How to use the flextime balance calculator
- Enter your daily target in hours, such as 8, and a balance brought forward if you have time owed or banked.
- For each day enter the hours worked as a decimal number. 7.75 means 7 hours and 45 minutes. If a day has a different target, such as a half day or a day off, enter it in the target box for that day.
- Add more days with Add a day. Use up to 62 days.
- Read the running balance after each day and the final balance in hours and in hours and minutes. Use Copy, Print or CSV to keep it.
Formula
Difference = hours worked - target for the day
Balance = balance brought forward + sum of all differences so far
A positive balance means you are ahead of the target and a negative balance means you are behind. Decimal hours are converted to minutes by multiplying the fraction by 60.
A week with a short Friday
With a daily target of 8 hours, suppose you work 8.5, 7.75, 9 and 8 hours from Monday to Thursday, then 4 hours on a Friday whose target is also 4. The daily differences are +0.50, -0.25, +1.00, 0 and 0.
The running balance is +0.50, +0.25, +1.25, +1.25 and +1.25. In total you worked 37.25 hours against a target of 36, so the balance is +1.25 hours, which is +1:15 in hours and minutes. Adding a balance of -2 brought forward would give -0.75 hours.
Decimal hours and minutes
Time sheets often use decimal hours, where 0.25 is 15 minutes, 0.5 is 30 minutes and 0.75 is 45 minutes. To turn minutes into a decimal, divide by 60. To turn a decimal into minutes, multiply the part after the point by 60. The decimal hours converter does the conversion in both directions.
The balance is also shown in hours and minutes, rounded to the nearest minute, so you can read it straight into a time sheet or a message to your manager.
Rules this tool does not know
Flextime schemes differ. Some set core hours, some cap how many hours can be carried over, and some require time owed to be made up within a period. Others pay for extra hours at a set rate. The tool keeps a simple running total and leaves those rules to your employer's policy.
If you need to add up the hours themselves first, use the hours calculator or the timesheet calculator. For pay on extra hours, the overtime calculator applies a rate you enter.
Assumptions and limits
- Hours are entered as decimals, and each day has a target, either the daily target or its own.
- The balance is a plain sum of differences. Caps, expiry and payment of extra hours are not modeled.
- The 8 hour target and the sample hours are examples to replace.
- Hours worked and targets must each be between 0 and 24 for one day.
Frequently asked questions
How do I enter 7 hours and 30 minutes?
Type 7.5. For 7 hours and 45 minutes type 7.75. Divide any minutes by 60 and add them to the hours.
How do I record a day off?
Enter 0 hours worked and set that day's target to 0. The difference is zero and the balance does not change.
What does a negative balance mean?
You have worked fewer hours than the target so far and owe the difference. The tool shows it with a minus sign.
Can I carry over a balance from last month?
Yes. Enter it in the balance brought forward box. Use a negative number if you owe time.