CPR deadline calculator
Work out time limits under the Civil Procedure Rules “clear days” rule, and when a document is deemed served, using England and Wales bank holidays.
Watch how it works 40-second video and step-by-step guide
- Under Time period (CPR 2.8), choose what you need to work out: a last day within a period, a last day before an event, or an earliest date after a date.
- Enter the date the period runs from and the number of days. Tick the box if the act is done at the court office.
- Choose Calculate. The result shows how the days were counted, including weekends, bank holidays and the Christmas closure where they apply.
- Under Deemed service (CPR 6.14 and 6.26), choose what was served and how, then the date and time it was sent.
- Choose Calculate to see the deemed date of service and the rule applied.
- Always check the result against the rules, any court order and any practice direction.
About this tool
The CPR deadline calculator works out two of the most common date questions in civil litigation in England and Wales: the end of a time limit under the "clear days" rule, and the date a document is deemed served.
Clear days (CPR 2.8)
Under CPR 2.8, a period expressed as a number of days is counted in clear days: the day on which the period begins is not included and, where the end is defined by an event, the day of that event is not included either. For periods of five days or less, Saturdays, Sundays, bank holidays, Christmas Day and Good Friday are not counted. If something must be done at the court office and the period ends on a day the office is closed, it moves to the next day the office is open.
Deemed service (CPR 6.14 and 6.26)
A claim form served within the UK is deemed served on the second business day after the relevant step under CPR 7.5(1) (CPR 6.14). For other documents, CPR 6.26 sets the deemed date by method: post, document exchange, delivering or leaving, fax, email and personal service. For several methods the time of day matters, which is why the calculator asks for it.
How it works
The calculator uses the official England and Wales bank holiday dates, held on our site so no third-party service is contacted. It shows its working, so you can check each step against the rules. Everything runs in your browser.
Always check
Court orders, practice directions and specific rules can change a time limit, and the rules themselves are amended from time to time. Use the result as a check, not a substitute for reading the rules and any order that applies.