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2026-09-28

The billing increment chart: every minute from 1 to 60 in tenths and quarters, under both rounding rules

This chart is for the moment tracked time becomes a bill. Your timesheet says a call took 20 minutes. Your engagement letter says you bill in tenths of an hour (six-minute increments) or in quarters (fifteen-minute increments). Before the invoice goes out, something has to turn those minutes into billable hours. Either you do it when you prepare the invoice in your accounting tool, or your time tracker does it when it builds reports and invoices from your entries. The answer depends on two things most charts don't show.

The first is the rule. You either round up to the next increment or round to the nearest one. The second is when the rounding happens: on each time entry, or on the total. This post gives the whole chart, every minute from 1 to 60, in tenths and in quarters, under both rules. Then it shows what the second choice does to a week's total, and where Harvest and Toggl each make that choice for you.

How to read the chart

A tenth of an hour is six minutes and a quarter is fifteen. Round up means any part of an increment bills as the whole increment, so one minute is 0.1. Round to nearest means the entry goes to whichever increment is closer, so one minute is 0.0 and four minutes is 0.1. In this chart, a time exactly halfway between two increments rounds up, so three minutes is 0.1 under nearest tenths. Whole minutes never land exactly halfway between two quarters, so quarters have no ties. Neither Harvest's nor Toggl's help pages cited below say how they handle the three-minute mark. If it matters to you, test it with a three-minute entry.

For anything over an hour, take the whole hours and look up what's left. 80 minutes is 1 hour plus 20 minutes, so it's 1.4 in tenths rounded up.

The break points

If you only need the ranges, these four lists are the whole chart.

Tenths, round up:

  • 1–6 minutes: 0.1
  • 7–12 minutes: 0.2
  • 13–18 minutes: 0.3
  • 19–24 minutes: 0.4
  • 25–30 minutes: 0.5
  • 31–36 minutes: 0.6
  • 37–42 minutes: 0.7
  • 43–48 minutes: 0.8
  • 49–54 minutes: 0.9
  • 55–60 minutes: 1.0

Tenths, round to nearest:

  • 1–2 minutes: 0.0
  • 3–8 minutes: 0.1
  • 9–14 minutes: 0.2
  • 15–20 minutes: 0.3
  • 21–26 minutes: 0.4
  • 27–32 minutes: 0.5
  • 33–38 minutes: 0.6
  • 39–44 minutes: 0.7
  • 45–50 minutes: 0.8
  • 51–56 minutes: 0.9
  • 57–60 minutes: 1.0

Quarters, round up:

  • 1–15 minutes: 0.25
  • 16–30 minutes: 0.50
  • 31–45 minutes: 0.75
  • 46–60 minutes: 1.00

Quarters, round to nearest:

  • 1–7 minutes: 0.00
  • 8–22 minutes: 0.25
  • 23–37 minutes: 0.50
  • 38–52 minutes: 0.75
  • 53–60 minutes: 1.00

Every minute from 1 to 60

Each line gives the tenths under round up, then under round to nearest, then the quarters under both.

