# How to round time to the nearest 15 minutes in Excel

Use MROUND with a 15-minute step: `=MROUND(B2,"0:15")`.

**Excel:** `=MROUND(B2,"0:15")` (Every current version)

**Google Sheets:** the same formula works.

## Example

Sample data (row 1 is the header):

| A | B | C |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Employee | Clock in | Rounded |
| Ava | 0.33819444444444446 |  |
| Ben | 0.3388888888888889 |  |
| Cara | 0.3701388888888889 |  |
| Dev | 0.5152777777777777 |  |
| Eli | 0.6930555555555555 |  |
| Fay | 0.7444444444444445 |  |

Formula in C2, filled to C7: `=MROUND(B2,"0:15")`

Result: 8:00 AM; 8:15 AM; 9:00 AM; 12:15 PM; 4:45 PM; 5:45 PM

## How it works

MROUND rounds to the nearest multiple of its second argument, and the text "0:15" is read as 15 minutes. 8:07 is closer to 8:00 and 8:08 is closer to 8:15.

## Other ways

- `=ROUND(B2*96,0)/96`: A day has 96 quarter hours, so this rounds to the nearest one without MROUND.
- `=FLOOR(B2,"0:15")`: Always rounds down. (Rounds down.)
- `=CEILING(B2,"0:15")`: Always rounds up. (Rounds up.)

## Common mistakes

- Times are binary fractions, so a time exactly halfway, like 8:07:30, can round either way. Decide which way ties go if it matters.
- Rules on rounding time punches vary. In the US, rounding must not favor the employer over time.

## Questions

**How do I round to the nearest hour?**

`=MROUND(B2,"1:00")`.

**How do I round up to 6 minutes for billing?**

`=CEILING(B2,"0:06")`.

Every formula and result on this page was checked by running it in the Spreadsheet Practice formula engine on 2026-10-30.

Source: https://spreadsheetpractice.com/formulas/round-time-to-the-nearest-15-minutes