Service of a combined summons on the defendant starts the clock for the notice of intention to defend, and from there the plea.
| Step | Period | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Notice of intention to defend due | +10 court days | Uniform Rule 19(1) |
| Default judgment may be applied for if no notice to defend | +1 court day after the previous step | Uniform Rule 31(5)(a) |
| Plea due if the notice to defend arrives on its last day | +20 court days after the previous step | Uniform Rule 22(1) |
| Then | By |
|---|---|
| Notice of intention to defend due+10 court days · Uniform Rule 19(1) | Fri 30 Oct 2026 |
| Default judgment may be applied for if no notice to defend+1 court day · Uniform Rule 31(5)(a) | Mon 2 Nov 2026 |
| Plea due if the notice to defend arrives on its last day+20 court days · Uniform Rule 22(1) | Mon 30 Nov 2026 |
Public holidays inside this window, skipped by the count: Local government elections (4 Nov).
A working aid computed from the published rule, not legal advice. Confirm against the rule and diarise with a margin. Firms on AttorneyOS get this table on the matter itself, with every date in the diary.
10 court days from the day it happened, counted in court days, which exclude Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays (Uniform Rule 1). The rule is Uniform Rule 19(1). If the last day is not a court day, check whether the rule carries it to the next one.
1 court day from the previous step, counted in court days, which exclude Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays (Uniform Rule 1). The rule is Uniform Rule 31(5)(a). If the last day is not a court day, check whether the rule carries it to the next one.
20 court days from the previous step, counted in court days, which exclude Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays (Uniform Rule 1). The rule is Uniform Rule 22(1). If the last day is not a court day, check whether the rule carries it to the next one.
Where a High Court division excludes 16 December to 15 January from the days counted for pleadings, those days do not run for this trigger. Check the practice directive of the division you are in.
They are computed from the published rule by the AttorneyOS deadline engine and are a working aid, not legal advice. Confirm the deadline against the rule itself and diarise it with a margin.
More: every trigger in the library · served today · court days calculator · this week in practice.