60-Day IEP Timeline Calculator for Special Education (California)
Counts 60 calendar days from the date the district receives signed parent consent for assessment, not counting days between regular school sessions or terms, or school vacations longer than five schooldays. CA Ed Code §56043(f)(1) and §56344(a). No login.
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How the 60 days are counted
The 60 days are calendar days, counted from the date the district receives the parent's signed written consent for assessment. Days between the pupil's regular school sessions or terms, such as summer, are not counted, and neither are school vacations longer than five schooldays. CA Ed Code §56043(f)(1) and §56344(a).
A break of five schooldays or fewer, like most Thanksgiving weeks, still counts toward the timeline. Only breaks of more than five schooldays stop the clock.
For the 60-day and 15-day timelines, the count resumes on the day school returns, so a weekend between a break and the first day back is not counted either. The 30-day timeline has no such rule, so that weekend counts toward it. CA Ed Code §56344(a), §56321(a), and §56343.5.
Enter your district's first and last day of school and every break, using the exact start and end dates on your district calendar. Timly decides which breaks stop the clock. Timly excludes the break dates as you enter them, treats two breaks separated only by a weekend as one break, and resumes the count as described above.
Is the day consent is received Day 1?
No. The day the district receives the signed consent, the referral, or the parent's written request is Day 0, and Day 1 is the next calendar day. The Education Code counts from the date of receipt without saying which day is Day 1, so Timly applies California's general rule for computing time: exclude the first day and include the last (Code of Civil Procedure §12). A district that counts the day of receipt as Day 1 reaches the counted day before Timly's date, which still meets the timeline. You can set Timly to count that way under the date field in the calculator. The end-of-year rules work differently. When the IEP is due within 30 days after the next school year begins, or the assessment plan within its first 10 days, Timly counts the first day of school as Day 1, which is one day earlier than the general rule. This does not change when the day of receipt is counted as Day 1.
When consent arrives near the end of the school year
When a referral is made 30 days or less before the end of the regular school year, the IEP is developed within 30 days after the next school year begins. Timly applies this rule using the consent date you enter. CA Ed Code §56344(a).
Worked example
Example only. This uses a sample 2026-27 calendar: first day of school August 12, 2026, last day June 3, 2027, winter break December 21, 2026 through January 1, 2027, and spring break March 29 through April 9, 2027. District calendars vary, so enter your district's dates in the calculator above for an exact deadline.
- Signed consent received: Monday, November 30, 2026 (Day 0)
- 60 calendar days with nothing excluded would land on Friday, January 29, 2027.
- Winter break, December 21, 2026 through January 1, 2027, is longer than five schooldays. The count stops for the break and resumes on Monday, January 4, 2027, as Day 21, when school returns, so the 14 calendar days from December 21 through January 3 are not counted.
- 60-day deadline: Friday, February 12, 2027. CA Ed Code §56344(a).
Day 0 is Mon, Nov 30, the day consent is received. Days 1 through 20 run December 1 through December 20. December 21 through January 3 are not counted: winter break, then the weekend before school returns. The count resumes Mon, Jan 4 as Day 21. Day 60, the deadline, is Fri, Feb 12, 2027.
| Sun | Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Monday, November 30, 2026: Day 0, consent received. | Tuesday, December 1, 2026: Day 1. | Wednesday, December 2, 2026: Day 2. | Thursday, December 3, 2026: Day 3. | Friday, December 4, 2026: Day 4. | Saturday, December 5, 2026: Day 5. | |
| Sunday, December 6, 2026: Day 6. | Monday, December 7, 2026: Day 7. | Tuesday, December 8, 2026: Day 8. | Wednesday, December 9, 2026: Day 9. | Thursday, December 10, 2026: Day 10. | Friday, December 11, 2026: Day 11. | Saturday, December 12, 2026: Day 12. |
| Sunday, December 13, 2026: Day 13. | Monday, December 14, 2026: Day 14. | Tuesday, December 15, 2026: Day 15. | Wednesday, December 16, 2026: Day 16. | Thursday, December 17, 2026: Day 17. | Friday, December 18, 2026: Day 18. | Saturday, December 19, 2026: Day 19. |
| Sunday, December 20, 2026: Day 20. | Monday, December 21, 2026: not counted, winter break. | Tuesday, December 22, 2026: not counted, winter break. | Wednesday, December 23, 2026: not counted, winter break. | Thursday, December 24, 2026: not counted, winter break. | Friday, December 25, 2026: not counted, winter break. | Saturday, December 26, 2026: not counted, winter break. |
