The conversion
Decimal hours = hours + minutes ÷ 60. 7 hours 30 minutes is 7.5. The other way: the whole number is hours, and the fraction × 60 is minutes. 8.25 hours is 8 hours 15 minutes.
Use this next to a timesheet. Do not round minutes away if your workplace pays to the minute.
Worked example
7:30 as duration is 7.5 hours. 7.75 hours is 7:45. A 37.5-hour week is 37 hours 30 minutes, not 37 hours 50 minutes.
Payroll systems want decimal hours (7.5) more often than hh:mm. Do not type 7.30 and expect 7 hours 30 minutes — 7.30 decimal is 7 hours 18 minutes.
Common questions
Is 7.5 always 7:30?
Yes. 0.5 × 60 = 30 minutes.
What about seconds?
This page stops at minutes. 10 seconds is about 0.003 hours — most payroll systems ignore that.