If your spouse files for a divorce in Texas, it is important to submit your answer by the appropriate deadline. This is a bit complex in Texas compared to other states, so it is crucial to know how it works.
In a general sense, you have 20 days to respond to the divorce petition. However, you technically get until 10:00 a.m. on the Monday after those 20 days have elapsed.
For instance, if your spouse files for a divorce on Friday, you can then count off 20 days on the calendar. This would put you on a Thursday, three weeks later. But you would technically get until the following Monday, so you would have four more days—Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday—as long as you turn in your response by 10:00 a.m. on that Monday. This gives you a total of roughly 24 days.
But if your spouse had served you with the paperwork earlier in the week, your 20 days may have fallen on Sunday, meaning you would simply have to submit it by 10:00 a.m. the next morning.
What if you miss the deadline?
If you miss the deadline, either because you make a mistake in calculating the date or you intentionally choose not to respond, your spouse can still get a divorce. They will simply ask the court to issue a default divorce ruling. They do have to wait the appropriate amount of time for your answer, but they still have options to end the marriage even without your involvement.
It is important to understand these deadlines. They are also just the start of the divorce process. You need to know exactly what legal steps to take the entire way.