EEOC deadline calculator
Federal EEOC charge filing deadline by state, statute, employer type, and dual-filing status. Inputs never leave your browser — your incident date is not sent to a server.
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.
How your inputs map to a channel
The decoder routes your statute through one of three filing channels before doing any date math. Click any cite to read the primary source on Cornell LII.
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.
What the decoder does
Federal deadline
The 180/300-day clock under 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-5(e)(1) for Title VII bases, with ADEA / ADA / GINA tracked separately. EPA and §1981 route to direct federal court paths.
State deadline
FEPA dual-filing posture per 29 CFR § 1601.13 with state-specific filing windows where verified — California's 3-year FEHA SOL, Illinois 730 days, Ohio 730 days, NY HRL 3 years.
Filing channel
Always points to a .gov source — the EEOC Public Portal or your state agency's official intake. Never a redirect through an affiliate network.
What it does not do
Tolling questions (military service, mental incapacity, fraudulent concealment), §1981 race-coding ambiguity, OFCCP channel-of-first-resort, and non-trivial continuing-violation patterns surface as indeterminate with an attorney prompt.
Common questions
What's the difference between the 180-day and 300-day rule?
The default federal EEOC charge filing deadline is 180 days from the most recent discriminatory act. The window extends to 300 days when a state or local Fair Employment Practices Agency (FEPA) enforces a same-basis anti-discrimination law. Most states are 300-day jurisdictions; AL, AR, and MS are unambiguously 180-day for general Title VII bases.
Does my state's FEPA give me extra time to file?
Sometimes more — your state law may have a longer SOL than the federal 300 days (CA FEHA = 3 years post-2020; IL post-2024 = 730 days; OH post-2021 = 730 days). The state deadline runs independently of the federal one. The decoder shows both when applicable.
If I dual-file, do both clocks start on the same date?
Both clocks start from the date of the discriminatory act, but the federal clock runs 180 or 300 days depending on FEPA worksharing; the state clock runs whatever your state statute says. Some states impose tighter internal filing windows that survive the federal extension.
I'm a federal employee — does this calculator apply to me?
The calculator routes federal-employee inputs to the 45-day pre-complaint counseling path under 29 CFR §1614.105 rather than the 180/300-day EEOC charge process. Federal civilian employees and applicants must contact their agency's EEO counselor within 45 days of the matter.
My federal deadline passed. Do I have any options left?
Possibly. §1981 (race claims only) carries a 4-year SOL with no EEOC charge required. Many states' Human Rights Law SOLs are longer than the federal window. EPA claims never required an EEOC charge and have a 2/3-year SOL. Parallel state tort claims (wrongful termination, IIED, defamation) generally aren't preempted by Title VII.
My employer has fewer than 15 employees. Am I covered?
Title VII, ADA, and GINA require 15+ employees; ADEA requires 20+. State FEPAs often go lower: California (FEHA = 5+), NYC (4+), Colorado/DC/Minnesota (1+ post-recent-amendments). §1981 covers race regardless of employer size.
.ops/credentials/reviewer-attribution.md and rendered here when Gate 7 closes.