Illinois has no court rule of its own for counting days. Supreme Court Rule 2 points to the Statute on Statutes, 5 ILCS 70/1.11: exclude the first day, include the last, and if the last day is a Saturday, Sunday or holiday, exclude it too, along with any Saturday, Sunday or holiday that follows. Which days count as holidays for this purpose is the question the table below takes up. There is no special treatment for short periods, so a 7-day period counts weekends in between just as a 30-day one does.
When service is complete
Instead of adding days to a response period, Illinois fixes the day service is complete. Under Supreme Court Rule 12(c), electronic service and hand delivery are complete the day they are made, service by U.S. mail is complete four days after mailing, and service by a third-party carrier is complete on the third court day after the package is given to the carrier. The response period then starts from that date. Electronic service is the default under Rule 11(c), and since October 2024 it is effective only at an address the recipient has designated.
Date the document was sent (e-mailed, mailed, or given to the carrier): · 21 days · U.S. mail (complete four days after mailing)
- U.S. mail (complete four days after mailing) adds time. Count 4 calendar days after (that day is not counted): .
- Count 21 calendar days after (that day is not counted): .
Deadline:
Holidays: the court order, not the statute
Every year the Illinois Supreme Court orders all courts to observe a list of holidays. The order follows most of the statutory holidays and adds the day after Thanksgiving, but it keeps the courts open on three days Illinois law calls legal holidays: Casimir Pulaski Day (the first Monday in March), Good Friday, and general Election Day in even years. Whether a deadline that lands on one of those three still moves is not settled, so the calculator shows the earlier date with the later one as an alternative.
| Day | Statutory holiday? | Courts closed? |
|---|---|---|
| Day after Thanksgiving | No | Yes (Supreme Court order) |
| Casimir Pulaski Day | Yes | No, except in Cook County |
| Good Friday | Yes | No |
| Election Day (2026) | Yes | No |
| Friday before a Saturday holiday (; June 18 and ) | No | Yes |
Date the document was sent (e-mailed, mailed, or given to the carrier): · 21 days · E-mail or e-filing service provider
- E-mail or e-filing service provider adds no extra days.
- Count 21 calendar days after (that day is not counted): .
Deadline:
Other reading: (Pulaski Day, Good Friday and Election Day also count as holidays)
Cook County
The Circuit Court of Cook County also closes on Casimir Pulaski Day and on , and its orders extend filing deadlines that fall on those days to the next business day. Choose Cook County under Which court? to apply them to any count. Cook’s Rule 2.1 sets notice of a motion in court days counted back from the hearing: personal delivery before 4 p.m. on the second court day before, or mailing on or before the fifth. The rule predates electronic service; many judges’ standing orders ask for more notice.
Hearing date: · Mail (5 court days)
- Count 2 court days before , skipping 2 weekend days, Casimir Pulaski Day (): .
- Mail (5 court days) adds time. Count 3 court days before : .
Deadline: — Personal delivery must be made before 4:00 p.m.
Answering a 30-day summons
Most civil cases begin with a summons that gives the defendant 30 days after service, not counting the day of service, to appear and answer or otherwise respond (Rules 101(d) and 181(a)). The 30 days run from the day the summons was left with the defendant or other person designated by law; no days are added for any mailing that accompanies it. Smaller money claims and eviction cases use a summons with a fixed return date instead, which the clerk sets between 40 and 61 days after it is issued for most money claims.
Appeals: 30 days from entry
Under Rule 303(a), the notice of appeal must be filed within 30 days after entry of the final judgment, or within 30 days after the order disposing of the last timely postjudgment motion. A motion asking the court to reconsider its ruling on a postjudgment motion does not extend the time. If the deadline is missed, the appellate court may allow a late notice on a motion filed within the next 30 days with a reasonable excuse (Rule 303(d)).
Date the judgment or order was entered: · Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois
- Count 30 calendar days after (that day is not counted): .
- is not a court day (Cook County court holiday (New Year's Day 2028 observed)), so the deadline moves forward to , passing (Saturday), (Sunday).
Deadline:
Questions about Illinois deadlines
When is service by mail complete in Illinois?
Four days after mailing. Illinois does not add days to the response period; it fixes the date service is complete, and the period then runs from that date. Service through a third-party carrier is complete on the third court day after the package is given to the carrier (Ill. S. Ct. R. 12(c)).
How many days do you have to answer a summons in Illinois?
Thirty days after service, not counting the day of service, for a standard 30-day summons. No days are added for any mailing; the count starts on the day the summons was left with the defendant or another person designated by law (Ill. S. Ct. R. 101(d); Ill. S. Ct. R. 181(a)).
What is the deadline to appeal a final judgment in Illinois?
Thirty days from entry of the final judgment, or from entry of the order that resolves the last timely postjudgment motion. A further motion to reconsider that ruling does not buy more time, and a late notice needs a motion with a reasonable excuse filed within the following 30 days (Ill. S. Ct. R. 303(a), (d)).
Are Illinois courts open on Good Friday?
Yes. The Illinois Supreme Court’s holiday order keeps courts open on Good Friday, Casimir Pulaski Day and general Election Day, even though state law calls them legal holidays; Cook County closes on Pulaski Day. Whether a deadline landing on one of them moves is unsettled, so the earlier date is the safe one (5 ILCS 70/1.11).
How much notice does Cook County require for a motion?
Personal delivery before 4 p.m. on the second court day before the hearing, or mailing on or before the fifth court day before it. Both are court days counted back from the hearing, skipping Cook County’s own holidays, and many judges’ standing orders ask for more notice (Cook County Cir. Ct. R. 2.1(c)).
Does Illinois count weekends in short deadlines?
Yes. Illinois has no short-period rule, so a 7-day period counts the Saturdays and Sundays inside it just as a 30-day period does. Only a last day on a Saturday, Sunday or holiday is excluded, together with any such days that immediately follow it (5 ILCS 70/1.11; Ill. S. Ct. R. 2).
Federal court in Illinois
For forward-counted federal deadlines, a federal court also honors days “declared a holiday by the state” (FRCP 6(a)(6)(C)). Lincoln’s Birthday is both a statutory holiday and a state-court holiday, so the federal calculator applies it when you choose the Northern District of Illinois under Which court?. Pulaski Day, Good Friday and Election Day are declared by statute but state courts stay open, and the day after Thanksgiving closes the state courts without a statute behind it; for all of these the calculator keeps the earlier date and flags the deadline.