How to Calculate Lunch Break Deductions
Understanding how unpaid lunch breaks affect your shift hours is vital for verifying that your time card and paycheck accurately reflect your worked time.
Paid Hours = Total Scheduled Shift Length − Unpaid Meal Period Duration.
Under federal FLSA standards, genuine meal breaks (typically 30 minutes or longer where the worker is fully relieved of duties) are unpaid and deducted. Short rest breaks (5 to 20 minutes) must remain paid and must not be deducted.
Compare 30m vs 45m vs 60m Breaks
Use our Lunch Break Calculator to see how different break intervals change your paid hours and pay.
Paid Rest Breaks vs. Unpaid Meal Breaks
Paid Rest Breaks (5–20 min)
Short rest periods and coffee breaks running under 20 minutes are considered compensable work time under federal FLSA guidelines and must not be deducted from your time card.
Unpaid Meal Breaks (30+ min)
Bona fide meal breaks of 30 minutes or longer, where the employee is completely relieved of all work duties, are non-compensable and must be deducted from total shift hours.
Deduction Formula & Example
Shift: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM with a 45-minute lunch break
- Elapsed Shift Time: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM = 9 hours (540 minutes).
- Subtract Meal Break: 540 minutes - 45 minutes = 495 worked minutes.
- Hours & Minutes: 495 minutes = 8 hours and 15 minutes.
- Decimal Hours: 495 ÷ 60 = 8.25 decimal hours.
Authoritative Sources & Regulatory Standards
- U.S. Department of Labor: 29 CFR § 785.18 (Rest periods of 5 to 20 minutes are compensable).
- U.S. Department of Labor: 29 CFR § 785.19 (Meal periods of 30 minutes or more with complete relief from duty are non-compensable).
Jurisdiction Note: Federal law sets baseline minimums. Several states (such as California, New York, and Colorado) impose mandatory rest and meal breaks with specific timing and penalty provisions.