UK working day use cases
Worked examples showing how dates, bank holidays, court closures and boundary settings change a count. For help setting up the controls, see the calculator guide. For deeper guides and edge cases, browse Articles.
Contents
Conveyancing professional: model an SCS notice to complete period
You are acting for a buyer whose house purchase in England has missed its agreed completion date. The seller's solicitor has given a notice to complete on 17 December 2026. You have checked that the notice is valid and that the contract uses the Standard Conditions of Sale (5th edition, 2018 revision) without changing the relevant provisions. Condition 6.8.2 allows ten working days for completion, excluding the notice day. With Christmas and New Year approaching, you need the completion deadline so your client and their lender can arrange the funds in time.
Settings, in form order
- Calculation type
- Deadline
- Use court rules
- Off
- Counting method
- Working days
- Jurisdiction
- England & Wales
- Additional excluded periods
- None
- Include the start date
- Off
- Include the deadline date
- On
- Start date
- 17 December 2026
- Number
- 10
- Unit
- Days
- Direction
- Forward
Result
Tuesday 5 January 2027
The count leaves out Christmas Day, observed Boxing Day and New Year's Day. The result is a mechanical count from stated contractual inputs. It does not establish that the notice was valid, available, or received on the date entered. After calculating, compare Non-working dates with the contract.
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Litigation solicitor: CPR notice – 3 clear days for an interim application
You are acting for the claimant in the High Court of England and Wales. An interim application hearing is listed for Tuesday 13 January 2026. You have checked that CPR 23.7(1)(b)'s three-clear-day minimum applies and that no rule, practice direction or court order sets a different period. You need to work back from the hearing to find the latest service date allowed by that count, then plan delivery using the applicable service rules. The application notice must also be served as soon as practicable after filing; the minimum period is a limit to check, rather than a reason to wait.
Settings, in form order
- Calculation type
- Deadline
- Use court rules
- On
- Court jurisdiction
- England & Wales
- Court rule
- England & Wales: Notice deadline
- Hearing date
- 13 January 2026
- Number
- 3
- Unit
- Days
Result
Wednesday 7 January 2026
The calculator counts backwards from Tuesday 13 January 2026 and excludes both the service date and the hearing date. Because the period is 5 days or fewer, CPR 2.8 applies working days only. Day 3 is Monday 12 January 2026, day 2 is Friday 9 January 2026, and day 1 is Thursday 8 January 2026. Before calculating, review How this will be counted. After calculating, Calculation details shows the profile and excluded days used in the count.
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Scottish litigation: SCTS filing deadline across the Easter court closures
You are a solicitor preparing a document for lodging in the Court of Session. You have checked the timetable and the applicable rule: the filing period is ten days from 26 March 2026, with the start day excluded. Easter falls near the end of the period, and the Judicial Office will be closed when the initial count ends. You need to find the next open filing day so your team can plan the drafting, client approval and lodging of the document.
Settings, in form order
- Calculation type
- Deadline
- Use court rules
- On
- Court jurisdiction
- Scotland
- Court calendar
- Court of Session (Judicial Office)
- Court rule
- Scotland: Court filing deadline (calendar days)
- Service date
- 26 March 2026
- Number
- 10
- Unit
- Days
Result
Tuesday 7 April 2026
Starting from 26 March 2026, the ten-day count lands on Sunday 5 April. The selected office is closed over the weekend and on Easter Monday, so the result moves to Tuesday 7 April 2026. The result lists the dates used in that adjustment. Before calculating, review How this will be counted.
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Northern Ireland litigation: High Court notice – 5 clear days over the Twelfth fortnight
You are preparing a notice for a High Court of Northern Ireland hearing listed for Monday 20 July 2026. You have checked that the applicable rule or order requires five clear days' notice. The observed Battle of the Boyne holiday falls on 13 July, just before the hearing week. You need to find the latest service date allowed by the count so you can arrange delivery in time, accounting for the holiday, weekends and the service rules that apply to your notice.
Settings, in form order
- Calculation type
- Deadline
- Use court rules
- On
- Court jurisdiction
- Northern Ireland
- Court level or registry
- High Court
- Court rule
- Northern Ireland High Court: Notice deadline
- Optional court rules
- None
- Hearing date
- 20 July 2026
- Number
- 5
- Unit
- Days
Result
Thursday 9 July 2026
The calculator counts backwards from Monday 20 July 2026 using clear days (excluding both the service date and the hearing date). Because the period is 7 days or fewer, the NIR High Court rule counts working days only. Day 5 is Friday 17 July, day 4 is Thursday 16 July, day 3 is Wednesday 15 July, day 2 is Tuesday 14 July, and day 1 is Friday 10 July. Monday 13 July — Battle of the Boyne — and Saturday 11 – Sunday 12 July are skipped.
With the same dates and period, the 13 July holiday makes this result one day earlier than an England and Wales calculation. Check the relevant rule and service requirements before using it. Before calculating, review How this will be counted.
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HR manager: six-week statutory notice example
You are an HR manager at a company in England. An employee with six complete years of continuous service is being made redundant and will work their notice. You have checked that their contract does not require more than the six weeks' statutory notice under section 86 of the Employment Rights Act 1996. Notice is validly given on 27 November 2026, with the period starting the following day. You need the end date to plan the handover and give payroll the timetable. Christmas and New Year fall within the notice period, but these six calendar weeks include weekends and bank holidays.
Settings, in form order
- Calculation type
- Deadline
- Use court rules
- Off
- Counting method
- Calendar days
- Include the start date
- Off
- Include the deadline date
- On
- Start date
- 27 November 2026
- Number
- 6
- Unit
- Weeks
- Direction
- Forward
Result
Friday 8 January 2027
The notice period starts on 28 November. The six weeks run as calendar weeks. Christmas Day, Boxing Day, and New Year's Day remain in the count, so they do not extend it. On the assumptions above, the period ends on 8 January 2027. Pay, accrued leave, and the effective termination date still depend on the employment facts and applicable terms.
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Quantity surveyor: five-day construction payment notice period
You are a quantity surveyor working for the payer on a commercial construction project in England. An interim payment is due on 15 December 2026, and you need to arrange the payment notice. You have checked that the contract requires the payer to give the notice within the five-day period in section 110A of the Housing Grants, Construction and Regeneration Act 1996. The period runs over a weekend, so you need to find the last day and make sure the notice can be given in time. Weekends count in this period, and these dates cross no statutory holiday.
Settings, in form order
- Calculation type
- Deadline
- Use court rules
- Off
- Counting method
- Calendar days
- Include the start date
- Off
- Include the deadline date
- On
- Start date
- 15 December 2026
- Number
- 5
- Unit
- Days
- Direction
- Forward
Result
Sunday 20 December 2026
The five calendar days are 16–20 December 2026. The weekend does not extend this period. Check the contract to confirm the due date, who must give the notice, and how it must be served. A pay-less notice has a different trigger tied to the final date for payment, so it is not counted as a second fixed period here.
For periods under Part II, section 116 excludes Christmas Day, Good Friday and bank holidays. The Calendar days setting counts those holidays, so do not use it unchanged for a period that crosses one. This example contains no excluded holiday.
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