How to use the Canada calculator

• Use Deadline when you know the start date and number of days
• Use Days between when you know both dates
• Choose whether the first and last dates count

For an ordinary Deadline, leave Use court rules off. Choose Days between if you already know both dates. Then work through the settings below.

Start date / End date

Enter the date to count from. With Days between, enter the end date too.

Direction

For Deadline, choose Forward to add days or Backward to subtract them from the start date.

Counting method

Choose Business days to skip weekends, holidays in your chosen calendar and any closures you select. Choose Calendar days to count every date, including weekends and holidays.

Number / Unit

For Deadline, enter how many days to add or subtract in Number. The Unit is days.

Jurisdiction

For a working-day count, choose the federal, provincial or territorial holiday calendar that applies. These settings are hidden when you count calendar days.

Additional excluded periods

Select any construction or year-end closures to leave out of a working-day count. You can choose more than one.

Dates to include

Tick Include the start date if the first date counts. Use Include the deadline date for the last date in a deadline calculation, or Include the end date for Days between. Follow the wording of your rule or agreement.

• Quebec lets you choose whether Good Friday or Easter Monday is the holiday
• Select closures to leave out under Additional excluded periods
• The calculator has published Quebec construction dates through 2028

These settings are available when you count working days without court rules. Choose the holiday calendar first, then select any closures you need to leave out.

Statutory holiday treatment

This appears when Jurisdiction is Quebec. Standard public-holiday calendar treats Good Friday as the holiday. Choose Easter Monday if that is the holiday you need to leave out instead.

Quebec construction

The summer and winter options leave out the 14-day periods published by Quebec's construction commission (CCQ). The calculator has these dates through 2028. Later years show an estimate warning.

Private year-end closures

Choose Law firm year-end closure or Company year-end closure only if that closure applies to your timetable. These dates are not automatically left out when you select a holiday calendar.

• Choose Deadline, then turn on Use court rules
• Check the correct date to count from
• Review How this will be counted after entering the number of days

Choose Deadline and turn on Use court rules. Select the court whose rules apply. The calculator uses those rules to decide which days count, whether the first and last dates count, and whether a deadline on a closed day moves.

Court jurisdiction

Select the court. Use the Details button beside this label to read What this covers, Rules used and Limits and checks for your choice.

Start date

Enter the date to count from: the event date when counting backward, or the date that starts the period when counting forward. Check any service or deemed-service rule before entering it.

Number / Unit

Enter the number of days stated in the applicable rule or order. The unit is days. Some court rules count short periods differently from longer ones, so changing the number can change which dates count.

Court rule

Choose the rule that matches your deadline. A notice rule counts backward from the event, such as a hearing; a filing rule counts forward from the date that starts the period. Direction follows the rule you choose, and How this will be counted states it. After calculating, Calculation details also shows the Court rule used.

• Each period has its own settings
• The result of one period becomes the start date of the next
• Select each tab to check its settings before calculating

Choose Sequential when each period begins where the previous one ends. Enter the first Start date, then use the tabs to set up each period.

Periods

Select a tab to view that period. Set its counting method, number of days and direction. For working days, choose its holiday calendar and any closures. Check Dates to include too. Use the edit icon on a tab to give the period a useful name.

Add another period

Use the plus button to add the next period. Check its settings before adding another.

Move left / Move right

Use the arrow buttons to change the order. The order affects the result, so review each tab before selecting Calculate.

• Check the answer and the settings in Calculation details
• Use the calendar and Non-working dates to review the period
• Read any warnings before saving or sharing the result

Check more than the date or day count at the top. The details show which settings were used, and the calendar helps you see how the count reached the answer.

Result at the top

Deadline shows the calculated date. Days between shows the number of days counted. A court result also names the counting rule used below the date.

Calculation details

Open this to check the dates, number of days and settings used. For court deadlines, check the counting rule, optional recess dates and any adjustment because the deadline fell on a closed day.

Calendar view and Key

Counted days are numbered in order on the calendar. Use the key to check what each colour means and how many dates of each kind fall in the period. Dates that are not counted keep their colour and are not numbered.

Non-working dates

Open the list of weekends, holidays and selected closure or recess dates within the period. These dates can still count if your calculation uses calendar days; the list alone does not mean they were left out.

Warnings

Read any messages about estimated closure dates or limits to the available data or rules.

Export to PDF

Save a copy of the result and its settings. Keep any warnings with it, and recheck the applicable rule or dates if your circumstances change.