Calculator Guide

How to use the UK calculator

Choose the calculation you need, enter your dates and counting rules, then check how the answer was worked out. For worked examples, see Use Cases. For explanations of the rules and bank holiday data, see Articles.

Open Calculator

Follow the steps below, or jump to the setting you need help with.

Last reviewed: October 2026

Step 1

Choose the calculation you need

At-a-Glance

Deadline finds a date by counting forwards or backwards
Days between counts the days between two known dates
Sequential calculates linked deadlines one stage at a time

Under Calculation type, choose the option that matches what you need to work out.

Deadline

Enter a date and a number of days, weeks or months. Count forwards to find a deadline, or backwards from an event.

Days between

Enter a start date and an end date to find out how many working days and calendar days fall between them.

Sequential

Link up to six stages. The calculated date for one stage becomes the starting date for the next.

Check the date and counting rules first

Check your rule, court order, contract or notice for the starting date, number of days and whether the first and last dates count. If you are using court rules, choose Deadline and turn on Use court rules.

Try it as you read

Start by choosing Deadline, Days between or Sequential.

Open the calculator

Counting rules

Count working days or calendar days

At-a-Glance

Leave Use court rules off to choose your own counting rules
Working days leaves out the weekends and holidays you select
Calendar days counts every date, including weekends and holidays

Leave Use court rules off for a standard calculation. Choose the counting rules that apply to your deadline or date range. Working days leaves out the days you select as non-working. Calendar days counts every date.

UK calculator configured for a standard England and Wales working-day count — A ten-working-day deadline using England and Wales bank holidays. Select the image to open the full-size view.

Deadline or Days between

Use Deadline when you know one date and how long to count. Use Days between when you already know both dates.

Direction

For a deadline, choose Forward to count after the starting date, or Backward to count before an event or target date.

Counting method

Choose Working days to leave out the selected weekends and holidays, or Calendar days to count every date. Weeks and months use calendar-day counting.

Dates to include

Set Include the start date and Include the deadline date to match your rule or contract. In Days between, the second checkbox is called Include the end date.

Holiday calendar

Under Jurisdiction, choose the region whose bank holidays apply. Use Additional excluded periods only when your contract or workplace rules require extra closure dates to be left out.

Why counting the start date changes the answer

Start on Monday and add three calendar days. If the start is excluded and the deadline included, the result is Thursday: Tuesday is day 1, Wednesday day 2 and Thursday day 3. If you also include the start, Monday becomes day 1 and the result moves to Wednesday. Use this example when an answer is one day out.

See a complete setup

See the settings and result for a ten-working-day deadline.

Open the standard example

Related Resources

Notice to complete example

Ten England and Wales working days across Christmas

England and Wales working days in 2026

The annual total, monthly breakdown and bank holidays

Bank holidays

Choose which bank holidays to use

At-a-Glance

England and Wales share the same bank holidays
Scotland and Northern Ireland each have their own dates
Your choice changes which bank holidays are left out

The Jurisdiction setting chooses which region's bank holidays to use. Select the region named in your rule, contract or workplace policy. It may be different from where you live or work.

England & Wales

Uses the bank holidays shared by England and Wales.

Scotland

Uses Scottish bank holidays, including dates that do not apply in England and Wales.

Northern Ireland

Uses Northern Ireland bank holidays, including St Patrick’s Day and the Battle of the Boyne holiday.

Example: England & Wales

Start Tuesday 24 November 2026, exclude the start date and add 5 working days. The result is Tuesday 1 December.

The same calculation in Scotland

Change only Jurisdiction to Scotland. St Andrew's Day on Monday 30 November is excluded, so the result moves to Wednesday 2 December.

Different bank holidays can mean different deadlines

Keep the starting date and number of days the same, then change the region. Check the dates left out of each count to see why the deadlines differ.

Check which dates differ

See which bank holidays apply in each UK region.

Compare the public holidays

Related Resources

UK bank holidays by jurisdiction

Compare bank holidays and working-day totals for the three UK regions

Court deadlines

Calculate a court deadline

At-a-Glance

Choose Deadline and turn on Use court rules
Count backwards from an event or forwards from a starting date
Check How this will be counted before calculating

Choose Deadline and turn on Use court rules. Select the court, enter the relevant date and number of days, and choose the direction. Check your rule or court order to confirm the date to count from; the calculator does not work that date out for you.

UK Court rules configured for an England and Wales notice — An England and Wales notice calculation counting backwards from a hearing date. Select the image to open the full-size view.

Direction

Choose Backward for a notice counted from the event, such as a hearing. Choose Forward for a filing deadline counted after service or another starting date. Check the rule shown under How this will be counted.

Court jurisdiction

Choose England & Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland. Scotland also has a court calendar choice. Northern Ireland also has a choice of court level.

Number

Enter the number of days required by the rule. The calculator uses that number to work out whether weekends and holidays count under the selected court rules.

Dates to include

The court rules set whether the first and last dates count, so there are no checkboxes to change them. Read Dates to include under How this will be counted to check the settings.

Check whether the first and last dates count

For a notice counted before an event, clear days means leaving out both the date the notice takes effect and the event date. In this calculator, notice calculations for England and Wales and Northern Ireland use this rule.

For filing deadlines in all three UK regions, and notice periods in Scotland, the calculator leaves out the start date and counts the calculated date. Check which dates count before relying on the answer.

CPR 2.8: five days and six days use different methods

For an England and Wales notice period of five days or less, Saturdays, Sundays, bank holidays, Christmas Day and Good Friday are left out. A six-day period is counted in calendar days, so weekends and holidays count. Enter the number of days stated in the rule; the calculator chooses the counting method.

