The short answer
Under 12 CFR 1002.9(a)(1), a creditor must notify the applicant of action taken within 30 calendar days after receiving a completed application, after taking adverse action on an incomplete application, or after taking adverse action on an existing account.
Date the completed application was received
What are the three Reg B 30-day notice triggers?
Regulation B's notice timing splits into three paths:
- Completed application (1002.9(a)(1)(i)): 30 days after receiving a completed application concerning approval, counteroffer, or adverse action.
- Incomplete application (1002.9(a)(1)(ii)): 30 days after taking adverse action, unless the creditor instead provides an incompleteness notice under 1002.9(c).
- Existing account (1002.9(a)(1)(iii)): 30 days after taking adverse action on an existing account.
What must a Reg B adverse-action notice say?
Content rules live in 12 CFR 1002.9(a)(2): state the action taken, provide the ECOA notice, and either give the specific reasons or tell the applicant how to request those reasons within 60 days. When a consumer report was used, FCRA section 615 adds separate disclosure content. Timing still follows Regulation B.
Related tools
For mortgage and HELOC rescission clocks, use the Reg Z right of rescission calculator. For deposit-side dispute deadlines, use the Reg E error-resolution calculator.
What conservative assumptions does this calculator make?
- The 30-day period is pure calendar-day math with no weekend extension.
- When day 30 lands on a weekend or federal holiday, the tool flags it and recommends sending by the prior business day.
- The calculator does not decide whether an application was "completed," whether an incompleteness notice under 1002.9(c) was a better path, or whether FCRA content rules also apply.
Frequently asked questions
How many days does a creditor have to send an adverse-action notice?
Generally 30 days. Under 12 CFR 1002.9(a)(1), a creditor must notify an applicant of action taken within 30 days after receiving a completed application (concerning approval, counteroffer, or adverse action), within 30 days after taking adverse action on an incomplete application (unless an incompleteness notice under 1002.9(c) applies), or within 30 days after taking adverse action on an existing account.
Are the 30 days business days or calendar days?
Calendar days. Regulation B does not convert the period to business days and does not extend the deadline when day 30 falls on a weekend or holiday. Conservative practice is to send by the prior business day.
What must an adverse-action notice include?
Under 12 CFR 1002.9(a)(2), the notice must state the action taken, give the ECOA notice, and either state the specific reasons for the action or disclose the applicant's right to request the specific reasons within 60 days of learning of the adverse action.
What if the application is incomplete?
A creditor may notify the applicant of incompleteness under 12 CFR 1002.9(c) instead of taking adverse action immediately. If the creditor instead takes adverse action on an incomplete application, the 30-day notice clock in 1002.9(a)(1)(ii) applies.
Does FCRA change the ECOA timing?
FCRA section 615 (15 U.S.C. 1681m) adds content requirements when the decision used a consumer report, but the ECOA 30-day timing rules in Regulation B still govern when the ECOA notice must go out. Both regimes can apply to the same decision.
Do counteroffers reset the clock?
A creditor that makes a counteroffer still has notice duties. If the applicant does not accept the counteroffer, adverse-action notice is generally still required within the applicable 30-day period unless the counteroffer itself satisfies the notice rules.
This calculator is provided for general informational purposes only. It is not legal advice, not a substitute for reading the regulation, and not a representation of how any particular regulator or examiner will interpret a specific set of facts. Where a rule is ambiguous, the tool applies the more conservative reading and says so. Confirm results against the current regulation text and your institution's counsel and disclosed policies before relying on them.
The 30-day notice clock starts whether or not a task was assigned.
Canarie turns adverse-action, incompleteness, and fair-lending disclosure obligations into owned work with evidence, so notice timeliness is provable on exam.