Hong Kong · civil procedure
What period applies to accept plaintiff sanctioned offer?
28 days after making, where made at least 28 days before trial. File written acceptance and serve it on the plaintiff. A plaintiff’s offer and a defendant’s sanctioned payment are different source procedures.
- Period
- 28 days after making, where made at least 28 days before trial
- Trigger
- Making of that offer and actual trial commencement
- Rule
- Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 22, rule 16(1)
Official verified English consolidated chapter 4A, version October 1,2025. Acquired October 9, 2026, with the official current register and immutable verified PDF. Current verified official English consolidated chapter PDFs acquired October 9, 2026. Version dates retained per chapter register. No claim that a calendar proves future gale, black-rainstorm or emergency office closures.
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What period applies to accept plaintiff sanctioned offer?
28 days after making, where made at least 28 days before trial. File written acceptance and serve it on the plaintiff. A plaintiff’s offer and a defendant’s sanctioned payment are different source procedures.
Responsible actor. Defendant electing acceptance of plaintiff sanctioned offer.
Making of that offer and actual trial commencement
28 days after making, where made at least 28 days before trial
Defendant electing acceptance of plaintiff sanctioned offer. Qualifying plaintiff sanctioned offer; Actual offer and trial anchors; No controlling withdrawal application; Acceptance elected. The defendant’s acceptance route under rule 16 has the costs-agreement or Court-leave branches for later acceptance.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 22, rule 16(1)How does this provision count time?
- File written acceptance and serve it on the plaintiff
- Defendant electing acceptance of plaintiff sanctioned offer uses the established making of that offer and actual trial commencement. 28 days after making, where made at least 28 days before trial. Exclude the effective event day. Ordinary intervening weekends remain counted unless an applicable source provision excludes them. High Court Ordinance (Cap. 4), section 31(1), omits Summer Vacation for the applicable civil procedural period not exceeding one month unless the Court directs otherwise. Order 64 rule 1 supplies August 1 through August 31. Order 3 rule 3 separately covers pleading periods.
- File written acceptance and serve it on the plaintiff. An applicable Court-office completion may move under the exact final-day source only when the act cannot be done there. Establish the actual office route, closure and any different effective electronic route. A plaintiff’s offer and a defendant’s sanctioned payment are different source procedures.
- A plaintiff’s offer and a defendant’s sanctioned payment are different source procedures.
- A closed interparty or combined endpoint needs separate source qualification. An ordinary weekday calculation does not certify this boundary.
Defendant electing acceptance of plaintiff sanctioned offer uses the established making of that offer and actual trial commencement. 28 days after making, where made at least 28 days before trial. Exclude the effective event day. Ordinary intervening weekends remain counted unless an applicable source provision excludes them. High Court Ordinance (Cap. 4), section 31(1), omits Summer Vacation for the applicable civil procedural period not exceeding one month unless the Court directs otherwise. Order 64 rule 1 supplies August 1 through August 31. Order 3 rule 3 separately covers pleading periods.
File written acceptance and serve it on the plaintiff. An applicable Court-office completion may move under the exact final-day source only when the act cannot be done there. Establish the actual office route, closure and any different effective electronic route. A plaintiff’s offer and a defendant’s sanctioned payment are different source procedures. This closed interparty or combined filing and service boundary is withheld pending separate qualification of section71 and the applicable Court procedure. The calculator refuses that boundary.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 22, rule 16(1)What do independently checked examples show?
Fictitious example
Defendant electing acceptance of plaintiff sanctioned offer. Making of that offer and actual trial commencement occurs on Friday, October 9, 2026. The retained eligibility and ordinary procedural conditions apply. Actual Offer Made Friday, October 9, 2026. Actual Trial Commencement Friday, January 15, 2027. Pending Withdrawal Application false.
