Military Time Calculator

This military time calculator does three jobs in one place. It converts any time between the 24-hour clock and standard AM/PM time, it counts the hours between two military times (including overnight shifts), and it adds or subtracts hours from a time so you know exactly when a shift or task will end.

It is built for nurses, security officers, warehouse and factory workers, dispatchers, and anyone whose timesheet or schedule uses 24-hour time. Type a time the way you would write it on a time card, such as 0730 or 1915, and the results update instantly.

What Is Military Time?

Military time is the 24-hour clock. Instead of running from 1 to 12 twice a day, the hours run from 00 to 23, so every time of day has one unique number and you never need AM or PM. The day starts at 0000 (midnight), reaches 1200 at noon, and ends at 2359, one minute before the next midnight.

It is the standard format in the armed forces, hospitals, aviation, emergency services, and most of the world outside the United States. Many US employers also use it on time clocks and timesheets because it removes the most common payroll error: mixing up AM and PM on an overnight shift.

How to Convert Military Time to Standard Time

1. 0000 to 0059: replace 00 with 12 and add AM. 0030 is 12:30 AM.
2. 0100 to 1159: drop any leading zero, add a colon, and add AM. 0945 is 9:45 AM.
3. 1200 to 1259: keep 12 and add PM. 1215 is 12:15 PM.
4. 1300 to 2359: subtract 12 from the hour and add PM. 1930 is 7:30 PM.

Going the other way is just as easy. For AM times, add a leading zero if needed (7:15 AM becomes 0715), and 12 AM becomes 00. For PM times, add 12 to the hour (4:20 PM becomes 1620), except 12 PM, which stays 1200.

Military Time Conversion Chart

Use this 24-hour time chart to look up any hour at a glance. The minutes never change during conversion, only the hour does.

How to Calculate Hours Between Two Military Times

Counting hours is where the 24-hour clock really helps, because you can subtract directly without worrying about AM and PM. Here is the method this military time calculator uses:

Same-day example: a shift from 0830 to 1715 with a 30-minute lunch. Convert both times to hours and minutes: 17:15 minus 8:30 is 8 hours 45 minutes. Take away the 30-minute break and you get 8 hours 15 minutes, or 8.25 decimal hours.

Overnight example: a night shift from 2200 to 0630. Since 0630 is smaller than 2200, the shift crossed midnight, so add 24 hours to the end time: 30:30 minus 22:00 equals 8 hours 30 minutes (8.5 hours). The calculator does this automatically and labels the result as an overnight shift.

A useful trick when subtracting by hand: if the end minutes are smaller than the start minutes, borrow one hour (60 minutes) from the end hour. For 1410 minus 0945, treat 14:10 as 13:70, then 13:70 minus 9:45 is 4 hours 25 minutes.

Adding and Subtracting Military Time

To find when a shift ends, add its length to the start time. A 12-hour shift starting at 1900 ends at 0700 the next morning, because 19 + 12 = 31, and 31 minus 24 = 7. To find when a shift must start, subtract instead. If you need to be finished by 1530 and the job takes 6 hours 45 minutes, you need to start by 0845.

Use box 3 above for this. It tells you the result in both formats and whether it lands on the same day, the next day, or the day before.

Military Time on Timesheets and Payroll

Payroll software almost always needs decimal hours, not hours and minutes. After you count the time between two military times, divide the leftover minutes by 60: 15 minutes is 0.25, 30 minutes is 0.50, and 45 minutes is 0.75. Entering 7.30 when you mean 7 hours 30 minutes is one of the most common timesheet mistakes, and it underpays the worker by 12 minutes.

If you track a full week of punches, our Time Card Calculator and Work Hours Calculator both support 24-hour time and total your regular and overtime hours. For a single conversion, the Decimal Hours Converter has a full minutes-to-decimal chart.

Quick Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

How do you convert military time to standard time?

If the hour is 13 or higher, subtract 12 and add PM. For example, 1600 becomes 4:00 PM and 2145 becomes 9:45 PM. If the hour is 12, it stays 12 and is PM (noon). If the hour is 00, change it to 12 and add AM (midnight). Hours from 01 to 11 stay the same and are AM.

How do I calculate hours between two military times?

Subtract the start time from the end time. Work in minutes to avoid mistakes: 1715 minus 0830 is 17 hours 15 minutes minus 8 hours 30 minutes, which equals 8 hours 45 minutes, or 8.75 decimal hours. If the end time is smaller than the start time, the shift crossed midnight, so add 24 hours to the end time first.

What is 1700 in military time?

1700 is 5:00 PM. Subtract 12 from 17 to get 5, then add PM. It is said out loud as seventeen hundred hours.

Is midnight 0000 or 2400?

Both are used. 0000 marks the start of a new day, while 2400 is sometimes written for the very end of a day, for example a shift that ends at midnight. Most timekeeping and payroll systems use 0000, and this calculator treats 2400 the same as 0000.

How do you say military time out loud?

Read the first two digits and the last two digits as separate numbers, then add the word hours. 1430 is fourteen thirty hours. When the minutes are 00, say hundred: 0800 is zero eight hundred hours. A leading zero is spoken as zero, so 0915 is zero nine fifteen hours.

How do I convert military time to decimal hours for payroll?

Keep the hours and divide the minutes by 60. A shift of 7 hours 45 minutes is 7 + 45 / 60 = 7.75 hours. This calculator shows the decimal total automatically, and our Decimal Hours Converter has a full minutes-to-decimal chart.

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Conversions follow the standard 24-hour clock (ISO 8601). Results run entirely in your browser.