Two Deadlines, Two Rules

The most expensive thing on a Texas contract is that Paragraph 5 holds two clocks and only one of them forgives a weekend.

Side by side

MoneyEarnest money, option fee, additional earnest money. ¶5A(2) extends the last day past a Saturday, Sunday, or Legal Holiday to the end of the next day that is not one of those. It can push twice.

NoticeThe option termination notice. ¶5B sets 5:00 p.m. local time where the property is located, on the date specified. Nothing in Paragraph 5 extends it, and ¶5E makes time of the essence with strict compliance required.

The same calendar day, two answers

Effective Date: Wednesday, July 1, 2026. Option period: 3 days. Earnest money and option fee: due within 3 days.

The money deadline is Saturday, July 4. It is a Saturday and Independence Day, so 5A(2) rolls it to Monday, July 6.
The option period ends Saturday, July 4 at 5:00 p.m. No roll. Same paragraph, same day count, same calendar.

Two days apart, out of one paragraph.

How it actually goes wrong

A buyer wires the earnest money Monday because the weekend moved it, and sends the termination notice Monday for the same reason. The money was on time. The option period ended Saturday at 5:00 p.m., and the unrestricted right to walk went with it.

Nothing else in the contract rolls either

5A(2) is written for three money items and reaches nothing else. The Closing Date in ¶9A, the Seller's Disclosure Notice delivery in 7B(2), the objection deadline in 6D, and the Buyer Approval date on the Third Party Financing Addendum all carry no weekend extension in the form.

One addendum carries its own copy of the rule: the Addendum for Back-Up Contract (TREC 11-8) repeats the Saturday, Sunday, or legal holiday extension in its paragraph B, for the additional earnest money and additional option fee that addendum creates.

Stop counting days by hand

Drop your contract in at recontract.ai and every deadline computes itself: the Effective Date read off the execution block, the option period at 5:00 PM, the 3-day money window with the weekend rule already applied, the financing date off the 40-11, and the Closing Date. It is free, and the file is parsed in your browser.

Educational only — not legal advice. TREC forms are for use by trained license holders; talk to your broker or an attorney about your specific transaction.

Drop your contract in — every deadline computes itself →