| Step | What is counted | Date |
|---|---|---|
| Example 1. Ordinary established facts | Defendant electing acceptance of plaintiff sanctioned offer. Making of that offer and actual trial commencement occurs on Friday, October 9, 2026. The retained eligibility and ordinary procedural conditions apply. Actual Offer Made Friday, October 9, 2026. Actual Trial Commencement Friday, January 15, 2027. Pending Withdrawal Application false. 28 days after making, where made at least 28 days before trial. A plaintiff’s offer and a defendant’s sanctioned payment are different source procedures. | Friday, November 6, 2026 |
| Example 2. Closed-day boundary | Defendant electing acceptance of plaintiff sanctioned offer. Making of that offer and actual trial commencement occurs on Monday, September 21, 2026. The retained eligibility and ordinary procedural conditions apply. Actual Offer Made Monday, September 21, 2026. Actual Trial Commencement Friday, January 15, 2027. Pending Withdrawal Application false. 28 days after making, where made at least 28 days before trial. A plaintiff’s offer and a defendant’s sanctioned payment are different source procedures. | A closed combined filing-and-service endpoint needs separately established completion treatment for both acts. |
| Example 3. Material procedural branch | Defendant electing acceptance of plaintiff sanctioned offer. Making of that offer and actual trial commencement occurs on Friday, October 9, 2026. The complete eligibility and procedural facts are not established. Actual Offer Made not established. Actual Trial Commencement not established. Pending Withdrawal Application not established. This actual branch must be established independently before any ordinary endpoint can be used. Qualifying plaintiff sanctioned offer | The defendant’s acceptance route under rule 16 has the costs-agreement or Court-leave branches for later acceptance. |
Fictitious established facts. These examples do not establish eligibility, effective service, relief or a direction.
Try these dates in the calculatorWhich conditions and exceptions apply?
- Qualifying plaintiff sanctioned offer
- Qualifying plaintiff sanctioned offer
- Actual offer and trial anchors
- Actual offer and trial anchors
- No controlling withdrawal application
- No controlling withdrawal application
- Acceptance elected
- Acceptance elected
- Correct source counting and completion route
- Defendant electing acceptance of plaintiff sanctioned offer uses the established making of that offer and actual trial commencement. 28 days after making, where made at least 28 days before trial. Exclude the effective event day. Ordinary intervening weekends remain counted unless an applicable source provision excludes them. High Court Ordinance (Cap. 4), section 31(1), omits Summer Vacation for the applicable civil procedural period not exceeding one month unless the Court directs otherwise. Order 64 rule 1 supplies August 1 through August 31. Order 3 rule 3 separately covers pleading periods. File written acceptance and serve it on the plaintiff. An applicable Court-office completion may move under the exact final-day source only when the act cannot be done there. Establish the actual office route, closure and any different effective electronic route. A plaintiff’s offer and a defendant’s sanctioned payment are different source procedures.
- Defendant electing acceptance of plaintiff sanctioned offer. Qualifying plaintiff sanctioned offer; Actual offer and trial anchors; No controlling withdrawal application; Acceptance elected. The defendant’s acceptance route under rule 16 has the costs-agreement or Court-leave branches for later acceptance.
- The defendant’s acceptance route under rule 16 has the costs-agreement or Court-leave branches for later acceptance.
What must the responsible actor complete?
Questions about this procedure
What period applies to accept plaintiff sanctioned offer?
Who accepts under Order 22 rule 16?
The defendant accepts the plaintiff’s sanctioned offer.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 22, rule 16(1)Who receives written acceptance?
The defendant files it with the Court and serves it on the plaintiff.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 22, rule 16(1)Does trial commencement affect the ordinary window?
Yes. The ordinary offer must be made not less than twenty-eight days before commencement of trial.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 22, rule 16(1)Can the defendant accept after twenty-eight days?
The later branch requires agreement on costs or leave of the Court, as specified by rule 16.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 22, rule 16(1)Does a private acceptance draft complete this step?
No. The source requires filing and service of written acceptance.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 22, rule 16(1)Does this page cover accepting a defendant’s payment?
That is the plaintiff’s separate rule 15 procedure, including its prescribed payment-acceptance form.
Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 22, rule 16(1)Official sources and review
Provisions used (5)
| Provision | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Rules of the High Court (Cap. 4A), Order 22, rule 16(1) | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| Rules of the High Court (Cap.4A), Order3 rules1–5 and Order64 rule1 | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| High Court Ordinance (Cap.4), section31(1), including its endorsed-writ proviso | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| Interpretation and General Clauses Ordinance (Cap.1), section71(1)–(2) | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |
| General Holidays Ordinance (Cap.149), section3 and Schedule | Check the identified procedure, event, counting rule or qualification |