Legal Billable Hours: Minutes to Tenths

Legal billable hours chart: minutes to tenths

Under a system that rounds each started six-minute unit upward:

This table describes an upward six-minute billing method. It should not be confused with exact decimal conversion.

For example: 15 minutes exactly = 0.25 hours, but 15 minutes under upward six-minute billing = 0.3.

Why is legal time recorded in tenths?

One hour contains 60 minutes. Divide that hour into 10 equal units:

60 ÷ 10 = 6 minutes

Therefore 6 minutes = 0.1 hours.

Ten six-minute units make one complete hour, creating a simple sequence: 0.1, 0.2, 0.3, 0.4 and so on up to 1.0.

For a more general explanation of the system itself, see 6-Minute Billing Increments Explained.

Exact time vs legal billing entry

This is one of the most important distinctions when working with legal time.

8 minutes

Exact elapsed time: 8 ÷ 60 = 0.1333 hours. Under upward six-minute billing, 8 minutes falls into the 7 to 12 minute band, so the billing entry is 0.2.

15 minutes

Exact elapsed time: 0.25 hours. Upward six-minute billing entry: 0.3.

20 minutes

Exact elapsed time: 0.3333 hours. Upward six-minute billing entry: 0.4.

45 minutes

Exact elapsed time: 0.75 hours. Upward six-minute billing entry: 0.8.

The time actually spent and the figure ultimately recorded for billing can therefore be different.

Common legal time entries in tenths

If you already have a time entry and want to know what it represents:

A common mistake is to read 0.3 as 30 minutes. It actually represents 18 minutes when interpreted as three tenths of an hour.

Legal time entries over one hour

The same system continues beyond one hour.

The digits after the decimal point are still tenths of an hour.

For example, 1.2 does not mean 1 hour 20 minutes. It means 1 hour + 0.2 hours, and 0.2 × 60 = 12 minutes, so 1.2 = 1h12m.

How to convert a longer legal task into tenths

Suppose a task takes 1h14m.

The first hour is 1.0. The remaining 14 minutes fall into the 13 to 18 minute band under upward six-minute billing, which is 0.3.

So the recorded time would be 1.3.

Another example: 2h07m. The first two hours are 2.0, and seven additional minutes fall into the 7 to 12 minute band, which is 0.2.

So 2h07m → 2.2 under that billing method.

Example legal time entries

Legal time recording is normally connected to a specific task or matter rather than being a number in isolation.

Reviewing correspondence

Actual time 20 minutes, upward six-minute billing entry 0.4.

Example: 0.4: Review client correspondence and prepare response

Telephone attendance

Actual time 8 minutes, upward six-minute billing entry 0.2.

Reviewing documents

Time 1h12m, exact tenths 1.2.

Example: 1.2: Review documents and prepare note

Legal research

Time 1h36m, exact tenths 1.6.

Example: 1.6: Legal research and review of supporting authorities

These are calculation examples only. Whether particular work is chargeable depends on the relevant arrangement and billing rules.

Recording time against a matter

A legal time entry may contain more than the duration alone.

Depending on the system being used, a record might include:

• client or matter
• date
• fee earner
• time recorded
• description of the work
• activity or task type

For example:

• Matter: Smith / Contract Review
• Time: 0.4
• Description: Review client correspondence and prepare response

The purpose of the decimal figure is to record the amount of time. The matter and narrative explain what the time relates to.

How a legal time entry becomes a fee

Once the billable time is known, it can be multiplied by the applicable charge-out rate.

Billable hours × hourly rate = fee

For example, with a recorded time of 0.4 and a charge-out rate of £250 per hour:

0.4 × £250 = £100

For a longer entry:

1.3 × £250 = £325

This calculation deals only with time and hourly rate. Other billing elements should be handled separately where applicable.

Multiple short legal tasks

Separate short tasks can create different results depending on how the billing system handles them.

• Email review: 4 minutes
• Telephone call: 4 minutes
• Actual combined elapsed time: 8 minutes

If each task is separately rounded upward to a six-minute unit, the email is 0.1 and the telephone call is 0.1.

Total recorded: 0.2, even though the actual combined time was only eight minutes.

This is why it is important to distinguish between:

• actual elapsed time
• individual time entries
• the rounding method applied to those entries

Whether separate activities should be combined or recorded individually depends on the applicable time-recording and billing rules.

Legal billing rounding rules can differ

Six-minute units tell you the size of the unit: 6 minutes = 0.1 hours.

They do not automatically determine what happens to an incomplete unit. A system might use:

Exact time

Record the actual elapsed duration.

Upward rounding

Move a partial six-minute unit to the next full unit.

Downward rounding

Use only completed six-minute units.

Nearest increment

Round to the nearest six-minute block.

The appropriate method depends on the time-recording and billing arrangement being used.

Do not assume that every firm, matter or billing system treats partial units in exactly the same way.

What this guide does and does not calculate

This guide can help you:

• convert minutes into tenths
• interpret legal time entries
• understand six-minute units
• calculate longer entries
• calculate a fee from recorded time and an hourly rate

It does not determine:

• whether a particular task is billable
• whether a fee is reasonable
• whether a cost is recoverable
• whether a particular time entry complies with an engagement, retainer or court rule

Those questions depend on the relevant legal and billing context.

Common legal time-entry mistakes

Treating 0.1 as 10 minutes

It is not. 0.1 hour = 6 minutes.

Entering 15 minutes as 0.15

15 minutes is exactly 0.25 hours. It may be entered as 0.3 under an upward six-minute billing method, but 0.15 hours would mean only 9 minutes.

Thinking 1.2 means 1 hour 20 minutes

It does not. 1.2 = 1h12m.

Confusing exact decimal time with billing tenths

A 20-minute task is exactly 0.3333 hours but may be billed as 0.4 under upward six-minute rounding.

Assuming all partial units round upward

The applicable billing method determines how partial units are treated.

Applying the charge-out rate to the wrong time figure

Make sure you know whether the calculation should use exact elapsed time or the final recorded billable entry.