Computation of Time in Texas

Compliance Corner

They say everything's bigger in Texas, but even in the Longhorn State, there's still only 24 hours in a day, and when it comes to deadlines under the state's Workers' Compensation Act, the clock is the same size as it is everywhere else.

Here are how due dates and time periods under Texas law are computed. Simply Research subscribers have access to these rules and more from Texas and the rest of the U.S.

Computing a period of days. In counting a period of time measured by days, the first day is excluded and the last day is included.

Computing a period of months. If a number of months is to be computed by counting the months from a particular day, the period ends on the same numerical day in the concluding month as the day of the month from which the computation is begun, unless there are not that many days in the concluding month, in which case the period ends on the last day of that month.

Unless otherwise specified, if the last day of any period is not a working day, the period is extended to include the next day that is a working day.

Working days. A working day is any day, Monday-Friday, other than a national holiday as defined by Texas Government Code, 662.003(a) and the Friday after Thanksgiving Day, Dec. 24 and Dec. 26. Use of the term "day," rather than "working day," means a calendar day.

Business hours. Normal business hours in the Texas workers' compensation system are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Standard Time with the exception of the Commission's El Paso field office whose normal business hours are 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Mountain Standard Time.

Any written or telephonic communications received other than during normal business hours on working days are considered received at the beginning of normal business hours on the next working day.

Unless otherwise specified by rule, any written or telephonic communications required to be filed by a specified time will be considered timely only if received prior to the end of normal business hours on the last permissible day of filing.

Conflict between rules. If there is a conflict between the rules about calculation of time and a specific provision of another rule that is applicable to a specific type of benefit, the other rule prevails.

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