  • 1 min: tenths 0.1 up, 0.0 nearest; quarters 0.25 up, 0.00 nearest
  • 2 min: tenths 0.1 up, 0.0 nearest; quarters 0.25 up, 0.00 nearest
  • 3 min: tenths 0.1 up, 0.1 nearest; quarters 0.25 up, 0.00 nearest
  • 4 min: tenths 0.1 up, 0.1 nearest; quarters 0.25 up, 0.00 nearest
  • 5 min: tenths 0.1 up, 0.1 nearest; quarters 0.25 up, 0.00 nearest
  • 6 min: tenths 0.1 up, 0.1 nearest; quarters 0.25 up, 0.00 nearest
  • 7 min: tenths 0.2 up, 0.1 nearest; quarters 0.25 up, 0.00 nearest
  • 8 min: tenths 0.2 up, 0.1 nearest; quarters 0.25 up, 0.25 nearest
  • 9 min: tenths 0.2 up, 0.2 nearest; quarters 0.25 up, 0.25 nearest
  • 10 min: tenths 0.2 up, 0.2 nearest; quarters 0.25 up, 0.25 nearest
  • 11 min: tenths 0.2 up, 0.2 nearest; quarters 0.25 up, 0.25 nearest
  • 12 min: tenths 0.2 up, 0.2 nearest; quarters 0.25 up, 0.25 nearest
  • 13 min: tenths 0.3 up, 0.2 nearest; quarters 0.25 up, 0.25 nearest
  • 14 min: tenths 0.3 up, 0.2 nearest; quarters 0.25 up, 0.25 nearest
  • 15 min: tenths 0.3 up, 0.3 nearest; quarters 0.25 up, 0.25 nearest
  • 16 min: tenths 0.3 up, 0.3 nearest; quarters 0.50 up, 0.25 nearest
  • 17 min: tenths 0.3 up, 0.3 nearest; quarters 0.50 up, 0.25 nearest
  • 18 min: tenths 0.3 up, 0.3 nearest; quarters 0.50 up, 0.25 nearest
  • 19 min: tenths 0.4 up, 0.3 nearest; quarters 0.50 up, 0.25 nearest
  • 20 min: tenths 0.4 up, 0.3 nearest; quarters 0.50 up, 0.25 nearest
  • 21 min: tenths 0.4 up, 0.4 nearest; quarters 0.50 up, 0.25 nearest
  • 22 min: tenths 0.4 up, 0.4 nearest; quarters 0.50 up, 0.25 nearest
  • 23 min: tenths 0.4 up, 0.4 nearest; quarters 0.50 up, 0.50 nearest
  • 24 min: tenths 0.4 up, 0.4 nearest; quarters 0.50 up, 0.50 nearest
  • 25 min: tenths 0.5 up, 0.4 nearest; quarters 0.50 up, 0.50 nearest
  • 26 min: tenths 0.5 up, 0.4 nearest; quarters 0.50 up, 0.50 nearest
  • 27 min: tenths 0.5 up, 0.5 nearest; quarters 0.50 up, 0.50 nearest
  • 28 min: tenths 0.5 up, 0.5 nearest; quarters 0.50 up, 0.50 nearest
  • 29 min: tenths 0.5 up, 0.5 nearest; quarters 0.50 up, 0.50 nearest
  • 30 min: tenths 0.5 up, 0.5 nearest; quarters 0.50 up, 0.50 nearest
  • 31 min: tenths 0.6 up, 0.5 nearest; quarters 0.75 up, 0.50 nearest
  • 32 min: tenths 0.6 up, 0.5 nearest; quarters 0.75 up, 0.50 nearest
  • 33 min: tenths 0.6 up, 0.6 nearest; quarters 0.75 up, 0.50 nearest
  • 34 min: tenths 0.6 up, 0.6 nearest; quarters 0.75 up, 0.50 nearest
  • 35 min: tenths 0.6 up, 0.6 nearest; quarters 0.75 up, 0.50 nearest
  • 36 min: tenths 0.6 up, 0.6 nearest; quarters 0.75 up, 0.50 nearest
  • 37 min: tenths 0.7 up, 0.6 nearest; quarters 0.75 up, 0.50 nearest
  • 38 min: tenths 0.7 up, 0.6 nearest; quarters 0.75 up, 0.75 nearest
  • 39 min: tenths 0.7 up, 0.7 nearest; quarters 0.75 up, 0.75 nearest
  • 40 min: tenths 0.7 up, 0.7 nearest; quarters 0.75 up, 0.75 nearest
  • 41 min: tenths 0.7 up, 0.7 nearest; quarters 0.75 up, 0.75 nearest
  • 42 min: tenths 0.7 up, 0.7 nearest; quarters 0.75 up, 0.75 nearest
  • 43 min: tenths 0.8 up, 0.7 nearest; quarters 0.75 up, 0.75 nearest
  • 44 min: tenths 0.8 up, 0.7 nearest; quarters 0.75 up, 0.75 nearest
  • 45 min: tenths 0.8 up, 0.8 nearest; quarters 0.75 up, 0.75 nearest
  • 46 min: tenths 0.8 up, 0.8 nearest; quarters 1.00 up, 0.75 nearest
  • 47 min: tenths 0.8 up, 0.8 nearest; quarters 1.00 up, 0.75 nearest
  • 48 min: tenths 0.8 up, 0.8 nearest; quarters 1.00 up, 0.75 nearest
  • 49 min: tenths 0.9 up, 0.8 nearest; quarters 1.00 up, 0.75 nearest
  • 50 min: tenths 0.9 up, 0.8 nearest; quarters 1.00 up, 0.75 nearest
  • 51 min: tenths 0.9 up, 0.9 nearest; quarters 1.00 up, 0.75 nearest
  • 52 min: tenths 0.9 up, 0.9 nearest; quarters 1.00 up, 0.75 nearest
  • 53 min: tenths 0.9 up, 0.9 nearest; quarters 1.00 up, 1.00 nearest
  • 54 min: tenths 0.9 up, 0.9 nearest; quarters 1.00 up, 1.00 nearest
  • 55 min: tenths 1.0 up, 0.9 nearest; quarters 1.00 up, 1.00 nearest
  • 56 min: tenths 1.0 up, 0.9 nearest; quarters 1.00 up, 1.00 nearest
  • 57 min: tenths 1.0 up, 1.0 nearest; quarters 1.00 up, 1.00 nearest
  • 58 min: tenths 1.0 up, 1.0 nearest; quarters 1.00 up, 1.00 nearest
  • 59 min: tenths 1.0 up, 1.0 nearest; quarters 1.00 up, 1.00 nearest
  • 60 min: tenths 1.0 up, 1.0 nearest; quarters 1.00 up, 1.00 nearest

