How to use the Australian calculator

• Use Deadline when you know the start date and period
• 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 the period or Backward to subtract it from the start date.

Counting method

Choose Working days to skip weekends, holidays in your chosen calendar and any other dates you select to leave out. Choose Calendar days to count every date, including weekends and holidays.

Number / Unit

For Deadline, enter the length of the period in Number. Working-day counts use days. For calendar-day deadlines, Unit also offers weeks and months.

Jurisdiction / Local holiday area

For working days, choose the holiday calendar that applies. If a local holiday matters, choose the relevant area too. These settings are hidden when you count calendar days.

Additional excluded periods

Choose a security-of-payment, conveyancing or other listed period only if its dates should be left out. Leave this as None otherwise.

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.

• Jurisdiction selects the main holiday calendar
• Local holiday area selects a supported local calendar
• Check whether local holiday dates cover the year you need

Choose the holiday calendar that applies to your deadline or agreement under Jurisdiction. For a supported local holiday, use Local holiday area as well.

Jurisdiction

Choose the state, territory or federal calendar whose holidays apply. Check your rule or agreement; it may specify somewhere other than your current location or your employer's head office.

Local holiday area

Choose the local area whose show day or other local holiday applies. The available choices depend on Jurisdiction. Leave this as None if no local calendar applies.

Missing local holiday dates

If the selected area has no published dates for the year you need, the calculator stops and explains which years are covered. Check the official holiday table before calculating that period separately.

Calculation details

After calculating, check the holiday calendar and local area recorded in the result.

• Choose Deadline, then turn on Use court rules
• Check the correct date to count from
• Review How this will be counted before calculating

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 named in the applicable rule. If a Details button appears beside a court field, use it to check what that choice covers.

Court level or registry

Where this field appears, choose the court level or registry that applies. For example, WA Courts offers Supreme/District Courts and Magistrates Court under Court level or registry.

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 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.

Optional court rules

Where an option such as Exclude Court Vacation appears, read its explanation before selecting it. Use it only when the applicable rule requires those dates to be left out. In Victoria, Exclude 24 December–9 January starts on. Turn it off if the Court has ordered that this period be counted.

• Choose Working days with Use court rules off
• Enter the period stated in the applicable law or contract
• Choose the exclusion for the state and rules that apply

Security-of-payment laws set time limits for construction payment claims and related steps. They are often called SOPA rules. Check the law or contract for the period and starting date that apply to your step. Choose Deadline, leave Use court rules off, and select Working days under Counting method.

Jurisdiction

Choose the state or territory whose rules apply. Select a Local holiday area too if a local holiday is relevant.

Additional excluded periods

Choose the entry for the state and rules that apply. Victoria has separate options for Security of Payment — VIC current rules (22 December – 10 January) and Security of Payment — VIC earlier transitional rules (no exclusion). Check which version applies before choosing.

Start date / Number

Enter the date the period starts and the number of working days stated in the applicable law or contract. Check Dates to include to match whether the first and last dates count.

Non-working dates

After calculating, open the list to check the holidays and dates left out. Use Calculation details to check the selected calendar and security-of-payment entry.

• 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, period, direction and counting method. Review the holiday calendar, local area, dates to include and any exclusions or optional court rules used.

Closed-day adjustment applied

If this notice appears, read why the court deadline moved from the date first calculated. Check the final date against the applicable closed-day rule.

Non-working dates

Open the list of weekends, holidays and selected exclusion 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. A part-day holiday may also be shown without removing the whole date.

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.

Warnings

Read any warning about holiday data or the limits of the selected rules. Check any missing information before using the result.

Export to PDF

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