Your EEOC filing deadline, decoded for your state.
The federal deadline to file a discrimination charge with the EEOC is 180 or 300 days from the most recent act — depending on your state, claim, and employer. Calculate yours below, with the statute pin, filing channel, and a calendar export.
- Statute-pinned to Cornell LII
- .ics calendar export
- 51 FEPA agency records
How the federal filing window works
Federal window depending on whether your state has a designated FEPA. California extends to 1,095 days under FEHA AB 9 (2020); Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi stay at the 180-day baseline.
Why use this decoder
Personalized absolute date
Not a generic '180 days' — your actual filing deadline in long form, like Mon, Jan 12 2027.
Federal + state, decoded
Worksharing posture, FEPA agency, state filing window, federal circuit — all in one pass.
Honest indeterminate state
Continuing-violation edge cases, OFCCP overlay, and tolling routes prompt for attorney review instead of guessing.
Find your EEOC filing deadline
Six questions. Outputs are estimates. Informational only — not legal advice. Your incident date is never sent to a server; the decoder runs in your browser.
Pick your state
Each cell shows the federal EEOC filing window for that state — 300 days where a same-basis FEPA exists, 180 days where it doesn't. Click for state-specific deadlines, agency cites, and worksharing notes.
One filing, two clocks
Most states sign a worksharing agreement with the EEOC. Filing once routes your charge to both agencies — and triggers the 300-day federal extension in jurisdictions where a same-basis state FEPA enforces parallel law.
7 statutes, 3 channels, one decision tree
Title VII, ADA, ADEA, and GINA all run through the EEOC charge process. The Equal Pay Act and §1981 bypass it entirely. Federal civilian employees follow the 45-day pre-counseling path.
How the decoder routes your statute to a filing channel
- Title VII42 U.S.C. §2000e-5(e)(1)EEOC charge180/300d
- ADA42 U.S.C. §12117(a)EEOC charge180/300d
- ADEA29 U.S.C. §626(d)EEOC charge180/300d *
- GINA42 U.S.C. §2000ff-6EEOC charge180/300d
- EPA29 U.S.C. §206(d)Direct federal court2 yr (3 willful)
- §1981 (race only)42 U.S.C. §1981Direct federal court4 yr
- Federal employee29 CFR §1614.105Agency EEO counselor45 days
* ADEA's 300-day extension applies only when a state-level age-discrimination law exists with a state agency — a city ordinance is not enough. Federal-employee path replaces the EEOC charge process entirely.
Understand the rules
Plain-language guides on every doctrine the decoder weighs.
Federal vs State
Why the deadline is 180 days in some states and 300 in others.
Read180 vs 300 day rule
When the 300-day extension applies — and when it doesn't.
ReadDual filing mechanics
What worksharing actually does — and what it doesn't.
ReadRight to sue letter
The 90-day federal-court clock after the EEOC issues your notice.
ReadInvestigation timeline
What happens between filing the charge and the right-to-sue notice.
ReadContinuing-violation doctrine
Discrete acts, hostile environment, and the paycheck rule.
ReadFederal-employee path
Why federal employees use 45 days instead of 180 or 300.
ReadEmployer coverage thresholds
Title VII 15+, ADEA 20+, EPA any size — state FEPAs go lower.
ReadPost-deadline fallbacks
What survives after the federal window closes.
ReadCommon questions
What is the EEOC filing deadline?
For Title VII, ADA, and GINA claims, you must file an EEOC charge within 180 calendar days of the most recent discriminatory act. The window extends to 300 days if your state has a Fair Employment Practices Agency (FEPA) that enforces a same-basis state law. The ADEA follows the same 180/300 structure, but the extension requires a state-level age-discrimination law specifically — local ordinances do not trigger it.
What states have 300-day deadlines vs 180?
Most states have 300-day deadlines for Title VII bases (race, color, religion, sex, national origin). The unambiguous 180-day jurisdictions are Alabama, Arkansas, and Mississippi. Georgia is 180-day for private-sector claims (its FEPA covers state employees only). North Carolina is 180-day for non-age bases (NCEEPA provides no private right of action). Use the state grid above to see your state's window.
Does the Equal Pay Act require an EEOC charge?
No. The EPA (29 U.S.C. §206(d)) lets a worker sue directly in federal court with a 2-year statute of limitations from each underpayment — 3 years for willful violations. Each underpaid paycheck is a separate violation per the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act of 2009.
I'm a federal employee — does the 180/300 rule apply?
No. Federal civilian employees and applicants follow 29 CFR §1614.105 — initiate contact with your agency's EEO counselor within 45 days of the discriminatory act (or 45 days from the effective date of a personnel action). The 180/300 EEOC charge process applies to private-sector, state/local government, and federal-contractor employees, not to federal civilian employees.
Is this site the EEOC?
No. EEOCdeadline is an editorial information hub operated by [US LLC]. We are not the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and we are not affiliated with any federal or state agency. For the official EEOC, visit eeoc.gov. We do not file charges on your behalf and we do not provide legal advice.
Informational, not legal advice.
EEOCdeadline is an editorial hub. We are not a law firm, we are not the EEOC, and we are not affiliated with any federal or state agency. The deadline calculator estimates federal EEOC charge filing windows under 42 U.S.C. §2000e-5(e)(1) and applicable state FEPA statutes. State-specific exceptions, continuing-violation analysis under Nat'l R.R. Passenger Corp. v. Morgan, 536 U.S. 101 (2002), and federal-employee paths under 29 CFR §1614.105 may apply. Outputs are estimates; consult a licensed employment-law attorney in your state for case-specific guidance. Last verified 2026-05-08.