Most deadline calculators add a number to a date and hope the holiday list is current. That is not how courts count. Each system has its own rule for which day is day one, which holidays close the clerk’s office, how many days the method of service adds, and whether those days go before or after the weekend adjustment. A calculator that ignores those differences can be off by a day or more — and a day late is late.
What this calculator does differently
It applies the rule of the court you choose. The federal courts count under Rule 6 of the Federal Rules of Civil Procedure, California state courts under Code of Civil Procedure sections 12 through 12c and 1013, and Texas state courts under Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 4 and 21a. Each is implemented separately, from the official text.
It shows its work. Every result lists the steps that produced it — the count, each weekend or holiday that moved the date, and the days added for service — with a link to the rule behind each step. A small calendar marks counted days, skipped days and the deadline itself.
It tells you when the law is unsettled. Where a rule can reasonably be read two ways, the calculator computes both, shows the earlier date as the deadline, and lists the other one beside it. Filing by the earlier date is safe under either reading.
Every date is tested. The calculator is checked against more than 300 deadlines worked out by hand and confirmed with a separate implementation, plus thousands of randomized checks run on every change. See the methodology.
The same week in three courts
Thanksgiving week shows why the court matters. All three examples turn on Thanksgiving week 2026, and each lands on a different date under a different rule.
Date of service: · 21 days · Electronic service (CM/ECF or consented e-mail)
- Count 21 calendar days after (that day is not counted): .
- is not a court day (Thanksgiving Day), so the deadline moves forward to .
- Electronic service (CM/ECF or consented e-mail) adds no extra days.
Deadline:
In federal court the Friday after Thanksgiving is an ordinary court day, so the deadline that falls on Thanksgiving moves only one day.
Date of service: · 15 days · Personal delivery
- Count 15 calendar days after (that day is not counted): .
- Personal delivery adds no extra days.
- is not a court day (Thanksgiving Day), so the deadline moves forward to , passing (Day after Thanksgiving), (Saturday), (Sunday).
Deadline:
California’s judicial holidays include the day after Thanksgiving (Code Civ. Proc. § 135), so the same kind of period runs over the weekend to Monday.
Date of service: · 3 days · Electronic service (e-filing manager or e-mail)
- Count 3 court days after , skipping 2 weekend days, Thanksgiving Day (): . (Periods of 5 days or less exclude weekends and legal holidays.)
- Electronic service (e-filing manager or e-mail) adds no extra days.
Deadline:
Other reading: (Texas state holidays and Dec 24/26 also count as legal holidays)
Texas counts periods of five days or less in business days (TRCP 4). Whether the Friday after Thanksgiving is a “legal holiday” for that purpose depends on which reading of the Texas holiday statutes a court adopts, so the calculator shows both dates.
What is covered
| Court system | Calculators | Holiday data |
|---|---|---|
| Federal district courts and courts of appeals | Any FRCP period, before or after an event, answer deadlines under Rule 12(a), notices of appeal, the Rule 16(b) and 26(f) schedule | OPM’s official lists for 2026 to 2028, plus California, Texas and New York state holidays for courts in those states, and announced closures for 16 districts |
| Bankruptcy courts | Rule 9006 periods, proofs of claim, discharge objections and appeals | Federal holidays, plus the holidays of the state where the court sits |
| California superior courts | Response periods with § 1013 service days, motion and summary-judgment deadlines, court-day counts | Judicial Council lists for 2026 and 2027 |
| Texas district, county and justice courts | Periods under Rule 4 and 21a, answer deadlines under Rule 99(b) and 502.5 | Government Code § 662.003, with both readings of the disputed state holidays, and county closures for Travis, Tarrant, Harris, Bexar, El Paso, Denton, Williamson and Hidalgo |
| Florida circuit and county courts | Periods under Rule 2.514, answers and appeals | Fla. Stat. § 110.117 days, plus holiday orders for ten judicial circuits |
| New York state courts | CPLR 2103 periods, answers and appeals | General Construction Law § 24 public holidays |
| Illinois circuit courts | Rule 12(c) service, 30-day summons, appeals and Cook County motion notice | Supreme Court holiday orders, Cook County additions, statutory-only days flagged |
| Pennsylvania courts of common pleas | Pa.R.J.A. 107 periods, answers, appeals and post-trial motions | Legal Holiday Law and federal holidays, with uncertain closure days flagged |
| Georgia superior, state and magistrate courts | § 1-3-1 periods with the under-seven-days rule, answers, discovery, appeals and evictions | Governor’s yearly holiday list under § 1-4-1, federal February date flagged |
| Limitations periods | Two-year personal injury limits and the FTCA’s six months | Counted in years and months, with each system’s holiday rule |
More states will be added only once their rules and holiday calendars have been verified against official sources. See the 2027 court holiday calendar for every closure date we use.
Reading the result
The large date is the last day to act. Under it you will find the explanation in one line, any alternative date, and warnings that apply to your input — for example, that holiday dates for a future year are projected from the statute because the court has not yet published its list. Open How we counted to see each step. You can add the deadline to Outlook, Google Calendar or any calendar app that reads .ics files, and every result has its own link you can share or save.
Questions about counting court deadlines
Does the day of service count toward a court deadline?
No. The day of service or other triggering event is left out, and day 1 is the next day. Federal, California, New York and Pennsylvania courts all count this way, then include the last day of the period (FRCP 6(a)(1); Code Civ. Proc. § 12; N.Y. Gen. Constr. Law § 20; Pa.R.J.A. 107).
Is the day after Thanksgiving a court holiday?
In California state courts, yes; on the federal holiday list, no. California makes that Friday a judicial holiday, so a deadline landing on it runs to Monday, while a federal deadline that falls on Thanksgiving moves only to the Friday unless a state holiday applies in that court (Code Civ. Proc. § 135; FRCP 6(a)(6)).
How many extra days do you get when papers are served by mail?
It depends on the court: three days in federal and Texas courts, five for mail inside California or inside New York, and none under Pennsylvania’s civil rules (FRCP 6(d); Tex. R. Civ. P. 21a(c); Code Civ. Proc. § 1013(a); CPLR 2103(b)(2); Pa.R.C.P. 440(b)). See extra days for service by mail for every method.
What happens if a court deadline falls on a weekend or holiday?
It usually moves to the next day the court is open. Federal, California, New York and Pennsylvania rules all extend a last day that lands on a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday. A federal deadline counted back from a hearing moves to the earlier day instead (FRCP 6(a)(1), 6(a)(5); Code Civ. Proc. § 12a; N.Y. Gen. Constr. Law § 25-a).
Do weekends count in a court deadline?
Yes, in most periods. Federal, California, New York and Pennsylvania courts count every calendar day, weekends and holidays included, and adjust only a last day that is not a court day. Texas differs for short periods: it leaves out Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays when a period is five days or less (Tex. R. Civ. P. 4).
What the calculator cannot know
It does not know about a closure your court announced last week, an order that shortens or extends time, or a statute that sets its own counting rule. If your clerk’s office was closed during the period, open Was the court closed on a day in the period? and enter the date; a closure on the last day moves the deadline to the next day the office is open.
It also cannot tell you which rule governs your situation. It calculates under the rule you choose. If you are not sure which deadline applies, the court’s self-help center, a legal aid office or a lawyer can tell you. This site is not a substitute for the advice of an attorney.