Federal Courts Rule 6(3) excludes 21 December through 7 January when computing time to file, amend, transmit or serve a document. The exclusion applies unless the Court directs otherwise.
The calculator therefore provides Exclude Dec 21 to Jan 7 as an optional Federal Courts control. Turn it on only after confirming that Rule 6(3) applies to the period and task being counted. Sources checked 3 August 2026.
Confirm that Rule 6 governs the period
Rule 6(1) applies sections 26 to 30 of the federal Interpretation Act when time is computed under the Federal Courts Rules or an order of the Court. A period created by another statute may have different counting provisions.
Rule 6(3) is also limited by the task. It covers filing, amending, transmitting or serving a document. It does not create a general year-end pause for every step in a Federal Court matter.
Once those points are established, the calculator can apply the date rules. Leave the recess control off if the period comes from another source, concerns another task or has been changed by a direction from the Court.
The length of the period sets the basic method
Rule 6(2) excludes holidays from periods of less than seven days. The calculator's Federal Courts profile therefore counts a period of six days or fewer in working days. It counts a period of seven days or more in calendar days and moves the result when the governing holiday rule requires it.
The seasonal-recess control is an additional step. When selected, it excludes every date from 21 December through 7 January from either type of count.
A 10-day filing example
Start with Tuesday 15 December 2026, count forward 10 days, exclude the start date and include the end date.
| Federal Courts setting | Result |
|---|---|
| Filing, without the seasonal-recess control | Tuesday 29 December 2026 |
| Filing, with Exclude Dec 21 to Jan 7 | Tuesday 12 January 2027 |
Without the recess control, the 10-day period uses calendar days. Its nominal end date is Christmas Day, so the Federal Courts holiday rules move the result to the next open day, Tuesday 29 December.
With the control enabled, five days accrue from 16 through 20 December. Counting resumes on 8 January, and the tenth included day is 12 January. Open this Federal Courts example in the calculator.
What still has to be established outside the calculator
The Federal Courts profile supplies the short-period method, the relevant court holidays, the default boundaries and end-date rollover. The user selects the filing or notice workflow and decides whether to apply Exclude Dec 21 to Jan 7.
The governing Rule or order must supply the period, the task being performed and any different direction from the Court. Check those matters before relying on the calculated date.
Sources
- Federal Courts Rules, Rule 2: definition of "seasonal recess", checked 3 August 2026
- Federal Courts Rules, Rule 6: computation of time, checked 3 August 2026
- Interpretation Act, sections 26 to 30, checked 3 August 2026
