Guide / record review

Review your time card against a pay statement

A mismatch does not always mean a missing shift. Pay statements may cover a different date range, use decimal-hour display, or include paid leave and earnings that are not hours worked. Work through the checks below in order; keep your private records on your own device.

1. Match the exact dates

Find the start and end of the pay period and the employer’s fixed workweek. A two-week pay period can contain two overtime calculations. Do not combine both weeks into one seven-row card. If an overnight shift crosses the workweek boundary, note the minutes on each side.

2. Compare one shift at a time

Put the clock-in and clock-out times next to the time card row. A missing punch, a different end time or a break recorded on the wrong day can explain a total difference. For example, 09:00–17:30 minus 30 unpaid minutes is 8:00; subtracting 60 minutes instead would make it 7:30, a half-hour gap.

3. Check the units

Read 7:30 as seven hours and 30 minutes, then compare it with 7.50 decimal hours. If a pay statement lists 7.50, the two values agree. Our decimal-hours guide shows more examples and explains why adding already rounded decimal rows can differ by a hundredth.

4. Separate hours from dollars

If worked hours match but pay differs, check the rate, overtime method, shift differentials, bonuses, paid time off and deductions. This tool estimates gross pay from one rate and a simple weekly 1.5× rule; it cannot reproduce a full pay statement.

5. Preserve the question clearly

Record the exact date, start, end, break and difference you want explained. You can copy or export the calculator’s summary for your own records. If you ask an employer or payroll team about it, use the underlying times rather than only the final dollar difference.