How to Calculate Hours and Minutes in Excel (7 Handy Ways)

We have a dataset of an employee’s entry time and exit time to the office throughout the week. We need to calculate how much time they worked each weekday.

Sample Dataset to Calculate Time in Hours and Minutes in Excel


Method 1 – Using a Subtraction

Steps:

  • Click on the E5 cell where you want to calculate your time in hours and minutes.
  • Insert the formula below and press the Enter button.
=D5-C5

Use Subtraction Functionality to Calculate Time in Hours and Minutes in Excel

Note: D5 and C5 both cells should be in 24-hour time format or h: mm custom format.

  • You’ll get the employee’s working time for Monday. Place your cursor in the bottom-right corner of your cell.
  • The fill handle will appear. Drag the fill handle down to copy the formula through the column.

Drag the Fill Handle to Copy Formula

  • Here’s the result.

Calculated Time in hours and Minutes

Read More: Excel Calculate Hours Between Two Times After Midnight


Method 2 – Combine the HOUR and MINUTE Functions

The HOUR function has only one argument which is serial_number. It takes a time value and returns only the hours value of that time.

HOUR Function Syntax

The MINUTE function has only one argument which is serial_number. It takes a time value and returns only the minute value of that time.

MINUTE Function Syntax

Steps:

  • Select E5.
  • Insert the following formula and press the Enter button.
=HOUR(D5-C5)&":"&MINUTE(D5-C5)

Using HOUR and MINUTE Function to Calculate Hours and Minutes in Excel

Formula Breakdown

  • =HOUR(D5-C5)

This subtracts the D5 and C5 cells’ time and returns only the hour value of the subtraction.

Result: 8

  • =HOUR(D5-C5)&”:”

This concatenates a colon after the previous result.

Result: 8:

  • =HOUR(D5-C5)&”:”&MINUTE(D5-C5)

This subtracts the D5 and C5 cells’ time returns the minute value of the subtraction and concatenates it with the precious result.

Result: 8:35

  • Go to the bottom-right corner of E5 to get the Fill Handle.
  • Drag the Fill Handle down or double-click it to AutoFill through the column.

Drag Fill Handle to Copy Formula

  • Here’s the result.

Calculated Time in Hours and Minutes


Method 3 – Use The TIME Function to Calculate Hours and Minutes

The TIME function has three main arguments: hour, minute, and second. The hour argument takes the hour value of a time. Similarly, the minute and second arguments take the minute and second values respectively.

TIME Function Syntax

Steps:

  • Insert the following formula in cell E5 (the first result cell) and press the Enter button.
=TIME(HOUR(D5),MINUTE(D5),SECOND(D5))-TIME(HOUR(C5),MINUTE(C5),SECOND(C5))

Formula Breakdown

  • =TIME(HOUR(D5),MINUTE(D5),SECOND(D5))

This extracts the hour, minute, and second values from the D5 cell’s time and writes in the organized time value.

Result: 17:55

  • =TIME(HOUR(C5),MINUTE(C5),SECOND(C5))

This extracts the hour, minute, and second values from the C5 cell’s time and writes in the organized time value.

Result: 9:20

  • =TIME(HOUR(D5),MINUTE(D5),SECOND(D5))-TIME(HOUR(C5),MINUTE(C5),SECOND(C5))

This subtracts the second time value from the first time value.

Result: 8:35

  • Drag the fill handle down or double-click it to get the other results.

Drag the Fill Handle to Copy Formula

  • Here are the results.

Calcuated Time in Hours and Minutes


Method 4 – Use the TEXT Function

The TEXT function has two main arguments: value and format_text. The value argument takes the value you want to show. The format_text argument takes the format in which you want to show your value.

TEXT Function Syntax

Steps:

  • Insert the following formula in E5 and hit Enter.
=TEXT(D5-C5,"h:mm")

Using TEXT Function to Calculate Hours and Minutes in Excel

  • Drag or double-click the Fill Handle to fill the E column.

Drag the Fill Handle to Copy the Formula

  • Here are the results.

Calculated Time in Hours and Minutes


Method 5 – Use the Excel NOW Function to Calculate Elapsed Time in Hours and Minutes

The NOW function has no arguments. It only returns the current time.

