Time clock rounding calculator

Enter your real clock-in and clock-out times. See what they round to under the 7-minute rule and other rounding rules, and how many minutes you gain or lose.

Round to the nearest (15 minutes is the 7-minute rule)

15 minutes6 minutes5 minutes

Actual clock inActual clock out

Unpaid breakminDays like this a week

Punch	Actual	Rounded	Change
Clock in
Clock out

What is the 7-minute rule?

The 7-minute rule is how quarter-hour (15-minute) rounding works. A punch 1 to 7 minutes past a quarter hour rounds down to it. A punch 8 to 14 minutes past rounds up to the next quarter hour. So 9:07 is recorded as 9:00 and 9:08 as 9:15.

15-minute rounding, starting from 9:00 AM
Clock shows	Minutes past	Recorded as
9:00 AM	0	9:00 AM
9:01 AM	1	9:00 AM (down)
9:02 AM	2	9:00 AM (down)
9:03 AM	3	9:00 AM (down)
9:04 AM	4	9:00 AM (down)
9:05 AM	5	9:00 AM (down)
9:06 AM	6	9:00 AM (down)
9:07 AM	7	9:00 AM (down)
9:08 AM	8	9:15 AM (up)
9:09 AM	9	9:15 AM (up)
9:10 AM	10	9:15 AM (up)
9:11 AM	11	9:15 AM (up)
9:12 AM	12	9:15 AM (up)
9:13 AM	13	9:15 AM (up)
9:14 AM	14	9:15 AM (up)

What the law says about rounding

The federal rule on time clocks, 29 CFR 785.48, says employers have long recorded start and stop times "to the nearest 5 minutes, or to the nearest one-tenth or quarter of an hour". The Department of Labor accepts this, provided it is used so that it "will not result, over a period of time, in failure to compensate the employees properly for all the time they have actually worked."

In practice that means rounding must be neutral. Punches round to the nearest increment in both directions, so the minutes you lose on some days come back on others. A system that only ever rounds in the employer's favor is not neutral.

How to check whether rounding is costing you

Write down your real clock-in and clock-out times for a few weeks.
Enter a typical day above with the rule your employer uses, and the number of days you work.
If the weekly difference is always negative, compare your actual punches with the hours on your pay stub, and raise it with payroll.

To apply rounding to a whole week of shifts, turn on "Round each punch" in the work hours calculator or the time card calculator.

Common questions

Is time clock rounding legal?

Federal rules accept rounding to the nearest 5 minutes, tenth of an hour or quarter hour, as long as it averages out over time and does not end up underpaying employees for time they actually worked. Rounding that always favors the employer, such as always rounding clock-ins up and clock-outs down, does not meet that test. Some states are stricter.

Does the 7-minute rule mean I can be 7 minutes late?

No. The 7-minute rule is about how time is recorded for pay, not about attendance. Your employer can still have a policy on starting on time, and being late can have consequences even if the minutes are rounded away.

Can my employer round my clock-out time down every day?

Only if it rounds to the nearest increment both ways. Clocking out at 5:07 can round to 5:00, but then 5:08 must round to 5:15. If you are always rounded down, check your pay against the actual punches. This calculator shows the difference.

What is the difference between 6-minute and 15-minute rounding?

6-minute rounding records time in tenths of an hour (0.1, 0.2 and so on), so the most a punch can move is 3 minutes. 15-minute rounding uses quarter hours, so a punch can move up to 7 minutes. Smaller steps keep paid time closer to actual time.

Sources

Last checked November 6, 2026. General information, not legal or payroll advice. Your employer's policy, contract or state law may differ.