
Date & TimeLevel: IntermediateAvailable in: Excel 2007+
In this article
- Syntax
- Examples
- Example 1
- Example 2
- Example 3
- Related functions
TIME creates a time value. Excel stores time as a fraction of a day: 12:00 is 0.5, 6:00 is 0.25.
Syntax
=TIME(hour, minute, second)
| Argument |
What it means |
hour, minute, second |
Numbers; values over 59 roll over (90 minutes = 1:30). |
Examples
Example 1
=A2+TIME(9,30,0)
Add a 9:30 shift start to a date.
Example 2
=B2-A2>TIME(8,0,0)
TRUE when more than 8 hours were worked.
Example 3
=(B2-A2)*24
Hours worked as a decimal (for payroll multiplication).
💡 Total hours over 24 show wrong unless you format the cell as [h]:mm — the brackets stop it resetting after 24.
NOW · MOD · HOUR
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