Condition 6.8.2 of the Law Society's Standard Conditions of Sale (5th edition, 2018 revision) provides for completion within ten working days after a notice to complete is given. The day on which the notice is given is not counted.
Before counting the ten days, confirm that the signed contract incorporates that condition without changing it and establish the date on which the notice is treated as given. This guide explains the calculation under the standard terms for residential conveyancing in England and Wales, checked on 26 July 2026.
Check the signed contract first
The Law Society publishes a specimen fifth edition, but the signed contract determines which conditions apply to the transaction. Condition 1.1.4 allows the contract to vary or exclude the standard terms.
Four points are relevant to the calculation:
| What to confirm | Where to find it |
|---|---|
| The edition of the Standard Conditions of Sale | The incorporation wording in the signed contract |
| Any change to the notice or working-day provisions | The contract particulars and special conditions |
| Whether condition 6.8.1 permits a notice to be given | The incorporated condition and the transaction facts |
| The date on which the notice is treated as given | The contractual notice provisions and evidence of receipt |
Under the specimen conditions, condition 6.8.1 permits a party who is ready, able and willing to complete to give notice after the relevant time on the completion date. The contract and the facts determine whether those requirements are met. Confirm that the notice may be given before entering the dates in the calculator.
Establish when the notice is treated as given
The time at which an email was sent is not necessarily the contractual notice date. Under condition 1.3, a notice must be in writing, and a notice given to a party's conveyancer is treated as given to that party.
Subject to the deemed-receipt provisions, a notice is given when it is received. A notice received after 4pm on a working day is treated as received on the next working day. The same applies to a notice received at any time on a non-working day. The specimen conditions also contain separate deemed-receipt rules for post, document exchange, fax and email where there is no evidence of the actual time of receipt.
Once you know the effective notice date, use it as the calculator start date and exclude it from the count.
Apply the contract's definition of a working day
Condition 1.1.1 defines a working day as Monday to Friday, excluding Christmas Day, Good Friday and statutory bank holidays.
For an unamended SCS calculation, select England and Wales in the calculator. The UK bank-holiday comparison lists the dates that differ in Scotland and Northern Ireland. A related transaction elsewhere in the UK does not change the calendar incorporated into this contract.
Do not add a general Christmas shutdown. The standard definition excludes the specified holidays, but it does not exclude every day on which a conveyancer's office may choose to close. Add another closure only if the contract makes it part of the working-day calculation.
Example: a notice given before Christmas
Assume that:
- the signed contract incorporates the fifth edition, 2018 revision without changing conditions 1.1, 1.3 or 6.8;
- condition 6.8.1 permits the notice to be given; and
- the notice is treated as given on Thursday 17 December 2026.
Enter the calculation as follows:
| Setting | Selection |
|---|---|
| Mode | Deadline |
| Start date | 17 December 2026 |
| Direction | Forward |
| Region | England and Wales |
| Number of working days | 10 |
| Include start date | No |
| Include deadline date | Yes |
| Optional shutdown | None |
The result is Tuesday 5 January 2027. The ten working days are:
| Day | Date |
|---|---|
| 1 | Friday 18 December 2026 |
| 2 | Monday 21 December 2026 |
| 3 | Tuesday 22 December 2026 |
| 4 | Wednesday 23 December 2026 |
| 5 | Thursday 24 December 2026 |
| 6 | Tuesday 29 December 2026 |
| 7 | Wednesday 30 December 2026 |
| 8 | Thursday 31 December 2026 |
| 9 | Monday 4 January 2027 |
| 10 | Tuesday 5 January 2027 |
The calculation excludes the notice date, the weekends, Christmas Day on 25 December, the Boxing Day substitute bank holiday on Monday 28 December and New Year's Day on Friday 1 January.
Open the ten-working-day example in the calculator.
What the calculated date means
The result counts ten working days from the effective notice date using the assumptions above. The signed contract and the transaction facts must still establish:
- whether the incorporated conditions permit the notice;
- whether the notice was validly given and when it took effect;
- whether either party has breached the contract; and
- what rights or remedies follow, including any question about rescission, the deposit or compensation.
Payment cutoffs, cleared funds and the practical arrangements for completion also need to be dealt with separately. They do not change the ten-day count unless the contract changes the relevant terms.
Sources
- Law Society, Standard Conditions of Sale, specimen fifth edition, 2018 revision; conditions 1.1, 1.3 and 6.8 checked 26 July 2026
- Law Society, Conveyancing Protocol, including the warning that not every standard condition suits every transaction
- GOV.UK, transferring ownership, the England and Wales contract, exchange and completion overview
- GOV.UK, bank holidays for the England and Wales dates used in the worked example
