Texas answer deadline calculator
Enter the date of service to get the defendant's answer date under the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure. Add the date the return was filed to see the earliest date a default judgment could be considered. It runs entirely in your browser, and nothing you enter is sent anywhere.
Not legal advice. This tool applies the rules quoted below to the dates you enter. It doesn't know about local holidays, court closures, extensions, orders for substituted service, service by publication (which has different deadlines; use the citation by publication calculator), Rule 21a mail extensions, or tolling. Always check the deadline against the rules, your court's calendar and any order in your case. For eviction cases, the trial date on the citation controls (Rule 510.8): see the eviction citation guide.
How it works
- District and county courts, Rule 99(b): the citation directs the defendant to answer "on or before 10:00 a.m. on the Monday next after the expiration of twenty days after the date of service." We count 20 days, not counting the day of service (Rule 4), then take the next Monday. If the 20th day is itself a Monday, the answer is due the following Monday.
- Justice courts, Rule 502.5(d): the answer "is due by the end of the 14th day after the day the defendant was served," moved to the next day that isn't a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, or the next business day if the court closes before 5:00 p.m. that day.
- Holidays, Rule 4: if the last day "is a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday," the period "runs until the end of the next day which is not." We treat the Texas state holidays marked "office closed" on the Texas Comptroller's state holiday schedule (fiscal years 2026 and 2027) as legal holidays. We flag skeleton-crew holidays (such as Texas Independence Day) instead of moving the date, because many courts stay open.
- Default judgment timing: "No default judgment shall be granted in any cause until proof of service … shall have been on file with the clerk of the court ten days, exclusive of the day of filing and the day of judgment" (Rule 107(h)). Justice courts use three days (Rule 501.3(h)). So the earliest day is the filing date plus 11 days, or plus 4 days in justice court, and never before the answer deadline has passed.
Quick answers
When is an answer due in Texas district or county court?
By 10:00 a.m. on the Monday next after the expiration of 20 days after service (Rule 99(b)). If that Monday is a legal holiday, Rule 4 extends the deadline to the next day that is not a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday.
When is an answer due in Texas justice court?
By the end of the 14th day after the day the defendant was served. If the 14th day is a Saturday, Sunday or legal holiday, or a day the court closes before 5:00 p.m., the answer is due the next business day (Rule 502.5(d)).
How long must the return of service be on file before a default judgment?
In district and county courts, ten days, not counting the day of filing and the day of judgment (Rule 107(h)). In justice courts, three days on the same basis (Rule 501.3(h)).
Need the papers served first? Find a JBCC-certified process server by county, compare constable fees, or read how long service takes.
Rules quoted from the Texas Rules of Civil Procedure (Texas Judicial Branch, current edition, downloaded October 9, 2026). Holiday data: Texas Comptroller, FY2026 and FY2027 state holiday schedules. Last reviewed October 11, 2026.