The difference between times is an interval, or duration, not a time, and should not be stored in a time_t, ever.So, what type _should_ be used for it?
7.27.2.2 Thedifftime function Synopsis #include <time.h> double difftime(time_t time1, time_t time0); DescriptionThe difftime function computes the difference between two calendar times: time1 - time0.
ReturnsThe difftime function returns the difference expressed in seconds as a double.