How Many Hours Is 9 AM to 3 PM?
9 AM to 3 PM with a 30-minute unpaid break is 5.5 paid hours a day (5:30), or 27.5 hours over a five-day week.
9 AM to 3 PM: hours by day, week, month and year
You are at work for 6:00 (6 hours) each day and paid for 5:30 (5.5 hours) once the 30-minute unpaid break is taken off. Multiply by the days you work to get the longer periods below. A month is the weekly total times 52 divided by 12, which is 4.33 weeks, and a year is 52 weeks with no unpaid leave removed.
| Period | Paid time (h:mm) | Decimal hours | Time at work incl. break (h:mm) |
|---|---|---|---|
| One day | 5:30 | 5.5 | 6:00 |
| One week, 5 days | 27:30 | 27.5 | 30:00 |
| One week, 4 days | 22:00 | 22 | 24:00 |
| One month (5 days) | 119:10 | 119.17 | 130:00 |
| One year (5 days, 52 weeks) | 1430:00 | 1,430 | 1560:00 |
Your day on the clock: 9 AM to 3 PM
The table assumes the 30-minute break starts when half of the paid time is done, at 11:45 AM. Move the break and every later time shifts with it. You complete 5.5 paid hours by 3:00 PM.
| Milestone | Clock time | Paid time so far (h:mm) |
|---|---|---|
| Clock in | 9:00 AM | 0:00 |
| Paid hour 1 complete | 10:00 AM | 1:00 |
| Paid hour 2 complete | 11:00 AM | 2:00 |
| Break begins | 11:45 AM | 2:45 |
| Break ends | 12:15 PM | 2:45 |
| Paid hour 3 complete | 12:30 PM | 3:00 |
| Paid hour 4 complete | 1:30 PM | 4:00 |
| Paid hour 5 complete | 2:30 PM | 5:00 |
| Clock out | 3:00 PM | 5:30 |
How the break changes 9 AM to 3 PM
The same 6:00 on the clock gives a different paid total depending on how long you are unpaid for. Each extra 15 minutes of break takes 1.25 hours off a five-day week and 65 hours off a 52-week year.
| Unpaid break | Paid per day (h:mm) | Decimal hours | Per week, 5 days | Per year, 52 weeks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 minutes | 6:00 | 6 | 30 | 1,560 |
| 15 minutes | 5:45 | 5.75 | 28.75 | 1,495 |
| 30 minutes (assumed above) | 5:30 | 5.5 | 27.5 | 1,430 |
| 45 minutes | 5:15 | 5.25 | 26.25 | 1,365 |
| 60 minutes | 5:00 | 5 | 25 | 1,300 |
Overtime and days per week for 9 AM to 3 PM
Overtime here means weekly paid hours above 40, with a 1.5 times multiplier shown as pay-equivalent hours. Your contract or local law may define overtime differently, for example by day. At five days you do not reach the 40-hour threshold, so there is no overtime until you add days or hours.
| Days worked | Paid hours | Regular (up to 40) | Overtime (over 40) | Pay-equivalent hours at 1.5x |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 days a week | 16.5 | 16.5 | 0 | 16.5 |
| 4 days a week | 22 | 22 | 0 | 22 |
| 5 days a week | 27.5 | 27.5 | 0 | 27.5 |
| 6 days a week | 33 | 33 | 0 | 33 |
| 7 days a week | 38.5 | 38.5 | 0 | 38.5 |
Gross pay before tax for 9 AM to 3 PM at five days a week, using round hourly rates chosen only to show the arithmetic. They are illustrative, not market data, and ignore overtime premiums.
| Hourly rate | Per day | Per week | Per month | Per year |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $15 an hour | $82.50 | $412.50 | $1,787.50 | $21,450.00 |
| $20 an hour | $110.00 | $550.00 | $2,383.33 | $28,600.00 |
| $25 an hour | $137.50 | $687.50 | $2,979.17 | $35,750.00 |
| $30 an hour | $165.00 | $825.00 | $3,575.00 | $42,900.00 |
9 AM to 3 PM month by month in 2027
The average month above hides real differences: 2027 has 261 weekdays, so working every weekday of 9 AM to 3 PM adds up to 1,435.5 paid hours (1435:30) before any leave or public holidays. The shortest month has 20 weekdays, or 110 hours, and the longest has 23, or 126.5 hours.
