Free COBRA Deadline Calculator
Enter the qualifying event and its date, and see every COBRA deadline that follows: the employer's notice, the election notice, the election period, the first premium and how long coverage can last. Free, no signup, and nothing you enter leaves the page.
This tool is for information only and is not legal advice. Your plan document and your benefits counsel have the final word.
COBRA deadline calculator
The dates come from the Department of Labor's COBRA notice rules and the Treasury COBRA regulations. Each date shows the rule it comes from.
Pick the qualifying event and its date.
Questions
Why does the calculator assume each step happens on its last day?
The calculator cannot know when the employer actually reported the event or when the notice actually went out. So it shows the latest each step can happen. If a step happens earlier, the steps after it can come earlier too. The election period, for example, runs at least 60 days from the date the notice is actually provided, not from its deadline.
Do these deadlines move if they land on a weekend?
The regulations count calendar days and do not say a deadline moves to the next business day. This calculator does not move them. If a date lands on a weekend or holiday, plan to finish before it.
What is "the plan measures from the loss of coverage"?
Some plans start the 30-day employer notice and the maximum coverage period on the date coverage is lost instead of the date of the event. That only applies if the plan document says so for both. If you are not sure, leave the box unticked; the event date is the default in the regulations.
Does this cover the general notice?
No. The general notice, the one sent when someone first joins the plan, is due within 90 days after coverage begins. This calculator covers the deadlines that start with a qualifying event.
Sources: 29 CFR 2590.606-2, employer notice to the administrator; 29 CFR 2590.606-3, notices from covered employees and qualified beneficiaries; 29 CFR 2590.606-4, the election notice; 26 CFR 54.4980B-6, the election period; 26 CFR 54.4980B-7, how long coverage lasts; 26 CFR 54.4980B-8, premium payments.
For the full deadline map with a worked example, read COBRA Notice Deadlines. For what the notice must contain, see the 14-item checklist.
Got the dates? Check the notice content before it goes out.
The COBRA Notice Content QA checks a draft election or general notice for every item the DOL requires, works out the sending deadline from the event date, and flags stated dates and payment terms that fall short of the minimums. $25.00 per completed check, with free sample runs on the page.
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