What the chart shows that a single column hides

  • Round up never bills less than the time worked. On each entry it bills at most one increment minus a minute extra: five minutes on tenths, fourteen on quarters. Sixteen minutes rounded up to the quarter bills as 0.50.
  • Round to nearest is off by at most half an increment in either direction: three minutes on tenths, seven on quarters.
  • Round to nearest can make short work disappear. One or two minutes is 0.0 in tenths, and anything up to seven minutes is 0.00 in quarters. If your agreement says every call is billed, nearest rounding breaks that promise for the shortest calls.
  • In tenths, the two rules disagree on only 20 of the 60 minutes, which are the first two minutes of each increment (1–2, 7–8, 13–14 and so on). In quarters they disagree on 28, which are the first seven minutes of each quarter.

Per entry or on the total: the choice that moves the bill more

Take four 20-minute calls with one client in a week. That's 80 minutes, or 1.33 hours exact. Here's what each combination bills:

  • Tenths, round up: 1.6 hours per entry (0.4 × 4), 1.4 hours on the total.
  • Tenths, round to nearest: 1.2 hours per entry (0.3 × 4), 1.3 hours on the total.
  • Quarters, round up: 2.0 hours per entry (0.50 × 4), 1.5 hours on the total.
  • Quarters, round to nearest: 1.0 hour per entry (0.25 × 4), 1.25 hours on the total.

The same 80 minutes bills anywhere from 1.0 to 2.0 hours. Rounding each entry up always bills at least as much as rounding the total up, and the gap grows as the entries get shorter and more numerous. Rounding each entry to the nearest increment can come out on either side of rounding the total. Here it comes out lower. The chart works for both. Look up each entry, or look up the minutes left over in the total.

What Winnows keeps, and where the rule goes

Winnows stores whole minutes, exactly as entered. A 20-minute call stays 20 minutes in every report, whatever rule your client agreed to. Winnows doesn't round for you. An invoice it creates in QuickBooks Online or Xero, and the CSV of the same lines, carries exact hours and the amount at the entry's rate. The invoice is created but not sent, so you apply the rounding rule in your accounting tool before you send it.

One consequence is worth knowing. Each invoice line covers one combination of person, task and rate, with the hours summed. Rounding that line in your books rounds the total, not each entry. If your engagement letter says every entry rounds up, the chart above is how you get from the exact line to the billed one. For writing the rule itself down, see Six-minute increments and the rounding rule your clients expect.

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Where Harvest makes the choice

Harvest's help center is specific. Administrators can set entries to round "to the nearest or up to the nearest 6, 15, or 30 minutes," and "each individual time entry is rounded based on the setting you choose, before the entries are totaled." So Harvest rounds per entry. Harvest calls it "an account-wide setting," so every client gets the same rule.

Rounding is applied to summary time reports, project analysis, project budgets and new invoices. It isn't applied to the entries on your timesheets or to detailed time reports viewed in the app. The CSV and Excel exports carry both unrounded and rounded hours. Changing the setting applies it "to all time entries for the account." Existing invoices keep their numbers, but past summary reports show the new rule.

This matters if you're exporting your history before a renewal. If rounding was on, your old invoices were built from rounded hours while your timesheets hold unrounded ones. The two won't add up to the same total, and that isn't an error. Before you compare anything, find out which column your invoices used.

Where Toggl makes the choice

Toggl lets you pick. The rounding setting in its reports switches between two modes. Toggl describes individual time entries as "The rounding rule is applied to each time entry separately" and grouped time entries as "We first total all entries within a group or sub-group, then apply the rounding to that combined total." Its help page lists three rules, "Round Up To, Round to Nearest, Round Down To," with intervals that include 6 and 15 minutes. That switch is the per-entry-or-total choice from the example above. Two people exporting the same week with different settings will get different totals from the same entries.

What to check in any tool

  • Which rule it uses (up, nearest or down) and at which increment.
  • Whether it rounds per entry or on the total. Harvest rounds each entry, and Toggl lets you choose. If a tool doesn't say, enter the four 20-minute calls above and compare its total with the list.
  • What happens exactly halfway. Enter three minutes and see whether it bills 0.0 or 0.1.
  • Whether the rule is set for the whole account or per client. Harvest's is account-wide.
  • Whether changing the rule rewrites past reports. In Harvest, summary reports show the new rule for all time, but existing invoices don't change.
  • Whether the export carries the unrounded minutes. If it doesn't, you can't check a bill against a different rule later.

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