How to calculate hours worked minus a lunch break in Excel
Formula (Excel and Google Sheets)
=(C2-B2)*24-D2/60Subtract the break from the time on site: =(C2-B2)*24-D2/60, with the break in minutes in D2.
- Result on the example
- one result per row in
E2, filled down toE6 - Works in
- Every current version
- Google Sheets
- Same formula
See it work
The formula is already in E2, filled down to E6. Change any input and the result updates, or edit the formula to experiment.
How it works
(C2-B2)*24 is the hours from clock-in to clock-out, and D2/60 turns the break minutes into hours. Subtracting gives the hours worked: on Tuesday that is 8.75 hours on site minus a 30-minute lunch, so 8.25.
=(C2-B2)*24-D2/60Result8
C25:00 PMThe value in C2.
B28:00 AMThe value in B2.
C2-B20.375The - operator subtracts.
C2-B2)*249The * operator multiplies.
D260The value in D2.
D2/601The / operator divides.
C2-B2)*24-D2/608The - operator subtracts.
In Google Sheets
The same formula works in Google Sheets: =(C2-B2)*24-D2/60. We ran it in Google Sheets mode on the same data and it returns the same results.
Other ways to do it
Each one was run on the same example sheet.
| Formula | Result | When to use it |
|---|---|---|
| =(C2-B2-D2/1440)*24 | 8.00, 8.25, 8.50… | Subtracts the break as a time first, then converts to hours. |
| =TEXT(C2-B2-D2/1440,"h:mm") | 8:00, 8:15, 8:30…Different result | Hours and minutes as text. Text in h:mm form. |
Common mistakes
- A break recorded as a time (0:30) needs *24, not /60:
=(C2-B2-D2)*24. - For shifts past midnight, wrap the difference in MOD:
=MOD(C2-B2,1)*24-D2/60.
Try it yourself
Same data, empty answer cell. Your formula is graded instantly, then re-checked on changed data, so a typed-in number won't pass.
Calculate hours worked minus a lunch break
E2, calculate the hours worked: the time from in to out, minus the break minutes in column D. Fill down to E6.Questions
How do I handle separate lunch-out and lunch-in punches?
Add the two worked blocks: =((lunch_out-in)+(out-lunch_in))*24.
How do I deduct 30 minutes only for shifts over 6 hours?
=(C2-B2)*24-IF((C2-B2)*24>6,0.5,0).
Checked by running on 2026-10-30: every formula and result on this page was calculated by the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine, in both Excel and Google Sheets modes.