CourtClock — Federal Deadline Calculator (FRCP Rule 6)

Compute a deadline

Trigger date (service, filing, entry of judgment…)

Deadline type

— Custom —<br>Answer to complaint — 21 days after service (Rule 12(a)(1)(A)(i))<br>Answer after waiver of service — 60 days (Rule 12(a)(1)(A)(ii))<br>Reply to answer / amended pleading response — 14 days (Rule 12/15)<br>Amend pleading as of course — 21 days (Rule 15(a)(1))<br>Discovery responses — 30 days after service (Rules 33/34/36)<br>Objections to R&R — 14 days (28 U.S.C. § 636(b)(1))<br>Motion for new trial / alter judgment — 28 days (Rules 59(b),(e))<br>Notice of appeal (civil) — 30 days (FRAP 4(a)(1)(A))<br>Notice of appeal (U.S. party) — 60 days (FRAP 4(a)(1)(B))<br>Bill of costs / attorney fees motion — 14 days (Rule 54)<br>Pretrial disclosures objections — at least 14 days before trial (Rule 26(a)(3))<br>Expert rebuttal — 30 days before (Rule 26(a)(2)(D)(ii))

Number of days

Direction

Forward — “within N days after”<br>Backward — “at least N days before”

Add 3 days — service by mail / non-electronic means (Rule 6(d))

Calculate deadline

Deadline:

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How it computes (FRCP Rule 6(a))

1. Exclude the trigger day; count every calendar day including intermediate Saturdays, Sundays, and legal holidays — Rule 6(a)(1).<br>2. If the last day is a Saturday, Sunday, or federal legal holiday (5 U.S.C. § 6103, including observed dates), the period runs to the next accessible business day — Rule 6(a)(1)(C). Backward-counted deadlines roll to the previous business day — Rule 6(a)(5).<br>3. Rule 6(d) adds 3 days when service is by mail or other non-electronic means, applied before the weekend/holiday rollover.<br>Federal holidays are computed for any year (fixed-date and floating rules, with Sat→Fri / Sun→Mon observance).

CourtClock is a computational aid, not legal advice. Always verify deadlines against the current rules, local rules, standing orders, and court-specific ECF procedures. © 2026 CourtClock.

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All 12 FRCP / FRAP deadline presets

Rule 6(a) weekend & federal-holiday rollover

Rule 6(d) +3-day service rule

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What you actually get: one HTML file, about 20 KB. Open it from your desktop, a network share, or a USB stick — it needs no installer, no internet connection and no admin rights, so it runs on locked-down firm machines and air-gapped review workstations. No client data, matter names or dates ever leave the browser. Site licence for one firm; put it wherever your people need it.

Plain-English guides to the rules behind these dates

How long do you have to answer a complaint in federal court?<br>— the 21-day default and the eight situations that replace it, including removal (7 days) and<br>suits against the United States (60 days).

The Rule 6(d) three-day rule — and why CM/ECF service no longer gets it<br>— the 2016 amendment that made a routine +3 days wrong.

How to count days under Rule 6(a)<br>— forward, backward, and hour-based periods, and when the last day actually ends.

Federal court holidays, 2026 and 2027<br>— every legal holiday with its weekend-observance shift, plus how state holidays cut one way only.

Federal discovery response deadlines<br>— the 30 days under Rules 33, 34 and 36, the Rule 26(d) timing bar, and the Rule 36 trap that<br>admits your case automatically.

Summary judgment deadlines under Rule 56<br>— the one national deadline (30 days after the close of discovery) and the three dates your<br>local rule sets instead.

The 30-day deadline to remove a case to federal court<br>— &sect; 1446(b), the later-served-defendant rule, the one-year diversity cap, and the 30-day<br>remand clock.

Deadline to file a notice of appeal (FRAP 4)<br>— 30 days, 60 days against the United States, which motions toll it, and why it is<br>jurisdictional.

Post-trial motion deadlines: the 28-day cliff<br>— Rules 50(b), 52(b) and 59, and the Rule 6(b)(2) bar on extending any of them.

See all guides...