Military Time Converter for Schedules, Time Clocks and Timesheets
This military time converter turns 12-hour AM and PM times into 24-hour military time and back again. It also works as a 24 hour clock converter for shift schedules, and the shift tool further down turns start and end times into decimal hours for payroll.
Standard time to military time
Military time to standard time
Shift length in hours, minutes and decimal hours
Enter a start and end time in either format to get the length of the shift. Shifts that run past midnight are handled. The decimal figure is the one to enter on a timesheet or in payroll software.
Military time chart for all 24 hours
Use this military time chart to read a schedule or time clock report at a glance. Minutes stay the same in both systems, so 1415 is 2:15 PM and 0245 is 2:45 AM.
| Military time | 24-hour clock | 12-hour time |
|---|
Military time minutes to decimal hours for timesheets
Payroll works in decimal hours, so the minutes on a time clock report need to be turned into a fraction of an hour. Divide the minutes by 60 and round to two decimal places. The table shows every minute from 1 to 60.
| Min | Hours | Min | Hours | Min | Hours |
|---|
Example: 7 hours 45 minutes is 7.75 hours, because 45 minutes is 0.75 of an hour. It is not 7.45 hours.
How to convert military time by hand
Military time is the everyday US name for the 24-hour clock written as four digits. The first two digits are the hour, from 00 to 23, and the last two are the minutes, from 00 to 59. There is no colon: the US Government Publishing Office Style Manual (2016 edition, rule 12.9) gives 0025 and 2359 as examples of military time. Many shift schedules, time clocks and timesheet systems use the 24-hour clock. Each time of day has one form, so a night shift cannot be mistaken for a day shift.
- From 1:00 AM to 12:59 PM, keep the hour as it is and write it with two digits. 7:30 AM is 0730 and 12:59 PM is 1259.
- From 1:00 PM to 11:59 PM, add 12 to the hour. 5:30 PM is 1730 and 11:59 PM is 2359.
- From 12:00 AM to 12:59 AM, the hour is 00. 12:30 AM is 0030.
- To go back to 12-hour time, subtract 12 from any hour from 13 to 23 and add PM. 1345 is 1:45 PM.
Midnight and noon
Noon is 1200 and midnight is 0000. The US National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) says that 12 a.m. and 12 p.m. are ambiguous and should not be used, and it describes the 24-hour clock as one way to be clear: 0000 for midnight at the start of a day and 2400 for the end of a day. See the NIST times of day FAQs. On a schedule, 2400 on Monday and 0000 on Tuesday are the same moment. This converter shows midnight as 0000 and accepts 2400 as the end of the day.
Worked example
A night shift starts at 2145 and ends at 0620 with a 30 minute unpaid break. From 2145 to midnight is 2 hours 15 minutes. From midnight to 0620 is 6 hours 20 minutes. Together that is 8 hours 35 minutes on shift. Taking off the 30 minute break leaves 8 hours 5 minutes of paid time. Five minutes is 5 divided by 60, which is 0.08 of an hour, so the timesheet entry is 8.08 hours. Enter 2145, 0620 and 30 in the shift tool above and it gives the same answer.
Rounding time clock entries
The shift tool does not round clock times. It gives the exact length to two decimal places. Some US employers round punches before they calculate pay. The US Department of Labor explains in Fact Sheet 53 on hours worked in health care (revised July 2009) that the Fair Labor Standards Act allows an employer to round employee time to the nearest quarter hour. Time from 1 to 7 minutes may be rounded down and time from 8 to 14 minutes must be rounded up, and an employer may violate the law if it always rounds down. The federal regulation at 29 CFR 785.48(b) also describes recording start and stop times to the nearest 5 minutes, or to the nearest tenth or quarter of an hour, and accepts this provided that, over a period of time, employees are paid for all the time they have actually worked.
This page gives general information and is not legal advice. Check the wage and hour rules that apply in your state. Sources were checked on October 11, 2026.
Questions about the military time converter
What time is 1800 in military time?
1800 is 6:00 PM. For any military time from 1300 to 2359, subtract 12 from the hour and add PM, so 18 minus 12 gives 6. The minutes stay the same, so 1830 is 6:30 PM.
How do I convert a PM time to military time?
Add 12 to the hour for any time from 1:00 PM to 11:59 PM and keep the minutes the same. 5:30 PM becomes 1730 and 11:59 PM becomes 2359. The exception is the noon hour: 12:00 PM to 12:59 PM stay as 1200 to 1259.
Is midnight 0000 or 2400?
NIST describes using 0000 for midnight at the beginning of a day and 2400 for the end of a day. This military time converter shows midnight at the start of a day as 0000 and accepts 2400 as the end of a day. 12:30 AM is 0030.
How do I turn minutes into decimal hours for a timesheet?
Divide the minutes by 60 and round to two decimal places. 15 minutes is 0.25, 30 minutes is 0.50 and 45 minutes is 0.75 of an hour. A shift of 8 hours 5 minutes is 8.08 hours.
How do I work out the hours for an overnight shift?
Count from the start time to midnight, then add the time from midnight to the end time. A shift from 2200 to 0600 is 2 hours plus 6 hours, which is 8 hours. With a 30 minute unpaid break it is 7 hours 30 minutes, or 7.50 decimal hours.
Does military time use a colon?
The US Government Publishing Office Style Manual writes military time as four digits with no colon, giving 0025 and 2359 as examples. The 24-hour clock on phones, time clocks and software often shows times with a colon, so 0730 may appear as 07:30. Both mean 7:30 AM, and the converter accepts either form.