What Is 15 Minutes on a Timesheet?

15 minutes on a timesheet is a quarter of an hour, usually represented as 0.25 in decimal format. 

Many workplaces track time in 15-minute increments, so 15 minutes = 0.25 hours, 30 minutes = 0.50, 45 minutes = 0.75, and so on. This makes adding up hours simpler and ensures payroll calculations are correct.

Converting 15 minutes to a decimal is straightforward: 15 ÷ 60 = 0.25. For instance, if someone worked from 8:00 to 4:15, that’s 8.25 hours (8 hours + 15 minutes). 

If you’re filling out a digital or paper timesheet, you might write “8.25” for that day’s total hours. 

Most time clock kiosk apps and workforce time clock systems do this conversion automatically whenever an employee clocks in/out, but it’s useful to know for manual calculations. In fact, a common guide is:

• :15 minutes = .25 hours
• :30 minutes = .50 hours
• :45 minutes = .75 hours.

Some companies use a 15-minute rounding rule. Under U.S. labor law guidance, like that in the Alabama labor laws or North Dakota labor laws, if an employee works any portion of a 15-minute period, it can be rounded to the nearest quarter hour. 

For example, 5:07 PM might round to 5:00 (no additional .25) whereas 5:08 PM could round to 5:15 (adding .25 hours). 

This is why understanding 15-minute blocks is important; it affects timekeeping fairness and compliance. 

Also, states often have specific break laws (like Oregon break laws or Illinois’) that mandate paid rest periods, often 10 or 15 minutes, which should reflect as .25 on timesheets if taken.

When you create a timesheet in Excel or Google Sheets, you might set up formulas to convert minutes to decimals. For example, entering “0:15” (hh:mm) can be formatted or calculated to show “0.25”. Workyard’s own time tracking recommends converting minutes to decimals to track overtime and hours smoothly.

In short, 15 minutes equals 0.25 hours on a timesheet. Knowing this helps anyone reading or auditing the timesheet understand that a quarter-hour was worked (or taken as a break), supporting accurate wage calculation and labor law compliance.

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