Guides
UK deadline guides
In-depth guides covering FOI, SAR, notice period, cooling-off, and business day deadlines — with worked examples, step-by-step instructions, and references to UK legislation.
About these guides
Our guides explain the most common UK deadline questions in plain English. Each guide covers the relevant legislation, shows a worked example with real dates, lists step-by-step instructions, and links to official sources so you can verify the rules yourself. Whether you are responding to a freedom of information request, calculating a notice period, checking a cooling-off cancellation deadline, or building a spreadsheet formula, start with the guide that matches your query.
Which guide should I start with?
| Your question | Start here |
|---|---|
| How long do I have to respond to an FOI request? | FOI 20 Working Days Explained |
| How do I use the FOI calculator to get the right date? | FOI Due Date Calculator UK Guide |
| What is the deadline for answering a subject access request? | Subject Access Request Time Limit UK |
| How do I work out when my notice period ends? | How to Work Out Notice Period UK |
| Is there a GOV.UK notice period calculator? | Notice Period Calculator GOV Alternative |
| When can I cancel an online purchase? | When Does a Cooling-Off Period Start? |
| Should I use a calculator or a calendar reminder? | Deadline Calculator vs Calendar Reminder |
| How do I use Excel for UK working day calculations? | Excel WORKDAY Formula |
| How do I calculate business days in Google Sheets? | Google Sheets Business Days Formula |
How the guides are structured
Each guide follows the same pattern so you can find what you need quickly:
- Quick answer — the core rule in one or two sentences, with a link to the relevant legislation.
- Worked example — a table showing a real date worked through step by step, so you can see exactly how the rule applies.
- Detailed explanation — the full legal and regulatory context, including exceptions, extensions, and edge cases.
- Step-by-step instructions — practical numbered steps you can follow to calculate your own deadline.
- Key takeaways — the most important points in a bullet list, for quick reference.
- References — links to the official legislation, regulator guidance, and GOV.UK pages so you can verify the rules yourself.
Disclaimer
Important: The guides on this site are planning aids, not legal advice. Deadlines can depend on specific facts, policy wording, jurisdiction, service rules, pauses, extensions, and changes in law. Always verify important deadlines with the official guidance, your organisation’s legal team, or a qualified adviser.
Key takeaways
- Each guide is written in plain English with worked examples using real UK dates.
- Every guide includes references to the relevant legislation (FOI Act 2000, UK GDPR, Employment Rights Act 1996, Consumer Contracts Regulations 2013, etc.).
- Always verify important deadlines against official ICO, FCA, or GOV.UK guidance.
- Guides link to the relevant calculator on this site so you can check a specific date while reading.
Related tools
While each guide links to the most relevant calculator, here is a quick reference to the most-used tools on this site:
- FOI Deadline Calculator UK — calculate the 20 working day FOI response date with optional public interest extensions.
- Subject Access Request Deadline Calculator — work out the one calendar month SAR deadline under UK GDPR.
- Notice Period Calculator UK — calculate notice end dates in days, weeks, or months for employment and tenancy.
- 14 Day Cooling-Off Period Calculator — check your cancellation deadline under the Consumer Contracts Regulations.
- Complaint Response Deadline Calculator — calculate FCA, NHS, and standard complaint response dates.
- 10 Business Days From Today — quick business day arithmetic with UK bank holiday exclusions.
All calculators run in your browser and use the current year’s UK bank holiday list. No registration, no data collection.