NOW Function Syntax

Steps:

  • In cell D5, insert the following function, then press the Enter button.
=NOW()-C5

Using NOW Function to Calculate Elapsed Time in Hours and Minutes

  • Drag or double-click the Fill Handle to AutoFill through the column.

Drag the Fill Handle to Copy Formula

  • Here’s the result.

Calculated Time in Hours and Minutes

Read More: How to Calculate Hours Between Two Times in Excel


Method 6 – Apply the MOD Function to Calculate Time in Hours and Minutes

The MOD function has two main arguments: number and divisor. The MOD function returns the remainder after the division.

MOD Function Syntax

Steps:

  • Insert the following formula in cell E5 (the result cell) and hit Enter.
=MOD(D5-C5,1)

Using MOD Function to Calculate Hours and Minutes

  • Use the Fill Handle to AutoFill through the column for all results.

Drag Fill Handle to Copy Formula

  • Here are the results for the sample.

Calculated Time in Hours and Minutes


Method 7 – Combine IF, HOUR, and MINUTE Functions

The IF function has three main arguments: logical test, value_if_true, and value_if_false. The logical test argument is the condition to test. The second argument, value_if_true, contains the value which will be returned if the logical test is true. The third argument, value_if_false, is the value which will be returned if the logical test is false.

IF Function Syntax

Steps:

  • Use the following formula in E5 and hit Enter.
=IF(HOUR(D5-C5)>0, HOUR(D5-C5) & " hours, ","") & IF(MINUTE(D5-C5)>0, MINUTE(D5-C5) & " minutes","")

Using IF Function to Calculate Hours and Minutes in Excel

Formula Breakdown

  • =IF(HOUR(D5-C5)>0, HOUR(D5-C5) & ” hours, “,””)

This checks if the hour difference of D5 and C5 cells’ time is positive. If positive it returns the hour difference. If negative it would return a blank. Following, it would concatenate the  “hours, ” text.

Result: 8 hours,

  • =IF(MINUTE(D5-C5)>0, MINUTE(D5-C5) & ” minutes”,””)

This checks if the minute difference of D5 and C5 cells’ time is positive. If positive it returns the minute difference. If negative it would return a blank. Following, it would concatenate the “minutes, ” text.

Result: 35 minutes

  • =IF(HOUR(D5-C5)>0, HOUR(D5-C5) & ” hours, “,””) & IF(MINUTE(D5-C5)>0, MINUTE(D5-C5) & ” minutes”,””)

The formula concatenates the two previous results via the & operator.

Result: 8 hours, 35 minutes

  • Use the Fill Handle to fill in through the column.

Drag the Fill Handle to Copy the Formula

Here are the results.

Calculated Time in Hours and Minutes in Excel


Things to Remember

  • Formatting is very important when calculating times in Excel. It is better to set the format in 24-hour format from the format window. You can choose a custom format as h::mm too.
  • Sometimes, a result shows a #### error value. This happens for two reasons, such as Narrow Columns and Negative Results. For narrow column cases, expand the column. For the negative results case, use the IF function to apply different statements or formulas when negative results appear.

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Tanjim Reza
Tanjim Reza

Md. Tanjim Reza Tanim, a BUET graduate in Naval Architecture & Marine Engineering, contributed over one and a half years to the ExcelDemy project. As an Excel & VBA Content Developer, he authored 100+ articles and, as Team Leader, reviewed 150+ articles. Tanim, leading research, ensures top-notch content on MS Excel features, formulas, solutions, tips, and tricks. His expertise spans Microsoft Office Suites, Automating Finance Templates, VBA, Python, and Developing Excel Applications, showcasing a multifaceted commitment to the... Read Full Bio

2 Comments
  1. I don’t need the start and end times, I am just looking to add time values. On Monday, I worked 8h 28m min driving and 4h 59m not driving, on Tuesday, 9h 11m driving and 3h 2m not driving, ect… how do i set up a spread sheet where put those hours in and it auto sums? Thanks

    • Hi, Bill!
      Thank you for your query.
      Regarding your query, just make a dataset table and use the SUM function or the addition functionality of Excel. In our article, we have used the subtraction functionality; in your requirements, you just need to utilize the addition functionality of Excel.

      Regards,
      Tanjim Reza

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