistently reduce pay. Rounding that always favours the employer is not permitted.
Does this work for a two-week timesheet?
Run each week separately. Overtime is calculated per workweek under federal law, so hours cannot be averaged across a two-week period even where pay is issued fortnightly.
Related calculators
These figures are estimates for informational purposes and are not tax advice. Actual withholding depends on your employer’s payroll system, your year-to-date wages and your specific W-4. Federal rates come from IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32 and the SSA 2026 announcement; state rates come from each state’s own withholding guide, with the source and verification date published on every state page. Read the methodology, or see who maintains this data.