Calculator Guide

How to use the Australian calculator

Find a deadline, count the days between two dates, or link several periods together. This guide explains the settings and how to check your answer. For worked examples, see Use Cases. For holiday dates and explanations of court rules, see Articles.

Open Calculator

Follow the guide from choosing a calculation to checking the answer.

Last reviewed: October 2026

Step 1

Choose what to calculate

At-a-Glance

Deadline finds a date by counting forward or backward
Days between counts the days between two dates
Sequential links periods so one ends where the next starts

Choose one of the three options under Calculation type. The settings below change to suit your choice.

Deadline

Enter a start date and a period to find the date before or after it. You can also use court rules for a supported court deadline.

Days between

Enter two dates to count the working days or calendar days between them.

Sequential

Link two or more periods. Each period starts on the date calculated for the one before it.

Check what your deadline requires

Check the rule, order, contract or policy for the date to count from, the length of the period and which dates to leave out. The calculator needs those details to give you the right answer.

Try it as you read

The three choices appear at the top of the form.

Open the calculator

Everyday calculations

Count working days or calendar days

At-a-Glance

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.

Australian calculator showing a working-day count with New South Wales holidays and date inclusion settings — Working days selected with the New South Wales holiday calendar and no additional excluded periods. Select the image to open the full-size view.

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.

Does Monday count as day one?

Start on Monday and add three calendar days, with the deadline date included. If the start date is excluded, Thursday is day three. If the start date is included, Wednesday is day three.

Try a count across a holiday

Follow a working-day count that skips the NSW King's Birthday holiday.

Open the NSW example

Related Resources

King's Birthday state comparison

The same 15-working-day count in NSW and Queensland

State-by-state holiday differences

How holiday dates differ across Australia

Public holidays

Choose state and local holidays

At-a-Glance

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.

When the selected year is not covered

Use a year covered by the selected area's holiday data. Remove the local area only if its holidays do not apply to your calculation.

For example, choose Queensland under Jurisdiction and City of Gold Coast under Local holiday area, then enter a date in 2028. The calculator currently has local dates through 2026 for that area, so it will ask you to choose a covered year. Check Queensland's official district holiday table if you need to count a period beyond the available data.

See local holidays in use

Compare the public holidays used for two Queensland areas.

Open the show-day example

Related Resources

Queensland show-day example

Compare the Brisbane Ekka holiday with the Gold Coast show day

Regional show days and hidden holidays

Where local holiday dates come from and how they affect a count

Court deadlines

Calculate a court deadline

At-a-Glance

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.

VIC Courts deadline settings with Forward selected and the court counting summary below — A VIC Courts filing count, with How this will be counted shown below the inputs. Select the image to open the full-size view.

Court jurisdiction

Select the court named in the applicable rule. If an information icon appears beside a court field, use it to check what that choice covers.

Court level or registry / Court calendar

Where these fields appear, choose the court level, registry or closure calendar 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.

Direction

Choose Backward for a notice period before an event, or Forward for a filing period after its starting date. Check the selected Court rule under How this will be counted to make sure it applies.

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.

Check how the days will be counted

Below the inputs, How this will be counted shows the court rule, counting method, direction and dates to include. It also shows the Closed-day rule: what happens if the calculated deadline falls on a day the court is closed. Review this summary after changing the court, level or number of days.

Court rules set the first- and last-date choices for you. Check service dates, extensions and any special order separately before relying on the result.

Try a court deadline

Follow a Victorian filing count from the starting date to the result.

Open the court example

Related Resources

Victorian court filing example

A 28-day filing period crossing the Victorian vacation

Australian court deadline rules

Which dates count under different court rules

Topic

Count a security-of-payment period

Enter the required period and choose any dates the applicable security-of-payment rules leave out.

Construction payment deadlines

Count a security-of-payment period

At-a-Glance

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.

Australian calculator with Victoria and a SOPA exclusion selected under Additional excluded periods — Victoria selected with the current security-of-payment exclusion under Additional excluded periods. Select the image to open the full-size view.

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.

See the exclusion in use

Try a payment schedule count with the Christmas dates left out.

Open the NSW SOPA example

Related Resources

NSW payment schedule example

A ten-business-day payment schedule count across Christmas

SOPA payment claim deadlines

State definitions, exclusions and the Victorian transition

Topic

Set up a conveyancing count

Follow the contract's definition of business days, including any December dates to leave out.

