Half of Workday Calculator
| Shift | Unpaid break | Paid time | Halfway at |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9am–5pm | 30 min | 7h 30m | 12:45pm |
| 9am–5pm | 60 min | 7h | 12:30pm |
| 8am–4:30pm | 30 min | 8h | 12:00pm |
| 7am–3pm | 30 min | 7h 30m | 10:45am |
| 6am–6pm | 60 min | 11h | 11:30am |
Every number-halving calculator can tell you half of 8, but not the question you actually have at 11am: when is my shift half over? This page splits your workday, not a number. It takes your clock-in, clock-out and unpaid break, then puts the halfway line where it belongs — after your paid time, not your lunch — so 'half the day is done' stops being a guess.
The same midpoint doubles as the half-day split line: taking the morning off ends at it, taking the afternoon off starts from it. Overnight shifts roll past midnight automatically, and the live counter shows paid time done versus left while you are on the clock.
How to use
- Enter when you clock in and when you clock out — overnight shifts (like 10pm to 6am) are handled automatically.
- Enter your unpaid break in minutes; paid breaks of 5-20 minutes stay in the shift and should be left out.
- Read the midpoint: that clock time is when half of your paid workday is behind you, and it is also the half-day line.
Frequently asked questions
Does my unpaid lunch count toward the halfway point?
No — that is the whole point of this page. The midpoint is clock-in plus half of your paid time, so a 30-minute unpaid lunch pushes the halfway moment earlier than the naive midpoint of your span. A 9-to-5 with a 30-minute break hits halfway at 12:45pm, not 1:00pm, because 7.5 paid hours split in half after 3h45m of work.
When do I take a half day — morning or afternoon?
The midpoint is the split line. A morning half day runs from clock-in to the midpoint; an afternoon half day runs from the midpoint to clock-out. If your midpoint lands at 12:45pm, a 'half day' that ends at noon is really only about 3.2 paid hours — just under half of a 7.5-hour day.
What about overnight shifts?
If clock-out is earlier than clock-in, the shift is treated as crossing midnight — a 10pm-to-6am shift is an 8-hour span, and the midpoint lands at 2am (with a break pushing it earlier, same as a day shift). The halfway counter also wraps past midnight correctly.
Does federal law require a lunch break?
No. Under the FLSA there is no federal requirement for meal or rest breaks — short breaks (5-20 minutes) must be paid, while bona fide meal periods (typically 30+ minutes, fully off duty) may be unpaid. Several states go further and mandate meal breaks; check your state labor department. The Department of Labor's work hours guidance (linked below the calculator) is the federal baseline.
Why is my halfway moment different from my coworker's?
The midpoint moves with three inputs: clock-in, clock-out and unpaid break length. The same 9-to-5 hits halfway at 12:45pm with a 30-minute lunch but 12:52pm with a 15-minute one, and a compressed 7am-3pm schedule halves at 10:45am. The table above covers the common shift shapes.