When is it actually due?
Pick the deadline, enter the trigger date, and get the real due date — day counting, mail-service days, and weekend/holiday rollover handled the way FRCP 6 says.
All free tools →Under Federal Rule of Civil Procedure 6(a)(1), a period stated in days counts every calendar day, but if the last day lands on a Saturday, Sunday, or federal legal holiday, the period runs to the next day that is none of those. This tool applies that rule with the observed federal holiday calendar for 2026–2028.
When service was made by mail, Rule 6(d) adds 3 days to periods that run from service — the tool adds them before checking the rollover, which is why a mailed 21-day deadline is not always exactly 24 days out.
The preset day counts come straight from the rules: 21 days to answer a complaint (Rule 12(a)(1)(A)(i)), 30 days for interrogatories, production, and admissions (Rules 33, 34, 36), 60 days after waiving service, and 30 days for a civil notice of appeal (FRAP 4(a)(1)(A)). State courts and individual judges set different clocks — always check the local rules and any scheduling order.
- How many days do I have to answer a complaint in federal court?
- 21 days after being served with the summons and complaint (FRCP 12(a)(1)(A)(i)), or 60 days if you timely waived service as a U.S. defendant. If the 21st day is a weekend or federal holiday, the deadline rolls to the next business day.
- Do weekends count toward court deadlines?
- Under FRCP 6(a)(1), yes — every calendar day counts, including weekends and holidays. Only the LAST day matters: if it falls on a Saturday, Sunday, or federal legal holiday, the period extends to the next day that is not one of those.
- What is the 3-day mail rule?
- FRCP 6(d) adds 3 days to a response period when the triggering paper was served by mail (and certain other non-electronic means). It does not apply to deadlines measured from something other than service, like the entry of judgment.
- Does this work for state court deadlines?
- No — the presets are the federal rules. Most states have analogous but different clocks (some count court days rather than calendar days). Use this as a model and verify against your state's rules of civil procedure.
- Is this legal advice?
- No. It is an educational calculator applying the text of the federal rules to the dates you enter. Missing a real deadline can forfeit claims or defenses — confirm every date with counsel and your court's local rules.
This tool is a simulation artifact, not legal advice, and creates no attorney–client relationship. Every probability-like input is your assumption — a dial, not a prediction. Your inputs never leave your browser. Verify all deadlines and figures against the rules and orders of your court.
This is one dial. Your case has fifty.
Juricratic models your whole matter as a solvable game — every motion, every deadline, every settlement posture — and shows how the picture moves when the assumptions do.
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