The invention discloses a hand-held time relay operating time tester and a method, and relates to the technical field of relay testing. The instrument includes a handheld tester host, which is provided with a liquid crystal display, a contact detection terminal, a voltage output terminal, a power switch, a test switch, and a control panel inside the host; the control panel is provided with a single-chip microcomputer, A boost circuit, a voltage detection module and a contact detection module; the single-chip microcomputer is respectively connected to the boost circuit, the voltage detection module, and the contact detection module, and the boost circuit is also connected to the voltage detection module; The boost circuit is connected to the voltage output terminal, the contact detection module is connected to the contact detection terminal, and the single-chip microcomputer is connected to the test switch and the liquid crystal display. The tester of the invention is easy to operate, fast in test speed, accurate in test results, intuitive and convenient to adjust the time relay, and saves time and manpower.