| Sunday, December 27, 2026: not counted, winter break. | Monday, December 28, 2026: not counted, winter break. | Tuesday, December 29, 2026: not counted, winter break. | Wednesday, December 30, 2026: not counted, winter break. | Thursday, December 31, 2026: not counted, winter break. | Friday, January 1, 2027: not counted, winter break. | Saturday, January 2, 2027: not counted, weekend before school returns. |
| Sunday, January 3, 2027: not counted, weekend before school returns. | Monday, January 4, 2027: Day 21, the count resumes. | Tuesday, January 5, 2027: Day 22. | Wednesday, January 6, 2027: Day 23. | Thursday, January 7, 2027: Day 24. | Friday, January 8, 2027: Day 25. | Saturday, January 9, 2027: Day 26. |
| Sunday, January 10, 2027: Day 27. | Monday, January 11, 2027: Day 28. | Tuesday, January 12, 2027: Day 29. | Wednesday, January 13, 2027: Day 30. | Thursday, January 14, 2027: Day 31. | Friday, January 15, 2027: Day 32. | Saturday, January 16, 2027: Day 33. |
| Sunday, January 17, 2027: Day 34. | Monday, January 18, 2027: Day 35. | Tuesday, January 19, 2027: Day 36. | Wednesday, January 20, 2027: Day 37. | Thursday, January 21, 2027: Day 38. | Friday, January 22, 2027: Day 39. | Saturday, January 23, 2027: Day 40. |
| Sunday, January 24, 2027: Day 41. | Monday, January 25, 2027: Day 42. | Tuesday, January 26, 2027: Day 43. | Wednesday, January 27, 2027: Day 44. | Thursday, January 28, 2027: Day 45. | Friday, January 29, 2027: Day 46. | Saturday, January 30, 2027: Day 47. |
| Sunday, January 31, 2027: Day 48. | Monday, February 1, 2027: Day 49. | Tuesday, February 2, 2027: Day 50. | Wednesday, February 3, 2027: Day 51. | Thursday, February 4, 2027: Day 52. | Friday, February 5, 2027: Day 53. | Saturday, February 6, 2027: Day 54. |
| Sunday, February 7, 2027: Day 55. | Monday, February 8, 2027: Day 56. | Tuesday, February 9, 2027: Day 57. | Wednesday, February 10, 2027: Day 58. | Thursday, February 11, 2027: Day 59. | Friday, February 12, 2027: Day 60, the deadline. |
- Numbers are days of the count. CONSENT (heavy border) is Day 0.
- BREAK and WKND (dashed border, no number) are not counted.
- RESUMES (thick left edge) is the first schoolday after the break. DUE (double border) is Day 60.
Frequently asked questions
Is the day consent is received Day 1?
No. The day the district receives the signed consent, the referral, or the parent's written request is Day 0, and Day 1 is the next calendar day. The Education Code counts from the date of receipt without saying which day is Day 1, so Timly applies California's general rule for computing time: exclude the first day and include the last (Code of Civil Procedure §12). A district that counts the day of receipt as Day 1 reaches the counted day before Timly's date, which still meets the timeline. You can set Timly to count that way under the date field in the calculator. The end-of-year rules work differently. When the IEP is due within 30 days after the next school year begins, or the assessment plan within its first 10 days, Timly counts the first day of school as Day 1, which is one day earlier than the general rule. This does not change when the day of receipt is counted as Day 1.
What is 60 school days from now?
That is a different count. Sixty school days counts only days school is in session, so it usually lands weeks later than 60 calendar days. California's IEP timeline is 60 calendar days from the date the district receives signed consent, not counting days between regular sessions or terms or school vacations longer than five schooldays. CA Ed Code §56043(f)(1). Timly Pro calculates the California calendar-day timeline, not a school-day count.
What is an IEP timeline?
A legal deadline for a step in the special education process, counted from a set starting event. In California the main ones are the 15-day assessment plan, the 60-day timeline to assess and hold the IEP meeting, and the 30-day parent-requested IEP meeting. CA Ed Code §56043.
How are IEP minutes determined?
The IEP team determines service minutes; Timly Pro calculates deadlines, not service minutes.
How is the 30-day parent-requested IEP meeting counted?
30 days from the date the district receives the parent's written request, not counting days between school sessions or vacations longer than five schooldays. If the request is made orally, the district tells the parent a written request is needed. CA Ed Code §56343.5.
How is the 15-day assessment plan counted?
Within 15 calendar days of the referral, not counting days between school sessions or vacations longer than five schooldays. When a referral is made 10 days or less before the end of the school year, the plan is due within the first 10 days of the next school year. CA Ed Code §56321(a) and §56043(a).
Does Timly Pro work for Texas or other states?
No. Timly Pro covers California only.
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