On this page
- Last reviewed
- October 2026
Choose the calculation you need
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.
Count working days or calendar days
- 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.
- 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.
- Jurisdiction and Additional excluded periods
- 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.
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
Choose which bank holidays to use
- 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.
Related resources
- UK bank holidays by jurisdiction
Compare bank holidays and working-day totals for the three UK regions
Calculate a court deadline
- 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, choose the court rule, and enter the relevant date and number of days. Check your rule or court order to confirm the date to count from; the calculator does not work that date out for you.
- Court rule
- Choose the notice rule for a notice counted backward from the event, such as a hearing, or the filing rule for a deadline counted forward after service or another starting date. Direction follows the rule you choose. 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 the summary under How this will be counted to check the settings. After calculating, Start-date treatment and Result-date treatment in Calculation details show them too.
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.
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
Select the Scottish court or office
- 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).
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.
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
Choose the Northern Ireland court
- 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.
Related resources
- Northern Ireland notice example
Five clear days before an event, using High Court rules
Calculate deadlines in stages
- 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.
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.
Check how the result was calculated
- Check the answer, then open Calculation details
- Confirm the counting method and whether the first and last dates count
- Use the calendar and its key to see which dates were counted
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.
- Calculation details
- Open this to check the direction, counting method, bank holidays or court rules, and whether the first and last dates were included.
- Calendar view and Key
- Counted days are numbered in order on the calendar. The key shows what each colour means and how many weekend, bank holiday and court closure dates fall in the period. Dates that are not counted keep their colour and are not numbered.
- 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.
If the answer looks wrong
- 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 court rule
- 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 the summary under How this will be counted, or Start-date treatment and Result-date treatment in Calculation details.
- 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.