How the 7-minute rule works
When rounding to the quarter hour, the split point is 7½ minutes: a punch 1–7 minutes past the quarter hour rounds down, and 8 or more minutes rounds up. So 8:07 becomes 8:00, and 8:08 becomes 8:15. The same "round to nearest" logic applies at any interval — this calculator just does the arithmetic for you.
Quarter-hour rounding chart
| Actual punch | Rounds to |
|---|---|
| 7:53 – 8:07 | 8:00 |
| 8:08 – 8:22 | 8:15 |
| 8:23 – 8:37 | 8:30 |
| 8:38 – 8:52 | 8:45 |
| 8:53 – 9:07 | 9:00 |
Is time clock rounding legal?
Rounding is generally permitted under federal rules if it's neutral — over time it must not systematically shortchange employees. A policy that always rounds clock-ins up and clock-outs down favors the employer and invites wage claims. Several states have tightened the rules further, and with digital time clocks recording exact punches, many employers have dropped rounding entirely.
If your employer rounds and you want to check the effect on a real week, punch your actual times into the time card calculator once as recorded and once as rounded — the difference in the weekly total is what rounding costs (or gives) you. Converting the result for payroll? The decimal hours converter flips h:mm to decimal.