US courts of appeals
What is the deadline for notice of appeal, civil case where the United States is a party?
The period for notice of appeal, civil case where the United States is a party normally runs 60 calendar days from entry of the judgment or order appealed from, under Fed. R. App. P. 4(a)(1)(B); 28 U.S.C. 2107(b). If the final day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, FRAP 26(a) carries it to the next open day.
Calculate my deadline- Period
- 60 calendar days
- Trigger
- Entry of the judgment or order appealed from
- Rule
- Fed. R. App. P. 4(a)(1)(B); 28 U.S.C. 2107(b)
Federal Rules of Appellate Procedure amended through 2025
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Calculate your deadline
Enter the date of entry of the judgment or order appealed from. See the date, cited rule and counting steps.
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Which date starts the 60-day period?
The period runs from the entry of the judgment or order appealed from.
Count forward from the trigger event. Confirm the event on the docket or in the service record before entering a date.
Read FRAP 4"The notice of appeal may be filed by any party within 60 days after entry of the judgment or order appealed from if one of the parties is: (i) the United States; (ii) a United States agency; (iii) a United States officer or employee sued in an official capacity; or (iv) a current or former United States officer or employee sued in an individual capacity for an act or omission occurring in connection with duties performed on the United States' behalf - including all instances in which the United States represents that person when the judgment or order is entered or files the appeal for that person."
Fed. R. App. P. 4(a)(1)(B); 28 U.S.C. 2107(b)
This is a docket-entry calculation. Do not substitute the day an email arrived, the day you read the order or the day of the hearing.
Which date do I enter?How are the 60 calendar days counted?
- Exclude the day of the trigger event.
- Count every following day, including intermediate Saturdays, Sundays and legal holidays.
- If the last day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, continue to the next day that is not one of those.
Exclude the trigger day and count calendar days under FRAP 26(a).
If the final day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, FRAP 26(a) carries it to the next open day.
FRAP 26(a) also treats a day on which the clerk’s office is inaccessible as excluded from the last day, and sets the electronic filing cutoff at midnight in the time zone of the circuit clerk’s principal office. Circuit local rules and briefing orders often control; the national calculation does not read them.
Read FRAP 26(a)The calculation gives the ordinary national-rule date. Check relevant holidays, the court’s accessibility and its filing cutoff separately.
Review the filing checklistWhat does a worked calculation look like?
Fictitious example
Assume the entry of the judgment or order appealed from on Tuesday, September 1, 2026 (entry of the judgment or order appealed from on this date, with no order, motion or extension affecting the period), with no order, motion, extension or local closure affecting the result. Exclude the trigger day and count calendar days under FRAP 26(a). The last counted day falls on a weekend or legal holiday, so the deadline moves to the next open day. The example assumes no local rule, order or closure changes the default period.
| Step | What is counted | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Entry | Do not count this day | September 1, 2026 |
| Day 1 | Start counting calendar days | September 2, 2026 |
| Day 60 | Last counted day falls on a weekend or legal holiday | October 31, 2026 |
| Adjusted | Next day that is not a weekend or legal holiday | November 2, 2026 |
Can an order, motion or extension change the deadline?
- Extensions
- JURISDICTIONAL. Same regime as FRAP 4(a)(1)(A): no extension by the court of appeals (FRAP 26(b)(1)); district court extension under FRAP 4(a)(5) or reopening under FRAP 4(a)(6) only.
- Orders and local rules
- A scheduling order, stipulation approved by the court, standing order or local rule can set a different period and controls over the national default.
- JURISDICTIONAL. Same regime as FRAP 4(a)(1)(A): no extension by the court of appeals (FRAP 26(b)(1)); district court extension under FRAP 4(a)(5) or reopening under FRAP 4(a)(6) only.
- A stipulation, scheduling order, standing order or local rule can set a different period and controls over the national default.
What should I check before filing?
These checks help you review the result. They do not activate a calendar date or certify that the deadline applies.
Common questions
Find answers about when this 60-day period starts, how it is counted, what can change it and how to keep your calculation.
Starting the clock
Does the clock start on the entry of the judgment or order appealed from, or when I first learned of it?
The period runs from the entry of the judgment or order appealed from as the rule defines it, not from the day you read about it, received a courtesy copy or attended a hearing. Use the date shown on the docket or in the service record.
Read FRAP 4Do I add three days because the document arrived by mail?
Not to this period. FRAP 26(c) concerns periods measured after service. This period runs from the entry of the judgment or order appealed from, so no mailing days are added.
FRAP 26(c)Counting days and filing
Is it 60 calendar days or business days?
Calendar days. Count intermediate weekends and holidays. If the final day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, FRAP 26(a) carries it forward to the next day that is not one of those.
FRAP 26(a)Which time zone and filing cutoff apply?
Under FRAP 26(a)(4), electronic filing ends at midnight in the time zone of the circuit clerk’s principal office unless a different time is set. Paper filing ends when the clerk’s office is scheduled to close. This calculator does not verify either fact.
FRAP 26(a)What if the court is inaccessible on the last day?
FRAP 26(a)(3) extends the period to the first accessible day that is not a weekend or legal holiday when the clerk’s office is inaccessible on the last day. Check the circuit’s closure notices and orders.
FRAP 26(a)Extensions and local rules
Can the court extend this deadline?
JURISDICTIONAL. Same regime as FRAP 4(a)(1)(A): no extension by the court of appeals (FRAP 26(b)(1)); district court extension under FRAP 4(a)(5) or reopening under FRAP 4(a)(6) only. A request does not itself extend the period, and no discretionary extension is calculated here.
Read FRAP 4Do local rules, standing orders or a scheduling order change the date?
They can. Many courts set their own periods by local rule, standing order or case-specific order, and those control over the national default. This calculator gives the national-rule date only; compare it with any order in the case before relying on it.
Choosing the right calculator
Does this calculator decide whether the rule applies to my case?
No. It calculates a period from the date you provide under the cited rule. It does not decide whether the rule governs your filing, whether an exception applies, or whether the filing has merit. Those questions need separate review.
Can I calculate the deadline without an account?
Yes. Enter the trigger date to see the free national-rule calculation, citation, counting steps and warnings. You can add court context after the result. Missing court review keeps the result provisional.
Results, records and your case
What is included in an Evidence Record?
The retained inputs, result, cited rule, calculation working, warnings and review state. The PDF includes a payload digest and retained-data appendix, and the record can be verified against its fingerprint later. It records the calculation, not a guarantee of legal correctness.
Does saving to a case activate the calendar?
Not automatically. Provisional records remain subject to review. A separately labeled manual date does not alter the original calculation.
Official sources and review
The period and the counting method come from different provisions. The official source is the court’s published rules; the reading links open the rule text at the Legal Information Institute.
| Provision | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Fed. R. App. P. 4(a)(1)(B); 28 U.S.C. 2107(b) | Trigger and period |
| FRAP 26(a) | Counting, legal holidays and the last day |
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Published by Deadline Engine. This tool calculates the ordinary period under the cited rule. It does not decide whether the rule applies, obtain an extension or file anything for you.