Texas answer deadline calculator: citation served in person
Enter the date the defendant was served. The calculator finds the 10:00 a.m. Monday answer date under Texas Rule of Civil Procedure 99(b) and moves it past any legal holiday under Rule 4.
- TRCP 99(b)
- TRCP 4
- Tex. Gov't Code 662.003
- District and county courts
Find your answer date
District or county court, citation served in person.
Use the date on the officer's return. The day of service is not counted.
Holidays and court closures
Off by default. Only turn this on if your court was closed that day. National holidays are always skipped.
For weather or emergency closures. Check the court's notice to confirm the closure extends deadlines.
How the Texas answer date is counted
The citation shall direct the defendant to file a written answer to the plaintiff's petition on or before 10:00 a.m. on the Monday next after the expiration of twenty days after the date of service thereof.Tex. R. Civ. P. 99(b)
- Skip the day of service. Rule 4 leaves out the day the period starts. If you were served on a Tuesday, day 1 is Wednesday.
- Count 20 calendar days. Weekends and holidays count inside the 20 days. Day 20 is never pushed forward, even when it lands on a Saturday or Sunday.
- Go to the first Monday after day 20. If day 20 is a Monday, skip to the Monday after it.
- Check that Monday for a holiday. If the court is closed that Monday for a legal holiday, the answer is due on the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday.
- File by 10:00 a.m. The cutoff is the morning, not midnight.
Worked examples
| Served on | Day 20 | Answer due by 10:00 a.m. | Days |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mon, Nov 2, 2026 | Sun, Nov 22, 2026 | Mon, Nov 23, 2026 | 21 |
| Tue, Nov 3, 2026 | Mon, Nov 23, 2026 | Mon, Nov 30, 2026 | 27 |
| Tue, May 4, 2027 | Mon, May 24, 2027 | Tue, Jun 1, 2027 (Memorial Day on May 31) | 28 |
The same rule gives anywhere from 21 to 27 days on a normal week, depending only on the weekday of service. A Monday holiday adds a day.
Which holidays move the deadline
The calculator always skips the national holidays listed in Texas Government Code 662.003(a). The ones that can land on the answer Monday are Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents' Day, Memorial Day and Labor Day, plus New Year's Day, Independence Day, Veterans Day and Christmas when they fall on a Monday.
State holidays under 662.003(b), like the day after Thanksgiving, are off by default because many courts stay open on them. If your court closed, turn them on or add the closure date in the calculator.
Not for every Texas court. This calculator covers citations served in person in district and county courts. Justice court cases follow TRCP Part V and eviction cases set their own trial date. Service by publication or other substituted service can change the analysis, so check the citation and the court's order.
Questions about the Texas answer date
When is my answer due in Texas if I was served in person?
By 10:00 a.m. on the first Monday after the 20th day following service. Do not count the day you were served. If that Monday is a legal holiday, the answer is due by 10:00 a.m. the next day the court is open.
What if the 20th day falls on a Saturday or Sunday?
The 20th day does not move. Go to the first Monday after it. If day 20 is a Sunday, that Monday is the very next day, which gives you the shortest possible period of 21 days.
What if the 20th day is itself a Monday?
The answer is due the following Monday, seven days later. The rule says the Monday next after the 20th day, so day 20 never counts as the answer day.
Does service by mail add three days?
No, not for the original citation. The answer date is set from the date of service under Rule 99(b). The three-day addition in Rule 21a applies to documents served later in the case.
Is 10:00 a.m. a real cutoff?
Yes. An answer e-filed at noon on the due Monday is late. Plan to file the business day before if you can.
Sources
- Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 99(b), Issuance and Form of Citation
- Texas Rules of Civil Procedure, Rule 4, Computation of Time
- Texas Government Code, Section 662.003, Legal Holidays
Rules last checked October 2026.