Ontario Superior Court of Justice deadline

Ontario statement-of-defence deadline calculator

An Ontario Superior Court statement of defence is normally due 20 days after service in Ontario, 40 days elsewhere in Canada or the United States, and 60 days elsewhere. A timely notice of intent to defend can add time.

Calculate this deadline

Rule reviewed 7 August 2026

At a glance

What the calculator applies

Period: 20, 40 or 60 days by place of service
Trigger: Effective service of the statement of claim
Direction: Forward from service
Counting method: Ontario Rules of Civil Procedure time calculation in the current Canada calculator

Free calculation

Calculate from the relevant date

The jurisdiction, forum and triggering event are preset for this deadline. Enter the date and any facts the calculator asks for.

What deadline are you checking?

Jurisdiction

CanadaBrowse jurisdictions

Province, territory or federal system

Court, tribunal or institution

Deadline

20 days from Service of the statement of claim on a defendant in Ontario

Rules of Civil Procedure, RRO 1990, Reg 194, r 18.01(a)Binding

Period exceeds seven days, so holidays ARE counted under r 3.01(1)(b); only the r 3.01(1)(c) rollover applies at the end. Delivery means serve and file (r 1.03(1)). A notice of intent to defend under r 18.02 adds ten days. Consequence of default is noting in default under r 19.01(1), not automatic judgment.

When did the clock start?

Loading calculator...

Reviewed June 2026 · Federal Courts Rules SOR/98-106Review coverage and exclusions

Worked check

See what the calculator checks before it produces a date

Example input: 03/08/2026

Start with 03/08/2026 as the effective service of the statement of claim. The calculator applies ontario rules of civil procedure time calculation in the current canada calculator and use the effective service date and check court order, consent, notice of intent to defend and any default status. before it shows the cited output and the checks that may change it.

Calculation basis

How the date is counted

Ontario Rules of Civil Procedure time calculation in the current Canada calculator

Use the effective service date and check court order, consent, notice of intent to defend and any default status.

Check before use

Exceptions and matter facts

The period is determined by place of service, not merely a service method.
This page is for the original statement of defence route, not a counterclaim or a late defence after default.

Check this result before using it

Deadline Engine is calculation software, not legal advice. Check the current rule, any order and the facts before adding a date to your diary.

Continue checking

Browse Canadian civil procedureFind cited Canadian civil procedure calculators for Ontario, British Columbia and Tax Court routes already represented in the released catalogue.Procedure finder Ontario Small Claims defenceCalculate the Ontario Small Claims Court defence period from the verified effective claim-service date.20 days BC response to civil claimCalculate the British Columbia Supreme Court response-to-civil-claim period from service and the defendant’s location category.21, 35 or 49 days by place of service Tax Court of Canada income tax appealCalculate the 90-day income-tax appeal period from the day the CRA notice confirming or reassessing the taxpayer was sent.90 days Popular Canada deadline checksStart with the cited Canadian civil, tax and released court-system calculators in Deadline Engine.Curated checks Canada deadline calculatorBrowse the available Canada calculator coverage by procedure and jurisdiction.Jurisdiction hub