Court Day Calculator
Calculate legal deadlines in court days (business days), excluding weekends and federal holidays. Based on FRCP Rule 6 for federal courts.
About the Court Day Calculator
Legal deadlines in federal court are typically measured in 'court days' — business days that exclude weekends and federal holidays under FRCP Rule 6. Missing a court deadline by even one day can have serious consequences, from dismissed motions to default judgments.
Our court day calculator adds any number of court days or calendar days to a start date, or counts the court days between two dates. It includes all federal court holidays and correctly handles Rule 6's falling-on-weekend rule (if the last day falls on a weekend or holiday, the deadline extends to the next business day).
FRCP Rule 6: how federal court days work
Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 6, when computing time: exclude the day of the triggering event; count every day (including weekends and holidays) for calendar-day deadlines; for deadlines measured in days, count only 'court days' (Monday–Friday, excluding holidays). If the last day falls on a weekend or federal holiday, the period extends to the next day that isn't a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday.
State court deadlines: important differences
State courts have their own rules that may differ significantly from FRCP. Some states use calendar days for all deadlines; others exclude weekends and state-specific holidays (which may differ from federal holidays). The relevant rules for your jurisdiction — Federal Rules, state code of civil procedure, or local court rules — always take precedence. This calculator implements federal rules as a guide; verify with your court's local rules.
Common federal court deadline periods
21 days: typical time to respond to a complaint (Rule 12). 14 days: time to respond to many motions. 28 days: time to file objections to a Magistrate's Report & Recommendation. 30 days: notice of appeal from district court. 90 days: notice of appeal in some cases involving the US government. Always double-check with the specific rule cited in the order or statute.