1. Set Your Start Date

Today's date is filled in automatically. To change it, click the date field or the calendar icon next to it. Pick a date from the calendar, or type one directly. Click Today to jump back to today's date.

Tip: Besides the month and year spinners you can click the month or year number in the calendar header to open a month or year picker.

2. Choose Your Date Options

Click the Date Options button (blue, top of page) to control how deadlines are calculated.

Exclusions

• Allow All — No dates excluded. Every day counts.
• Holiday or Weekend (default) — If a deadline lands on a federal holiday or weekend, it moves to the next or previous valid day based on your Landing Direction choice (see below).
• Holiday — Only holidays excluded. Weekends are allowed.
• Weekend — Only weekends excluded. Holidays are allowed.

Counting Method

• Calendar days (default) — Every day is counted. If the final date lands on an excluded day, it moves per your Landing Direction.
• Court days — Weekends and holidays are not counted at all. This method is also often called "business days".

Past or Future

The 4 date tables use future or past date amounts:

• Future (positive) dates (default). Dates in the 4 tables count forward from the start date. (Subject to the Landing Direction).
• Past (negative) dates. Make all dates in the 4 tables count backwards from the start date. (Subject to the Landing Direction).

Landing Direction

When a deadline falls on an excluded day, this controls which way it moves:

• Forward (default) — Moves to the next valid day. More aggressive as it gives more time, but be sure that won't be considered too late.
• Backward — Moves to the previous valid day. More conservative as the deadline arrives sooner. Do not use this for the start of a filing window if you must file within that window.

Why direction matters: Most court deadlines are "received by" dates, not "postmarked by." When in doubt, check your court's specific rules.

3. Read Your Results

Results appear in four tables: Days, Weeks, Months, and Years. Each row shows the offset and the resulting date.

If a date was moved because it landed on an excluded day, the adjusted date is shown. Hover over the date to see what the original date was, how far it was moved, and why (e.g., holiday or weekend).

4. Work With Results

Single-clicking a row in any table highlights it. Double-click any result date to instantly make it the new Start Date — great for chaining calculations. For example, if you need the due date of a response brief 45 days after a brief that's due 30 days from a hearing: first find the 30-day row, double-click it to set it as the new Start Date, then read the 45-day row for your response deadline.

Use Copy Long or Copy Short to copy a date to your clipboard. Reset All returns everything to defaults.

5. Federal Holidays

The calculator automatically excludes the 11 standard U.S. federal holidays. Dates on the calendar that fall on a holiday are marked, and any deadline landing on one is moved per your settings.

Download the printable PDF guide