| Month | Decimal hours | Hours and minutes |
|---|---|---|
| January (21 weekdays) | 115.5 | 115:30 |
| February (20 weekdays) | 110 | 110:00 |
| March (23 weekdays) | 126.5 | 126:30 |
| April (22 weekdays) | 121 | 121:00 |
| May (21 weekdays) | 115.5 | 115:30 |
| June (22 weekdays) | 121 | 121:00 |
| July (22 weekdays) | 121 | 121:00 |
| August (22 weekdays) | 121 | 121:00 |
| September (22 weekdays) | 121 | 121:00 |
| October (21 weekdays) | 115.5 | 115:30 |
| November (22 weekdays) | 121 | 121:00 |
| December (23 weekdays) | 126.5 | 126:30 |
A week of 9 AM to 3 PM shifts, day by day
Even working all seven days you would not pass 40 paid hours, so this pattern never reaches overtime on a weekly threshold. The running total adds one paid shift per day.
| Day | Paid that day | Running total | Against a 40-hour week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 5.5 | 5.5 | 34.5 to reach 40 |
| Tuesday | 5.5 | 11 | 29 to reach 40 |
| Wednesday | 5.5 | 16.5 | 23.5 to reach 40 |
| Thursday | 5.5 | 22 | 18 to reach 40 |
| Friday | 5.5 | 27.5 | 12.5 to reach 40 |
| Saturday | 5.5 | 33 | 7 to reach 40 |
| Sunday | 5.5 | 38.5 | 1.5 to reach 40 |
Planning figures for 9 AM to 3 PM
These figures turn the daily paid time into the numbers people usually need for contracts, leave and targets. Leave is shown as 20 working days purely as an illustration; use your own entitlement.
| Measure | Value |
|---|---|
| Full-time equivalent at 5 days (40 hours = 1.0) | 0.69 |
| Share of the 168-hour week spent at work, break included | 1,071.4% |
| Paid hours in 20 days of annual leave | 110 |
| Working days to reach 100 paid hours | 19 |
| Working days to reach 1,000 paid hours | 182 |
| Weeks to reach 1,000 paid hours at 5 days | 36.4 |
| Paid hours in a year after 20 days of leave (261 weekdays in 2027) | 1,325.5 |
About the 9 AM to 3 PM shift
Nine to three matches many school timetables, so it is a common target for term-time and parent-friendly roles. Six hours on the clock with a half-hour unpaid lunch leaves 5.5 hours of paid work, which surprises people who assume the full six are paid.
Questions about 9 AM to 3 PM
Are 9 AM to 3 PM hours paid for the full six hours?
Only if the break is paid. With a 30-minute unpaid break the paid time is 5:30 (5.5 hours), not the full 6 hours.
How many hours a week is 9 AM to 3 PM?
27.5 paid hours at five days a week and 22 hours at four days.
How many hours a year is 9 AM to 3 PM?
1,430 paid hours over 52 weeks at five days a week, before any unpaid leave or public holidays are taken out.
Compare 9 AM to 3 PM with similar shifts
- 8 AM to 12 PM: 4 paid hours a day, 1.5 fewer hours a day than 9 AM to 3 PM, and 20 hours over five days.
- 9 AM to 2 PM: 5 paid hours a day, 0.5 fewer hours a day than 9 AM to 3 PM, and 25 hours over five days.
- 8 AM to 2:30 PM: 6 paid hours a day, 0.5 more hours a day than 9 AM to 3 PM, and 30 hours over five days.
- 9 AM to 4 PM: 6.5 paid hours a day, 1 more hours a day than 9 AM to 3 PM, and 32.5 hours over five days.
- 8:30 AM to 4 PM: 7 paid hours a day, 1.5 more hours a day than 9 AM to 3 PM, and 35 hours over five days.
- 9 AM to 5 PM: 7.5 paid hours a day, 2 more hours a day than 9 AM to 3 PM, and 37.5 hours over five days.
Last updated 19 October 2026. Formulas and tests: methodology.