FEHA deadline calculator. Three years to the CRD, one year to court.

Two deadlines, in order

A FEHA employment claim has two clocks. The first runs from the unlawful act to the administrative complaint. The second runs from the right-to-sue notice to the civil complaint.

Filing with the CRD. Government Code 12960(e)(5) bars a complaint of an employment violation of FEHA filed more than three years after the unlawful practice. AB 9 lengthened this period from one year to three, starting January 1, 2020, and says it does not revive claims that had already lapsed. Filing means submitting the intake form: the verified complaint relates back to the intake date (12960(b)). For a pattern such as harassment, the clock is usually measured from the last act, but discrete acts like a demotion can carry their own date. Enter the date you are measuring from.

Filing the lawsuit. Once the Civil Rights Department issues a right-to-sue notice, the worker may bring a civil action within one year of the date of that notice (Government Code 12965(c)(1)(D)). In employment cases, the CRD says a worker must obtain an immediate right-to-sue notice before filing their own lawsuit.

Tolling the tool accounts for

EEOC deferral. When a charge is filed with both the EEOC and the CRD, the CRD defers the investigation to the EEOC, and a right-to-sue notice issues on deferral, 12965(e) tolls the one year. The civil deadline then expires when the federal right-to-sue period ends or one year from the CRD notice, whichever is later. The federal period is 90 days after the EEOC notice. Check the box and enter the EEOC notice date, and the tool shows the later of the two. Subdivision 12965(f) gives the same result when the EEOC defers to the CRD and then reviews the CRD's determination or investigates itself.

Tolling the tool notes but does not compute

• Late discovery. Up to 90 more days when the worker first learned the facts in the 90 days after the deadline (12960(e)(6)(A)).
• Minors. Up to one year after the worker reaches the age of majority (12960(e)(6)(D)).
• Complaints pending at the CRD. SB 477, effective January 1, 2026, added 12960(f), which tolls the time to file a civil action while a complaint is with the department, until the CRD files its own action or one year after it closes its investigation.
• Tolling agreements. Parties often sign a written agreement tolling claims while they talk. Its terms control, so diary its end date beside the deadline it extends.

How the tool computes

The CRD deadline is the same calendar date three years after the last act. The civil deadline is the same date one year after the right-to-sue notice, or the later federal date. A last day on a Saturday or Sunday moves to Monday under Code of Civil Procedure 12a. Court holidays are not checked, so file before a holiday rather than after it.

A worked example

An employee was fired on June 30, 2025. The CRD complaint is due by Friday, June 30, 2028. Counsel requested an immediate right-to-sue notice, dated January 15, 2026. The civil complaint is due by Friday, January 15, 2027. If the charge was dual-filed and deferred to the EEOC, and the EEOC notice issues later, the tool compares 90 days from that notice with January 15, 2027 and shows the later date.

What it leaves out

• Other claims in the same complaint. Wrongful termination in violation of public policy, Labor Code retaliation and wage claims have their own limitations periods.
• Federal claims. A Title VII or ADA claim needs a timely EEOC charge, usually 300 days in California. See the EEOC charge deadline calculator.
• Non-employment claims. Complaints under Civil Code 51 (the Unruh Act) and related sections have a one-year CRD filing period under 12960(e)(1).
• Group or class complaints and complaints the CRD itself pursues, which follow other timelines in 12965.

Related reading

The FEHA right-to-sue guide covers immediate notices and dual filing in more depth, and the retaliation timeline guide shows how to fix the date of each act. The glossary defines FEHA, the CRD, the right-to-sue notice, dual filing, tolling agreements and exhaustion of administrative remedies.

PlaintiffStack's employment morning checks flag civil filing deadlines after a right-to-sue notice and tolling agreements that are about to end, and a person confirms each date before it goes on the calendar. See the employment practice page and court rules.