There are 720 total hours in an average 30-day month. This number can vary from 672-744 hours depending on how many days are in a given calendar month. We explain the monthly hours formula and tracking options.
How often have you needed to calculate the total number of hours in a month for planning purposes? Whether you’re a business tracking employee hours, a freelancer billing hourly clients, or simply trying to gauge how much you can reasonably accomplish in the next 30 days, knowing the number of hours in an average month is surprisingly useful.
In this post, we’ll walk through the simple math behind tallying up monthly hours. You may be surprised to learn that there are 720 hours in a standard 30-day month. We’ll also discuss variations based on actual calendar days per month and how to customize hour totals according to your needs.
From debunking common misconceptions to providing sample monthly hour tracking templates, you’ll leave this post an expert on sizing up the hours in any given month. Let’s dive in!
- There are 720 total hours in a standard 30-day month
- The number can vary slightly based on days per calendar month
- We’ll calculate monthly hours and discuss how to track hours
Calculating Total Hours in a Month
Figuring out the total number of hours in any given month is simple math once you know that there are 24 hours in a day. Here is the basic formula:
Hours in a Month = Days in the Month x 24 Hours Per Day
Most calendar months contain 30 days. So using the formula above:
Hours in a 30-Day Month = 30 Days x 24 Hours Per Day = 720 Hours
See – easy math! Now you know that if you want to track hours spent on a 30-day project or ensure your employees work no more than 160 hours that month, you can plan around a 720 hour month.
This formula works for 28-31 day months:
- 31 days = 744 hours
- 30 days = 720 hours
- 29 days = 696 hours
- 28 days = 672 hours
So in any average month, you can expect between 672-744 total hours. February is the only major outlier, which we’ll discuss more in the next section.
- The total hours in an average month is calculated using days x 24 hours
- Most months have 720 hours (30 days)
- February is an exception with fewer days and hours
Hours Per Month Variations
The most common month duration is 30 days containing 720 hours as we just learned. However, some calendar months are longer or shorter than the average, leading to slight hourly variations.
Here is a breakdown of the range of days and corresponding hours in months for non-leap and leap years:
Non-Leap Year
- January – 31 days = 744 hours
- February – 28 days = 672 hours
- March – 31 days = 744 hours
- April – 30 days = 720 hours
- May – 31 days = 744 hours
- June – 30 days = 720 hours
- July – 31 days = 744 hours
- August – 31 days = 744 hours
- September – 30 days = 720 hours
- October – 31 days = 744 hours
- November – 30 days = 720 hours
- December – 31 days = 744 hours
Leap Year with 29 Days in February
- February – 29 days = 696 hours
The most hours in any month: 744 (31 day months)
The least hours in any month: 672 (February non-leap year)
So while 720 hours is the most typical month duration, you’ll gain or lose up to 72 hours depending on the calendar.
- Month duration varies between 28-31 days
- Leap year February has 29 days and 696 hours
- Hours per month range from 672-744
Tracking Monthly Hours
Now that you know how to manually calculate hours in any month, let’s discuss easy ways to track monthly hours automatically.
Monitoring totals for employee payroll, client billing, or productivity can be tedious without the right tools. Here are two options:
Timesheet Template
The simplest solution is a manual hourly timesheet template. Download a printable Excel sheet here. This allows you to manually log hours daily or weekly so you always know where you stand.
Automated Time Tracker Apps
For automated tracking, a timekeeping app like Toggl is handy. It runs silently in the background of your devices and captures active hours spent on projects. You can tag hourly records to categorize how time is allocated across clients.
At the end of any 30-day period, you can easily reference your total hours tracked towards whatever purpose you choose.
- Use timesheet templates to manually log hours
- Automated time trackers passively tally background activity
- Both options allow summing hours for any 30 day span
FAQ
Q: How many hours are in one month?
A: There are typically 720 hours in a 30-day month.
Q: Why do some months have more or less than 720 hours?
A: It depends on how many calendar days are in the month. Any month with 31 days contains 744 hours. February contains only 28 hours on non-leap years making it the shortest month at 672 hours.
Q: How do I track monthly hours?
A: Manually fill out an hourly timesheet template or use automated time tracking software. Both options allow you to add up total hours per month.
Q: How can I calculate hours in a specific calendar month?
A: Use the formula Days in Month x 24 Hours. So for March 2025 with 31 days it would be: 31 Days x 24 Hours = 744 Total Hours.
Q: What is the highest number of hours in any month?
A. 744 hours occurs during months containing 31 calendar days.
Q: What is the lowest hours in any month?
A. February has the lowest hours at 672 on non-leap years containing only 28 days.
Q: How many hours are in a year?
A: There are approximately 8,760 hours per year (365 days x 24 hours).
Q: What is the best way to plan monthly workload in hours?
A: Look at your calendar and tally the total hours for the upcoming month based on 31, 30, 29 or 28 days. Use 720 hours as your starting estimate for a high probability 30-day month.
Q: Can I calculate hours for a week or specific number of days instead?
A: Yes, simply adjust the formula. For example, a 5 day work week contains 5 Days x 24 Hours = 120 Hours. The calculation works for any period.
Q: Where can I download a free hourly timesheet template?
A. Excel provides free timesheet templates to manually track your hours over any period whether it be daily, weekly or monthly.
Conclusion
We’ve covered a lot of ground explaining the logic behind calculating monthly hours. The key takeaways are:
- There are typically 720 hours in average 30-day months
- Actual hours vary from 672-744 based on 28-31 calendar days
- Simple formulas help tally total hours over any period
- Timesheets manually track hours while software automates
- Knowing monthly hours assists planning and tracking productivity
The math is simple but the implications for business owners, freelancers, project planners and even personal goal setters are far reaching. Hopefully you now feel confident answering the question “how many hours in a month?” for any use case.
A little planning goes a long way when it comes to effectively leveraging blocks of monthly time. Now put your new hourly knowledge to work!
- 720 hours is the norm for 30 day months
- Formulas help calculate monthly, weekly or daily hours
- Manual and automated tracking options enable hour counting
- Tallying monthly hours assists planning and tracking productivity
