Free Legal Deadline Calculator for Federal and State Courts

Under the federal counting rule, yes. Fed. R. Civ. P. 6(a)(1) says to exclude the day of the triggering event, then count every day, including intermediate Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays. Weekends only matter at the end: if the last day of the period lands on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, the deadline runs to the next day that is not one of those. Some rules and many state provisions instead count court days (business days only), which is why the same "5 days" can mean a week and a half under one rule and five calendar days under another. Always check whether the rule you are reading says days, court days, or business days.

For a period that runs forward from an event, the deadline moves to the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday (Fed. R. Civ. P. 6(a)(1)(C)). The trap is backward-counted deadlines, such as papers due at least 14 days before a hearing: Rule 6(a)(5) counts the "next day" backward for those, so the due date moves earlier, to the last business day before the landing date. Most states apply the same two-direction logic, but their holiday lists differ from the federal list, so the specific court's calendar controls.

In federal court, sometimes. Rule 6(d) adds 3 days when you must act within a set time after being served and service was made by mail, by leaving the papers with the court clerk, or by other means you consented to in writing (Rule 5(b)(2)(C), (D), (F)). Two big exceptions: electronic service no longer adds 3 days (the 2016 amendment removed it), and periods that do not run from Rule 5 service, such as the 21 days to answer after Rule 4 service of process or the 28 days for a Rule 59 motion after entry of judgment, never get the 3 days at all.

Treat it as binding. The summons is the court's own statement of when your response is due, and default can follow if you miss it. If the summons conflicts with what a statute, a chart, or this calculator suggests, do not resolve the conflict yourself in favor of the later date: call the clerk of the court named on the summons, or respond by the earlier date. Service method, court level, fee waivers, and recent amendments all change response times, and the summons reflects what the issuing court expects.

In federal court, 21 days after service of the summons and complaint (60 or 90 days if you timely waived service, counted from when the waiver request was sent). In state court it ranges from about 20 to 35 days: for example California gives 30 days, Florida 20, Ohio 28, New Jersey 35, and Texas requires an answer by 10 a.m. on the Monday following 20 days after service. The table on this page lists the verified rule for all 50 states and D.C. In every case the clock starts at service, defined by that state's rules, and the date on your summons controls.

Calendar days include every day: weekends and holidays count while the period runs. Court days (also called business or judicial days) skip Saturdays, Sundays, and court holidays entirely, so each counted day is a day the courthouse is open. A 10 calendar day deadline and a 10 court day deadline starting the same Friday can land nearly a week apart. Federal Rule 6(a) uses calendar-day counting with an end-of-period roll; many state rules, particularly California motion deadlines, run on court days. The generic panel in the calculator above computes both.

Start at the hearing date, exclude it, and count backward the required number of calendar days. If the landing day is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday, Rule 6(a)(5) requires you to keep counting backward, so the papers come due on the business day before the weekend or holiday, not after it. Rolling forward on a backward-counted deadline is one of the most common docketing errors, because it produces a date that is actually late.

Often, but never assume it. In federal court, Rule 6(b) lets the court extend most deadlines for good cause, and before the deadline expires an extension request is granted liberally; after it expires you must also show excusable neglect. Some deadlines cannot be extended at all: Rule 6(b)(2) forbids extending the time for Rule 50(b), 52(b), 59, and 60(b) motions, and the civil notice of appeal deadline is jurisdictional. Opposing counsel will often stipulate to a first answer extension; get any agreement in writing and, where required, approved by the court.

The plaintiff can request an entry of default, and after that a default judgment for the relief demanded. Courts can set aside defaults for good cause, but that is a motion you have to win rather than a right, and it gets harder once judgment enters. If the deadline just passed or is about to, act the same day: file the answer or a motion, ask opposing counsel to stipulate to late filing, or move for an extension. Our free answer generator can produce a filing-ready draft quickly.

The core list is national: Rule 6(a)(6)(A) names the eleven federal holidays (New Year's Day, MLK Day, Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Juneteenth, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans' Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas), and 6(a)(6)(B) adds anything the President or Congress declares. But for periods counted forward, 6(a)(6)(C) also includes holidays declared by the state where the district court sits, so a state holiday like Mardi Gras in Louisiana can extend a federal deadline there. Inauguration Day is a legal holiday only in the Washington, D.C. area, every fourth year.