A worked example: 09:15 to 18:00 with a 45-minute break
Clocking in at 09:15 and out at 18:00 gives 8.75 gross hours on the clock. Subtract a 45-minute unpaid break (0.75 hours) and the Time Card Calculator returns 8 net hours worked, displayed as "8h 0m". The gross figure is what the wall clock shows between the two timestamps; the net figure is what actually gets paid.
The formula: gross time minus unpaid break
Net hours = (clock out minus clock in) minus the unpaid break, expressed in hours. For the 09:15-to-18:00 shift, that is 8.75 gross hours minus 0.75 hours of break, leaving exactly 8.00 net hours. The calculator never lets break time push net hours below zero — a break longer than the shift itself simply floors the result at 0, rather than returning a negative number.
An overnight shift: 22:00 to 06:30
Clock-in and clock-out don't have to fall on the same calendar day. Entering 22:00 as clock-in and 06:30 as clock-out — with a 30-minute break — produces 8.5 gross hours, because the calculator recognizes that a clock-out earlier than clock-in means the shift wrapped past midnight and adds a full 24 hours before subtracting. After the 30-minute break, that comes out to 8 net hours worked, the same "8h 0m" result as a same-day shift of equivalent length.
Why net hours (not gross) is the number that should go on a payslip
A half-day shift with no break at all — 08:00 to 12:30, 0 minutes of break — shows gross and net hours as identical: 4.5 hours either way, since there's no break time to remove. That side-by-side comparison is the point of tracking both numbers: gross hours reflect time on the premises, while net hours reflect time actually worked, and the two only match when no unpaid break was taken. Using gross hours for payroll would overstate paid time for anyone who takes a break, which is why the net figure — not the raw clock-in-to-clock- out span — is the one that belongs on a payslip or timesheet.