Counting the hours that actually pay
A nine-hour day with an hour for lunch is an eight-hour day on the payslip. Over a six-day week that gap is a full working day, which is why it is worth counting properly — especially when overtime is paid at a higher rate.
Formula
Paid hours a day = hours at work − unpaid breakWeekly hours = paid hours × days workedOvertime = weekly hours above 40Pay = normal hours × rate + overtime hours × rate × overtime multiplier
Worked example
Nine hours a day with a one-hour break is eight paid hours. Six days makes 48 hours a week: 40 normal and 8 overtime. At 250 an hour with double-time overtime, the week pays 14,000 and the month about 60,662.
How to use the work hours calculator
- Enter the hours you are at work on a normal day, and how long the unpaid break is.
- Set the days a week you work.
- Add your hourly rate and the overtime multiplier your employer uses — in Bangladesh, overtime is generally paid at twice the ordinary rate.
Things to check
- Bangladesh's Labour Act sets ordinary hours at 8 a day and 48 a week, with overtime beyond that; this calculator uses the common 40-hour line, so change the figure in your head if your contract differs.
- Paid breaks should not be entered as unpaid ones — only subtract time you are not paid for.
- The monthly figure uses 4.333 weeks, the correct average. Multiplying by 4 understates a month by about a week over a year.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate my weekly working hours?
Subtract your unpaid break from the hours you are at work each day, then multiply by the number of days you work. Nine hours with a one-hour break over six days is 48 hours.
How is overtime pay calculated?
Hours above the normal week are paid at a multiplier of the ordinary rate — commonly 1.5× or, under Bangladesh’s Labour Act, 2×. Set the multiplier above to match your contract.
Why multiply by 4.333 for a month?
A year has 52 weeks and 12 months, so a month averages 4.333 weeks. Using 4 would miss about four weeks of pay over a year.