The deadlines at a glance
- EEOC charge: 180 calendar days, or 300 where a state or local agency enforces a similar law. In Texas, 300.
- Texas Workforce Commission Civil Rights Division: 180 days.
- Texas Whistleblower Act: start the grievance within 90 days, and sue within 90 days not counting grievance time.
- Federal officers: contact your agency’s EEO counselor, generally within 45 days.
- After a right-to-sue notice: 90 days to file in court.
How to count
Count calendar days, weekends and holidays included. If the last day falls on a weekend or holiday, the EEOC gives you until the next business day. For harassment that keeps happening, count from the last incident.
Don’t plan around the last day. Records take time to gather, and a lawyer needs time to read them.
Outside Texas
Every state sets its own deadline for its own civil rights agency, and some are a year or more. The EEOC’s 180 or 300 days applies everywhere. Your state agency, your nearest EEOC office or an employment lawyer can tell you which state deadline applies. Laws change, so check before you rely on any number, including the ones here.
Sources and where to file
- EEOC: time limits for filing a charge
- EEOC: how to file a charge of employment discrimination
- Texas Workforce Commission Civil Rights Division
- Texas Government Code, Chapter 554 (Whistleblower Act)
This is general information, written from what Alicia lived through and what the law says. It isn’t legal advice. Laws and deadlines change; check with the agency or an employment lawyer. Checked October 18, 2026.