How this calculator handles your lunch break
Most time card tools ask you to estimate break minutes. This one works like a real punch clock: you enter four punches per day — clock in, lunch out, lunch in, and clock out. The calculator adds your morning block and afternoon block separately, so the lunch break is excluded to the minute. If you skip lunch, leave the middle two fields empty and the whole shift counts as one block.
Meal break rules in the United States
Federal law (FLSA) doesn't require meal or rest breaks, but it does draw a paid/unpaid line: short breaks of roughly 5–20 minutes count as paid work time, while bona fide meal periods of 30 minutes or more can be unpaid — provided you're fully relieved of duties. About 20 states add their own requirements:
| State | Meal break rule (typical) |
|---|---|
| California | 30 min unpaid before the end of the 5th hour; second meal break over 10 hours |
| New York | 30 min for shifts over 6 hours spanning the midday period |
| Washington | 30 min if working more than 5 hours |
| Texas, Florida & ~28 others | No state requirement — employer policy applies |
Rules change and have exceptions — verify with your state labor department. This tool is an estimator, not legal advice.
Worked example
James clocks in at 7:00 AM, punches out for lunch at 12:00 PM, back in at 12:30 PM, and clocks out at 3:30 PM. Morning block: 5 hours. Afternoon block: 3 hours. Day total: 8 hours — his unpaid 30-minute lunch never enters the count. Over five identical days that's a 40-hour week; at $20/hour, $800 gross.