Deadline calculator

Small Claims Court deadlines, computed with the court's counting rules. Pick the situation that matches yours.

You were served with a claim

Pick how it was served and enter the date of that act. The calculator gives the day the Rules treat it as served, then the 20-day Defence deadline.

How was it served?

Date of service

This is the date of the act, not the deadline. For a legacy date you saved before, the same date was used as the effective date.

The document was a Plaintiff's Claim or a Defendant's Claim.

You started a claim

Date the court issued your claim

The date on the issued claim. For an online filing, the date in the clerk's confirmation (rules 1.05.4(5), 1.05.5(5)).

Date the first defence was filed (if any)

Date the claim was commenced (if different)

Usually the issue date. The two-year dismissal clock runs from the commencement of the action.

Your settlement conference is booked

Conference date

Your trial date is set

Trial date

You have not filed yet

Date you discovered the problem

Often the day it happened. The law presumes that day unless you prove otherwise (Limitations Act, 2002, s. 5(2)).

Dates follow rule 3.01 and the court holiday list in rule 1.02(1) of the Rules of the Small Claims Court: the first day is out, the last day is in, and a last day on a weekend or a holiday moves to the next court day. A limitation date is the anniversary itself; start the claim before it. The calculator does not decide whether a rule or an exception applies to you. Court closures can move dates; check with the court office for your file. Legal information, not legal advice.

Sources: O. Reg. 258/98 (Rules of the Small Claims Court) and the Limitations Act, 2002, read on e-Laws on September 4, 2026 (e-Laws currency date September 1, 2026).