Add and Subtract Time Calculator
Add hours, minutes and seconds, or subtract time, in one list. Type times the way you write them and get the total in hours and minutes, h:mm:ss and decimal hours.
- 2 h 45 min
- 1 h 30 min
- 30 min
You can type 1:45 1:45:30 1h 45m 90 min 1.5 h. A plain number counts as minutes. Press Enter for a new row.
Total3 times
3 h 45 min
3:45:00
- Hours and minutes
- 3 h 45 min
- h:mm:ss
- 3:45:00
- Decimal hours
- 3.75
- Total minutes
- 225
How to add and subtract hours and minutes by hand
Line the times up in hours and minutes columns and work from the minutes. An hour is 60 minutes, not 100, so you carry or borrow 60.
| Operation | Hours | Minutes |
|---|---|---|
| +1 | ||
| 3 | 37 | |
| + | 2 | 44 |
| = | 6 | 21 |
37 + 44 = 81 minutes, which is 1 hour and 21 minutes. Carry the 1 hour.
| Operation | Hours | Minutes |
|---|---|---|
| 5 → 4 | 10 → 70 | |
| 5 | 10 | |
| − | 2 | 45 |
| = | 2 | 25 |
10 minutes is less than 45, so borrow 1 hour: 10 + 60 = 70 minutes, then 70 − 45 = 25.
Adding time on a calculator
A phone or desk calculator works in decimals, so typing 3.37 + 2.44 gives 5.81, which is wrong. Convert to minutes first:
- Turn each time into minutes: 3 × 60 + 37 = 217, and 2 × 60 + 44 = 164.
- Add the minutes: 217 + 164 = 381.
- Divide by 60 for whole hours: 381 ÷ 60 = 6.35, so 6 hours.
- The minutes left over are 381 − 360 = 21. The answer is 6 h 21 min.
On the calculator
- 3 × 60 + 37 =217
- 2 × 60 + 44 =164
- 217 + 164 =381
- 381 ÷ 60 =6.35
- 381 − 6 × 60 =21
6 hours 21 minutes
Totals over 24 hours in Excel and Google Sheets
Add up nine shifts of 8:30 and the right total is 76:30. Many spreadsheets show 4:30 instead, because a plain time format starts again after every 24 hours. The fix is one cell format.
| Where | Sum | Cell format | Shows |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excel, default time format | =SUM(A1:A9) | h:mm | 4:30 (wrong) |
| Excel, fixed | =SUM(A1:A9) | Custom format [h]:mm | 76:30 |
| Google Sheets | =SUM(A1:A9) | Format, Number, Duration | 76:30:00 |
| Decimal hours in either | =SUM(A1:A9)*24 | Number | 76.5 |
Questions about adding and subtracting time
What is 45 minutes plus 45 minutes?
1 h 30 min, or 1.5 hours. 45 + 45 = 90 minutes, and 90 minutes is 1 hour with 30 minutes left over.
Can I add times as decimals?
Only after converting them. 1:45 is 1.75 hours, not 1.45, because 45 minutes is three quarters of an hour. So 1:45 + 1:30 is 1.75 + 1.5 = 3.25 hours, which is 3 h 15 min.
Need the time between a start and an end instead? Use the Time Duration Calculator. For a date some days away, use the Days From Today Calculator. The rules behind every result are on the methodology page.