Private Pilot

14 CFR 61.109 requires minimum 40 hours of flight time for a Private Pilot Certificate. This required time includes:

20 hours of flight instruction, including:

• 3 hours of cross country
• 3 hours of night instruction 
• 3 hours of flight by reference to instruments

 10 hours solo flight time, including: 

•  5 hours solo cross country

For the complete requirements see 14 CFR, § 61, Subpart E—Private Pilots

Note: The above hours are the absolute minimum amount of training in each area as required for a Private Pilot Certificate by the FAA. It is not unusual for a student pilot to require more hours to become a safe and proficient pilot.

Instrument Rating

14 CFR 61.65 requires minimum 40 hours of flight time for a Instrument Rating.
This required time includes:

A total of 40 hours of actual or simulated instrument time, including:

At least 15 hours of instrument flight training from an authorized instructor in the aircraft category for which the instrument rating is sought

At least 3 hours of instrument training that is appropriate to the instrument rating sought from an authorized instructor in preparation for the practical test within the 60 days preceding the date of the test

At least 50 hours of cross-country flight time as pilot in command, of which at least 10 hours must be in airplanes for an instrument—airplane rating;

For an instrument—airplane rating, instrument training on cross- country flight procedures specific to airplanes that includes at least one cross-country flight in an airplane that is performed under IFR, and consists of:

• A distance of at least 250 nautical miles along airways or ATC-directed routing
• An instrument approach at each airport
• Three different kinds of approaches with the use of navigation systems

For the complete requirements see 14 CFR, § 61.65 Instrument rating requirements.
 

Note:

These hours are the minimum amount of training in each area as required for an Instrument Pilot Rating by the FAA. 

Commercial Pilot

A person who applies for a commercial pilot certificate with an airplane category and single-engine class rating must log at least 250 hours of flight time as a pilot that consists of at least: 

100 hours in powered aircraft, of which 50 hours must be in airplanes

100 hours of pilot-in-command flight time, which includes:

at least 50 hours in airplanes,

and 50 hours in cross-country flight of which at least 10 hours must be in airplanes

20 hours of training on the areas of operation listed in §61.127(b)(1)

10 hours of solo flight in a single-engine airplane on the areas of operation listed in §61.127(b)(1) 

For the complete requirements see CFR 14, § 61, Subpart F—Commercial Pilots

Note:

These hours are the minimum amount of training in each area as required for a Commercial Pilot Certificate by the FAA.