Contract deadlines

Set up a conveyancing count

At-a-Glance

Check the contract's definition of business days
Enter the starting date and period stated in the contract
Leave out 27–31 December only when the contract requires it

Choose Deadline and leave Use court rules off. Read the contract's definition of business days and its wording about when the period starts and ends. Use those details to choose the settings.

Counting method

Choose Working days or Calendar days to match the contract's wording.

Jurisdiction

For working days, choose the state or territory whose holidays the contract uses. Set Local holiday area if a local holiday applies.

Additional excluded periods

Select Conveyancing contract — December (27–31 December) only when the contract's business-day definition leaves out those dates.

Start date / Number / Dates to include

Enter the starting date and length of the period. Choose whether the first and last dates count, as stated in the contract.

Check the December dates in your contract

The December exclusion is optional. Check your contract before selecting it; it does not apply to every property transaction.

Try a contract deadline

Follow a 20-working-day period across Christmas.

Open the settlement example

Related Resources

Conveyancing settlement example

Compare the same contract period in NSW and SA

Topic

Link periods with Sequential

Use the end of one period as the start of the next, with separate settings for each.

One period after another

Link periods with Sequential

At-a-Glance

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.

Period tabs

Select a tab to view that period. Set its Counting method, Number, Unit and Direction. 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.

Dates to include

Choose whether the first and last dates count in each period. Follow the rule or contract for that period.

Holiday calendar

For each working-day period, check Jurisdiction, Local holiday area and Additional excluded periods. Each period can use different settings.

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 date shared by two periods

The result of one period becomes the next start date. Check whether your rule or agreement counts that date in the first period, the second, both or neither. If a later period starts from a separate event rather than the previous result, calculate it separately.

Try linked periods

Start with the first date, then set up each period in turn.

Open Sequential

Related Resources

Australian use cases

Worked examples for court, construction payment and contract deadlines

After calculating

Check your result

At-a-Glance

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.

Australian calculator result showing the filing deadline, a closed-day adjustment notice, the period timeline and the calendar — A VIC Courts filing result. The deadline moved to the next open day because the calculated date fell on Australia Day. Select the image to open the full-size view.

Date or day count

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.

Timeline and calendar

See the period on a timeline and calendar. Use the date colours and legend to check which dates counted and which were left out.

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.

Check a complete calculation

Follow a worked example from the settings to the answer.

Compare with a use case

Related Resources

Australian calculator examples

Check how a worked example reaches its answer

Topic

Troubleshooting

Check common reasons for a different date or an unexpected count.

Final checks

Troubleshoot an unexpected result

At-a-Glance

For a one-day difference, check whether the first and last dates count
For an unexpected holiday, check the calendar, local area and counting method
Check missing dates or other information flagged in a warning

The answer is one day out

Check Include the start date and either Include the deadline date or Include the end date. For court rules, review Dates to include and Closed-day rule under How this will be counted. Also check whether the count uses working days or calendar days.

A holiday is missing

Check Jurisdiction, Local holiday area and the year. Make sure you are counting Working days; calendar days include holidays. If a local date is missing, check the official holiday table before relying on the result.

A local holiday area is not shown

Choose the relevant state or territory under Jurisdiction, then look in Local holiday area. Only supported areas are listed. If your area is missing, check its official holidays separately.

The court method changed

Some court rules count short periods differently from longer ones. Check Court jurisdiction, any court level and Number, then read How this will be counted to see the rule used for that period.

The Victorian security-of-payment count skips the wrong dates

Check whether the current or earlier transitional rules apply, then choose the matching Victorian entry under Additional excluded periods. The applicable law's transition provisions determine which version to use.

The result differs from the contract or rule

Compare the starting date, period, dates to include, holiday calendar and selected exclusions with the contract or rule. Check any service date, extension or later event that could change when the period starts or ends.

Check the starting date as well as the count

The calculator counts from the date you enter. Check that this is the correct starting date under your rule or contract, including any service requirements or later event that changes the period.

Still seeing a mismatch?

Send your dates, settings, expected answer and the rule or source you used.

Report a calculator issue

Related Resources

Australian use cases

Worked examples to compare with your calculation

Australian articles

Holiday dates and explanations of the rules