Try a court deadline

Follow a three-clear-day notice count.

Open the CPR example

Related Resources

England and Wales notice example

Three clear days before a hearing

CPR court deadline calculator

Clear days, short notice periods and deadlines when the court office is closed

Topic

Select the Scottish court or office

Choose the court or office whose closure dates apply, and check that the calendar covers your year.

Scotland

Select the Scottish court or office

At-a-Glance

Choose Scotland under Court jurisdiction
Choose the court or office under Court calendar
Check the selected court or office and its closure dates in the result

When you choose Scotland, select a Court calendar too. A local closure can move a filing date, so search for the court or office whose closure dates apply to your case. Each option names the locations it covers. These calendars use dates published by the Scottish Courts and Tribunals Service (SCTS).

UK Court rules with the Court of Session Judicial Office selected — A Scottish filing using the Court of Session (Judicial Office) closure dates. Select the image to open the full-size view.

Check which years the calendar covers

The date fields show which years are available. If the calendar does not cover the year you need, check the official dates for that year. Court closures can change from one year to the next.

Choose a Scottish court or office

See Judicial Office closure dates applied to a filing.

Open the Scottish example

Related Resources

Scottish litigation example

A Court of Session filing across Easter closures

Scottish court holidays 2026

Published closure dates and differences between court locations

Topic

Choose the Northern Ireland court

Select High Court or County Court. Leave out the Long Vacation only when the rule you are using requires it.

Northern Ireland

Choose the Northern Ireland court

At-a-Glance

Select High Court or County Court
Short notice periods count differently in the two courts
Use Exclude Long Vacation only when your rule requires it

After selecting Northern Ireland under Court jurisdiction, choose High Court or County Court under Court level or registry. For notice calculations, weekends and bank holidays are left out when the period is seven days or less in the High Court, or three days or less in the County Court. Longer notice periods use calendar days. Filing calculations use calendar days too.

When to leave out the Long Vacation

The Long Vacation is the court's summer vacation period. Exclude Long Vacation is available for High Court notice and filing calculations. Turn it on only when the rule you are using leaves that period out for serving, filing or amending a pleading. It does not apply to every court deadline.

Try a High Court notice calculation

Follow a notice count over the July holiday period.

Open the Northern Ireland example

Related Resources

Northern Ireland notice example

Five clear days before an event, using High Court rules

Topic

Calculate deadlines in stages

Use Sequential to link up to six stages, with separate counting rules for each one.

Sequential

Calculate deadlines in stages

At-a-Glance

Use Sequential to link up to six stages
Each stage starts from the previous stage's calculated date
Give each stage its own name, number of days and counting rules

Choose Sequential when one deadline leads to the next. This saves re-entering the dates and keeps the stages together for review. Enter the first starting date, then add a name and duration for each stage. Choose its bank holidays, counting method and whether the first and last dates count. Check all stages before calculating.

UK calculator showing the settings for two linked stages — Two stages with their own counting rules, ready to calculate. Select the image to open the full-size view.

Check that one deadline really starts the next stage

The calculator automatically uses each result as the next starting date. Check your rule or contract to confirm this is correct. If the next stage starts from a different event, calculate it separately using that event's date.

Set up linked deadlines

Select Sequential at the top of the calculator.

Open the calculator

Check the answer

Check how the result was calculated

At-a-Glance

Check the answer, then open Calculation details
Confirm the counting method and whether the first and last dates count
Use the timeline and calendar to see which dates were counted or left out

The result shows the answer and how it was worked out, so you can explain the date to a colleague or check a difference from your own count. Check the settings as well as the final date, especially when applying a court rule or contract.

UK calculator result showing the timeline, calendar and review controls — Check the counting rules, timeline, calendar and non-working dates in the result. Select the image to open the full-size view.

Calculation details

Open this to check the direction, counting method, bank holidays or court rules, and whether the first and last dates were included.

Timeline and calendar

See which dates were counted or left out, and where weekends and holidays fall.

Export to PDF

Download the result and its counting settings to keep a record with your file or send it to a colleague. Check the inputs before keeping or sharing the calculation.

Non-working dates

See the weekends, bank holidays and court closures in the date range. A date can be listed here even if it counted in a calendar-day calculation.

Check a result

Check the dates and settings against your rule or contract.

Run a calculation

Topic

If the answer looks wrong

Check these settings if the date is unexpected, a holiday is missing, or you cannot find a court option.

Final checks

If the answer looks wrong

At-a-Glance

One day out? Check whether the first and last dates count
Several days out? Check the counting method, bank holidays and extra closures
Missing a court option? Check the selected court and direction

The answer is one day out

For a standard calculation, check Include the start date and Include the deadline date (or Include the end date in Days between). For a court deadline, read Dates to include under How this will be counted.

Weekends were counted

Check whether Counting method is set to Calendar days. For court deadlines, read How this will be counted; the court rules decide whether weekends count.

A holiday is missing

Check Jurisdiction or Court jurisdiction and the year. If you are using a Scottish court calendar, check the selected court or office too.

No Court calendar field appears

Turn on Use court rules, then select Scotland.

No Long Vacation option appears

Turn on Use court rules, select Northern Ireland, then choose High Court. Exclude Long Vacation is available for both notice and filing calculations there.

The result moved to a later date

Check the court adjustment and non-working dates in the result. A court filing deadline may move to the next open day if the calculated date falls on a closure.

Check a complete setup

Compare your settings with an example of the same calculation type.

Compare a worked example