Acceptance is Day 0
The clocks start the day the signed acceptance is delivered back to you. Day 1 is the first full day after it, so a 17-day contingency ends later than most people count.
Free buyer tool
California contingency deadline calculator
Enter your acceptance date and the day counts from your contract, and get every deadline that matters: earnest money, seller disclosures, the 17-day contingency removals, your final walk-through window, and close of escrow. Dates that land on a weekend or legal holiday bump to the next business day, the same way the standard California form moves them.
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How the math works
Three rules decide every date
Calendar days, until 11:59 p.m.
Days are calendar days and the last one runs to 11:59 p.m., not 5 p.m. The one exception is your deposit, which the form counts in business days.
Weekends bump forward
A deadline that lands on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday moves to the next business day, close of escrow included. The timeline flags every date it moved.
Missing a date does not cancel anything by itself. Removal is active in California, and the seller must serve a Notice to Buyer to Perform, with at least 2 more days, before they can cancel. The contract guide walks the underlying form paragraph by paragraph.
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Questions buyers ask
The fine print, answered
When does the 17-day contingency clock start?
The day the signed acceptance is delivered back to you is Day 0, and the next day is Day 1. The standard California form counts calendar days, and the deadline ends at 11:59 p.m. on the final day, not 5 p.m.
What happens if a deadline lands on a weekend or holiday?
After acceptance, the standard form moves any performance deadline that lands on a Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday to the next business day, and that includes close of escrow. This calculator applies that rule automatically and tells you when a date moved.
Are contingency days calendar days or business days?
Calendar days, with one exception: the earnest money deposit is counted in business days. Weekends count while a 17-day contingency runs; they only matter if the final day lands on one.
Do my contingencies expire automatically after 17 days?
No. In California, contingency removal is active: your protections stay in place until you remove them in writing. If you pass a deadline, the seller must first serve a Notice to Buyer to Perform, which gives you at least 2 more days, before they can cancel.
Is this legal advice?
No. This is an educational tool built on the standard California form's printed defaults and counting rules. The day counts in your signed contract control, so confirm important dates with your escrow officer or an attorney.
Keep going
The guides behind the math
The full California guide
The whole self-represented playbook, from listing link to close.
Read the guideMake the offer
Where these day counts get set, and how to package a complete offer.
Read the guideEarnest money and escrow
The deposit's full lifecycle, wire safety, and who holds what.
Read the guideThe disclosure checklist
Every form the seller owes you inside these review windows.
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