Court & Legal Deadline Calculator
Count calendar, business, or court days, forward or backward, with court holidays for all 50 states & DC built in. Every result shows its work and links to the official source.
This tool provides estimates for general informational purposes only and is not legal advice. Deadlines depend on jurisdiction-specific rules, service method, tolling, and court orders. Always verify dates against the applicable rules of procedure or consult an attorney.
How the deadline calculator works
Pick a start date, enter the number of days, and choose how to count. The calculator handles the three ways legal and business deadlines are measured, and shows its work, including any weekend or holiday it skipped, so you can check the result.
| Mode | What it counts | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Calendar days | Every day, including weekends and holidays. If the last day lands on a weekend or court holiday, it rolls to the next open day (FRCP 6(a) style). | "Respond within 30 days of service" |
| Business days | Weekdays only; Saturdays and Sundays are skipped. Holidays are not skipped. | "Ships in 5 business days" |
| Court days | Weekdays minus the selected jurisdiction's court holidays. | "File at least 16 court days before the hearing" |
Counting can run forward (a response is due after a date) or backward (a filing is due a set number of days before a hearing). Court-day counts use real, source-verified holiday calendars, and federal, California, and Texas don't treat weekend holidays the same way, which the tool accounts for automatically.
Calendar days vs. business days vs. court days
These three are easy to mix up, and the difference can move a real deadline by several days. The quick rule:
- Calendar days count everything. Most statutory and court deadlines ("within 30 days") are calendar days unless the rule says otherwise.
- Business days drop weekends only. Shipping, refund, and notice windows usually mean business days.
- Court days drop weekends and the court's holidays, used for filing windows tied to a hearing.
How long is 2, 3, 5, 7, or 10 business days?
A business day is any weekday. Tap a common one to run it from today, or change the start date in the calculator.
Court holidays that move deadlines
In Court-days mode the calculator skips the holidays the courts actually observe, and they're not uniform. A few that catch people out:
- Texas observes Texas Independence Day, San Jacinto Day, and others, and does not shift a holiday that falls on a weekend; Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 4 extends the deadline instead.
- Federal courts and California do shift: a Saturday holiday is observed the preceding Friday, a Sunday holiday the following Monday.
- Juneteenth is now a federal court holiday; California adds Lincoln's Birthday, Cesar Chavez Day, and the day after Thanksgiving.
Each holiday calendar is verified against the controlling statute or court order, and every result links to that source so you can confirm it.
Looking for a statute of limitations?
A filing deadline isn't the same as a statute of limitations, the deadline to start a lawsuit at all. We keep a dedicated lookup for that, covering all 50 states and DC by claim type (personal injury, contracts, debt, defamation, malpractice), each linked to its official statute.
Statute of limitations by state →Common legal deadlines
Need the document once you know the date? FormsPal has a free template for most of these.
- Answer to a complaint or summons: often 20–30 calendar days after service. Find the answer form →
- Eviction notice cure periods: commonly 3–14 days depending on the state and reason. Eviction notice templates →
- Notice to vacate / end of lease: typically 30 or 60 days. Notice templates →
- Discovery responses: frequently 30 days from service of the request.
Frequently asked questions
Do business days include holidays?
What happens if a deadline falls on a weekend or holiday?
How long is 5 business days?
Are court days the same in every state?
Is this legal advice?
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