Guide / rounding
Exact minutes and time-card rounding
Two different kinds of rounding can appear on a time card. A payroll display may show decimal hours to two places, while a timekeeping policy may round clock punches before it calculates elapsed time. Work Hours Desk does the first only: it keeps the entered punch minutes exact, adds worked minutes, then displays the total in decimal form.
A punch example that changes the total
From 08:07 to 16:53 is 8:46 elapsed. Subtract a 30-minute unpaid meal and exact worked time is 8:16, or about 8.27 decimal hours. If a separate system rounded 08:07 to 08:00 and 16:53 to 17:00 before subtraction, its displayed result would be 8:30. The 14-minute difference comes from punch handling; displaying 8:16 as 8.27 did not change the worked minutes.
| Method | Start | End | Less meal | Worked |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Exact punches | 08:07 | 16:53 | 0:30 | 8:16 |
| Illustrative rounded punches | 08:00 | 17:00 | 0:30 | 8:30 |
How to investigate a mismatch
- Compare the recorded clock-in and clock-out values before comparing totals.
- Find out whether each punch, each shift or only the final display is rounded.
- Check that the same unpaid break was deducted on the same day.
- Add exact minutes across the relevant fixed workweek before reviewing overtime.
US federal guidance describes some neutral rounding practices, but they must not systematically undercount actual work over time. See the Department of Labor’s time-clock guidance. The calculator does not decide whether a particular policy is lawful or apply that policy automatically.