Billing increment chart
A billing increment chart shows how each minute rounds to the unit you bill in: tenths of an hour for 6 minute increments, quarter hours for 15 minutes, or 10 and 30 minute blocks. Tenths keep short entries visible; quarters are simpler to read. Use the selector below, then print or download the chart.
Billing increment chart
Pick an increment and a rounding rule, then read down to the minute you worked. The selected column is highlighted in the decimal hours chart below, and the same rule drives the single duration converter. Everything runs in your browser, and nothing is sent anywhere.
Type the raw minutes; the billed value uses the rule you picked above.
0.70 h
37 min bills as 42 min (7 × 6 min blocks), rounded up
| Minutes | Decimal | 6 min0.1 h | 10 min | 15 min0.25 h | 30 min0.5 h |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0.02 | 0.10 | 0.17 | 0.25 | 0.50 |
| 2 | 0.03 | 0.10 | 0.17 | 0.25 | 0.50 |
| 3 | 0.05 | 0.10 | 0.17 | 0.25 | 0.50 |
| 4 | 0.07 | 0.10 | 0.17 | 0.25 | 0.50 |
| 5 | 0.08 | 0.10 | 0.17 | 0.25 | 0.50 |
| 6 | 0.10 | 0.10 | 0.17 | 0.25 | 0.50 |
| 7 | 0.12 | 0.20 | 0.17 | 0.25 | 0.50 |
| 8 | 0.13 | 0.20 | 0.17 | 0.25 | 0.50 |
| 9 | 0.15 | 0.20 | 0.17 | 0.25 | 0.50 |
| 10 | 0.17 | 0.20 | 0.17 | 0.25 | 0.50 |
| 11 | 0.18 | 0.20 | 0.33 | 0.25 | 0.50 |
| 12 | 0.20 | 0.20 | 0.33 | 0.25 | 0.50 |
| 13 | 0.22 | 0.30 | 0.33 | 0.25 | 0.50 |
| 14 | 0.23 | 0.30 | 0.33 | 0.25 | 0.50 |
| 15 | 0.25 | 0.30 | 0.33 | 0.25 | 0.50 |
| 16 | 0.27 | 0.30 | 0.33 | 0.50 | 0.50 |
| 17 | 0.28 | 0.30 | 0.33 | 0.50 | 0.50 |
| 18 | 0.30 | 0.30 | 0.33 | 0.50 | 0.50 |
| 19 | 0.32 | 0.40 | 0.33 | 0.50 | 0.50 |
| 20 | 0.33 | 0.40 | 0.33 | 0.50 | 0.50 |
| 21 | 0.35 | 0.40 | 0.50 | 0.50 | 0.50 |
| 22 | 0.37 | 0.40 | 0.50 | 0.50 | 0.50 |
| 23 | 0.38 | 0.40 | 0.50 | 0.50 | 0.50 |
| 24 | 0.40 | 0.40 | 0.50 | 0.50 | 0.50 |
| 25 | 0.42 | 0.50 | 0.50 | 0.50 | 0.50 |
| 26 | 0.43 | 0.50 | 0.50 | 0.50 | 0.50 |
| 27 | 0.45 | 0.50 | 0.50 | 0.50 | 0.50 |
| 28 | 0.47 | 0.50 | 0.50 | 0.50 | 0.50 |
| 29 | 0.48 | 0.50 | 0.50 | 0.50 | 0.50 |
| 30 | 0.50 | 0.50 | 0.50 | 0.50 | 0.50 |
| 31 | 0.52 | 0.60 | 0.67 | 0.75 | 1.00 |
| 32 | 0.53 | 0.60 | 0.67 | 0.75 | 1.00 |
| 33 | 0.55 | 0.60 | 0.67 | 0.75 | 1.00 |
| 34 | 0.57 | 0.60 | 0.67 | 0.75 | 1.00 |
| 35 | 0.58 | 0.60 | 0.67 | 0.75 | 1.00 |
| 36 | 0.60 | 0.60 | 0.67 | 0.75 | 1.00 |
| 37 | 0.62 | 0.70 | 0.67 | 0.75 | 1.00 |
| 38 | 0.63 | 0.70 | 0.67 | 0.75 | 1.00 |
| 39 | 0.65 | 0.70 | 0.67 | 0.75 | 1.00 |
| 40 | 0.67 | 0.70 | 0.67 | 0.75 | 1.00 |
| 41 | 0.68 | 0.70 | 0.83 | 0.75 | 1.00 |
| 42 | 0.70 | 0.70 | 0.83 | 0.75 | 1.00 |
| 43 | 0.72 | 0.80 | 0.83 | 0.75 | 1.00 |
| 44 | 0.73 | 0.80 | 0.83 | 0.75 | 1.00 |
| 45 | 0.75 | 0.80 | 0.83 | 0.75 | 1.00 |
| 46 | 0.77 | 0.80 | 0.83 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| 47 | 0.78 | 0.80 | 0.83 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| 48 | 0.80 | 0.80 | 0.83 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| 49 | 0.82 | 0.90 | 0.83 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| 50 | 0.83 | 0.90 | 0.83 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| 51 | 0.85 | 0.90 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| 52 | 0.87 | 0.90 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| 53 | 0.88 | 0.90 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| 54 | 0.90 | 0.90 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| 55 | 0.92 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| 56 | 0.93 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| 57 | 0.95 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| 58 | 0.97 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| 59 | 0.98 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
| 60 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 | 1.00 |
How the 6 minute increment works
The 6 minute increment bills in tenths of an hour, because 6 minutes is 0.1 of an hour. A task rounds up to the next tenth, so 1 to 6 minutes is 0.1, 7 to 12 minutes is 0.2, and so on to 1.0 at a full hour. A 6 minute increments chart is the fastest way to read these off: log the minutes, look up the tenth. Lawyers and accountants use tenths because they multiply cleanly by a rate and keep a two minute call from disappearing.
