How to use the average weekly hours calculator
- List each week with a label and the hours worked. Type decimals such as 38.5, or hours and minutes such as 38:30.
- Add as many weeks as you need with Add a week, up to two years.
- Open More options and enter a target average if you want to know what next week must be.
- Read the average per week, the total, the fewest and most hours in a week, and the table.
Formula
average = total hours / number of weeks
hours needed next week = target x (weeks + 1) - total so far
Hours and minutes are turned into decimals first, so 38:30 counts as 38.5 hours. The next-week figure shows how many hours bring the average of all the weeks, including the new one, to your target.
Weeks of 38, 42 and 40 hours
Three weeks of 38, 42 and 40 hours total 120 hours, and 120 / 3 = 40 hours a week. With a target average of 41 hours, next week must be 41 x 4 - 120 = 44 hours.
With hours and minutes, 38:00, 42:30 and 40:15 are 38, 42.5 and 40.25 hours. They total 120.75 hours, and the average is 40.25 hours, which is 40 hours 15 minutes.
When an average is useful
A weekly average smooths out busy and quiet weeks, which helps when hours vary with seasons, projects or shifts. It is a good way to see your usual workload, to compare it with a contract, or to check whether recent weeks are above or below your target.
The next-week figure answers a planning question: how many hours do I need to work to bring the average to the target? If the answer is more than a week holds, the page says so, and if the average is already above the target even with a week off, it says that too.
What it does not do
This is a plain average. It does not apply overtime rules or a legal averaging period, which differ by place and agreement. For pay, see the Overtime Calculator, and for totals use the Hours Calculator or the Working Hours per Month Calculator.
Assumptions and limits
- Each week counts equally, whatever the number of days worked.
- A week has at most 168 hours.
- Overtime rules and legal averaging periods are not applied.
- Nothing is uploaded. The arithmetic runs in your browser.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate average weekly hours?
Add the hours of all the weeks and divide by the number of weeks. Weeks of 38, 42 and 40 hours total 120, so the average is 40.
Can I enter hours and minutes?
Yes. Type 38:30 for 38 hours 30 minutes, or 38.5 as a decimal. Both give 38.5 hours.
How many hours must I work next week to reach an average?
Enter a target average in More options. The page multiplies the target by the number of weeks including the new one and subtracts the hours so far.
Does this apply an overtime rule?
No. It is a plain average. How hours are averaged for overtime depends on your place and agreement, so check the rules that apply to you.