Time Limits for SQE1

Many SQE1 questions turn on a date: is the claim in time, when is the defence due, how long can the police hold a suspect? This free PDF sets out the main time limits SQE1 can test, subject by subject, with the day each one starts, a limitation decision tree and worked examples with real 2027 dates.

Updated October 2026 · checked against the SQE1 specification, legislation.gov.uk, the Civil Procedure Rules and the Criminal Procedure Rules 2025 on 14 October 2026. General information, not tax or legal advice.

Where the specification names time limits

There is no separate paper on deadlines. The SRA’s SQE1 specification names them inside the subjects: calculating limitation periods for claims in contract and tort, deemed service and the time limits for serving and responding to a claim, and Part 36 offers in Dispute Resolution; judicial review time limits in the Legal System; detention time limits and reviews under PACE in Criminal Practice; planning enforcement in Property Practice; claims under the Inheritance (Provision for Family and Dependants) Act 1975 in Wills; and the limitation period for breach of trust in Trusts. The SQE1 assessments are closed book, so the periods have to be in your head.

The periods at a glance

Count from the right day

Most wrong answers use the right period from the wrong start. The guide’s method has three steps: find the trigger, count while leaving out the trigger day, then check what counts as in time.

Limitation periods end on the anniversary, because the part-day on which the cause of action accrues is not counted, as the Supreme Court confirmed in Matthew v Sedman [2021] UKSC 19. In negligence, time runs from the damage, not from when it is discovered, unless the latent damage rules or the personal injury knowledge rules apply.

New law older materials miss

• Child sexual abuse claims: since 29 June 2026 there is no limitation period for a personal injury claim based on sexual abuse of someone who was under 18 at the time, though the court must dismiss it if a fair hearing is no longer possible.
• Planning enforcement in England: 10 years for building work finished, or a change to a single dwellinghouse made, on or after 25 April 2024; the old 4 years still applies before that date.
• Directors: the 14-day duty to notify Companies House of a new or departing director is now in section 167G of the Companies Act 2006.

What is inside the PDF

• Where the SQE1 specification names time limits, and every period on one page
• Limitation periods, with a decision tree and the rules that move the start date
• The civil claim from pre-action to appeal, including deemed service and Part 36
• The police station clock, worked hour by hour, and criminal court time limits
• Company procedure and the insolvency look-back periods
• Property, planning, wills, trusts and tax deadlines
• Worked examples, ten exam traps, twelve self-test questions and a checklist

To plan the rest of your revision, use our free SQE1 Specification Checklist and the SQE1 readiness checklist.

Frequently asked questions