15 minute increments and quarter hours
The 15 minute increment bills in quarter hours, so every entry lands on 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 or 1.0. It is the common freelance and agency choice because the values are easy to read on a billable hours chart and easy to explain to a client. The tradeoff is coarser rounding: a 16 minute task rounded up to 30 minutes is 0.5 hours, which is worth checking before you send it.
Round up or round to nearest
Round to the nearest increment unless your contract says otherwise. Always rounding up quietly adds time to every line, and professional conduct rules generally expect a bill to reflect the time actually spent, so rounding that inflates a bill is a real risk. Always rounding down is a discount you never meant to give, repeated on every entry.
The honest version is simple: pick one rule, name the increment in your engagement letter, and keep the exact minutes underneath so any line can be reconciled. The selector above lets you compare the same duration under round up and nearest, which is the quickest way to see what a rule costs across a day.
Billing increment chart for lawyers, consultants and agencies
Who uses which rule tends to follow the profession. Lawyers and accountants bill in tenths, so the 6 minute column is theirs; see how it plays out for lawyers who bill in tenths. Independent consultants and agencies more often bill in quarter hours, where the 15 minute column applies. Whatever the unit, a billing increment chart keeps every line on the same grid so a timesheet reconciles.
Minutes to hundredths for payroll
Payroll does not round to billing blocks; it converts minutes to hundredths of an hour. The Decimal column is exactly that: a minutes to hundredths chart, where 39 minutes is 0.65 and 21 minutes is 0.35. It is the same decimal hours chart a timesheet uses, just read without a rounding rule. The hours to decimal calculator converts a single value either way if you need one number rather than the whole table.
What BillNotch does with increments
BillNotch records the time you work to the second and keeps every total in decimal hours, so nothing is rounded behind your back. It does not apply a billing increment for you. Instead the raw minutes stay underneath, and you choose the rule when you review an entry, the way this chart lets you compare rules before you commit.
That keeps the invoice honest: the client sees decimal hours that trace back to real work, and you apply tenths or quarters at review if your agreement calls for them. To see what a set of rounded entries adds up to at a rate, run them through the billable hours calculator.
Related tools
- Hours to decimal calculator converts hours and minutes to decimal hours and back.
- Billable hours calculator turns a table of entries into billable revenue at your rate.
- Consulting rate calculator sets an hourly and day rate from a target income.
- Timecard calculator adds a week of clock times with breaks and overtime.
Frequently asked questions
- What is a billing increment chart?
- A billing increment chart lists each minute from 1 to 60 and the hours you would bill for it under a rounding rule. The common rules are 6 minute increments (tenths of an hour), 10 minute blocks, 15 minute increments (quarter hours) and 30 minute half hours. You read down to the minute you worked and copy across the billed figure.
- What is 0.1 of an hour?
- 0.1 of an hour is 6 minutes, because 0.1 times 60 is 6. This is why time billed in tenths uses a 6 minute increment: each block is one tenth of an hour. 0.2 is 12 minutes, 0.25 is 15 minutes, and 0.5 is 30 minutes.
- Is 6 minute billing required?
- No. Billing in 6 minute increments is a convention, not a legal requirement. Many law firms and accountants use it because tenths of an hour multiply cleanly by a rate and keep short tasks from vanishing. You can bill in 10, 15 or 30 minute blocks, or to the exact minute, as long as your engagement letter says which.
- How do I round 7 minutes?
- Under a 6 minute increment rounded up, 7 minutes becomes 12 minutes, which is 0.2 hours, because it crosses into the second tenth. Rounded to the nearest 6 minutes, 7 is closer to 6 than to 12, so it becomes 6 minutes, or 0.1 hours. The selector above shows both, so you can see the difference before you pick a rule.
- What is the difference between 6 minute and 15 minute increments?
- A 6 minute increment bills in tenths of an hour, so the smallest unit you can charge is 0.1 hours. A 15 minute increment bills in quarter hours, so the smallest unit is 0.25 hours. Tenths keep short entries visible and are common in law and accounting; quarter hours are simpler to read and common for freelancers and agencies.
- Should I round up or to the nearest increment?
- Round to the nearest increment unless your contract says otherwise. Always rounding up adds a little to every line, which reads as padding if the client was not told, and always rounding down is a discount you never meant to give. Whichever you choose, state it in writing and keep the exact minutes underneath so any line can be checked.
Stop rounding by hand
BillNotch records the hours as you work and keeps them in decimal, so the increment is a choice you make at review, not arithmetic you repeat on every invoice.
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