What counts as the 'date of initial detection' for SAR deadline purposes?

Initial detection is the date a person responsible for identifying suspicious activity first had reason to believe the activity was suspicious. This is typically the date a compliance reviewer flagged a transaction or alert, not the date the transaction settled. If detection was gradual, use the earliest date a compliance-relevant determination was made.

How is the 30- or 60-day deadline derived?

The deadline comes from 31 CFR 1020.320, which governs SAR filing requirements for banks. The regulation sets a 30-calendar-day filing window from initial detection when a suspect can be identified, and extends that window to 60 calendar days when no suspect has been identified. These are calendar days with no exclusion for weekends or holidays.

What are the limitations of this calculator?

The calculator applies the standard US federal SAR deadline rules under 31 CFR 1020.320. It does not account for state-level reporting requirements, OFAC obligations, or deadlines under other regulators such as the SEC or CFTC, which may have different rules. It also does not cover continuing activity SAR timelines or multi-jurisdiction cases. Use it as a starting point, then verify against your institution's specific regulatory obligations.

Does the deadline change if I identify a suspect after I've already started the 60-day clock?

Yes. If your institution initially had no identified suspect and later identifies one, the deadline shortens to 30 days from the original detection date. If that 30-day window has already passed, you should file as soon as the identification is made and document the timeline in your case file.

What happens if we miss the SAR filing deadline?

A late SAR filing is a potential violation of the Bank Secrecy Act. FinCEN and the relevant federal banking regulator may assess civil money penalties, issue examination findings, or require remediation. The consequences depend on the institution type, the pattern of violations, and whether the delay was isolated or systemic. Filing late is still required; do not skip the filing because the deadline has passed.

Can this calculator be used for non-US SAR or STR obligations?

No. The calculator is built specifically for US SAR filing deadlines under 31 CFR 1020.320. Other jurisdictions, including the UK, EU member states, and Canada, have different suspicious transaction reporting frameworks with their own timelines. Using this tool for non-US obligations would produce incorrect results.

SAR Filing Deadline Calculator

Calculate your US SAR filing deadline from the date of initial detection.

Calculations run entirely in your browser. Nothing is submitted.

This calculator determines your US Suspicious Activity Report filing deadline based on the date you first detected suspicious activity and whether a suspect has been identified. Missing a SAR deadline is a federal violation under the Bank Secrecy Act, carrying civil money penalties. Knowing your exact deadline removes guesswork and gives compliance teams a fixed target to work toward.

How to use the SAR Filing Deadline Calculator

Using the calculator takes under a minute. Enter the date your institution first detected the suspicious activity, then indicate whether a suspect has been identified at this stage.

A few things to keep in mind before you enter your dates:

Date of initial detection is the date a staff member, system alert, or review process flagged the activity as potentially suspicious, not the date the underlying transaction occurred. If detection happened over several days, use the earliest date a compliance-relevant flag was raised.
Suspect identification means your institution has enough information to identify a specific person or entity as the suspected actor. Partial or unconfirmed suspicion does not count. If you are still unsure, select "No" to get the longer deadline, and update your analysis if identification occurs before filing.

Once you submit, the calculator returns a specific calendar date. Write it down. Put it in your case management system. That date is your hard deadline.

What the result means

The date the calculator returns is the last day your institution may file the SAR under federal regulation. Filing on that date is compliant. Filing after it is not, regardless of the reason.

If a suspect has been identified, your deadline is 30 calendar days from initial detection. If no suspect has been identified, you have 60 calendar days. These are calendar days, not business days, so weekends and federal holidays count.

A few practical points on interpreting your result:

Earlier is better. The deadline is a ceiling, not a target. SAR filings submitted early give law enforcement more time to act, and they remove the case from your open-item queue faster.
The penalty note matters. FinCEN may assess civil money penalties for late filings. The severity depends on the institution's size, the nature of the violation, and whether the delay was willful. Treat the date as firm.
The deadline resets only in specific circumstances. If your institution continues to detect new suspicious activity related to the same subject after filing, a continuing activity SAR may be required within 120 days of the prior filing. That is a separate calculation.

If your result is already in the past, treat the filing as overdue. File as soon as possible and document the delay and its cause in your case file.

Why this matters for compliance teams

SAR deadline management is one of the most operationally straightforward parts of AML compliance, and still one of the most common sources of examination findings. The reasons are usually systemic: cases sitting in queues, unclear ownership of the detection date, or manual tracking that breaks down under volume.

A dedicated calculator addresses the calculation step directly. It eliminates arithmetic errors, removes ambiguity about which deadline applies, and gives every analyst on your team a consistent starting point. That consistency matters when cases change hands or when a supervisor is reviewing the file weeks later.

For compliance officers and MLROs managing a caseload, having the deadline computed at the moment a case is opened, and recorded in the case file, creates a natural accountability checkpoint. It also simplifies audit responses: if a regulator asks when a SAR was due, you can point to a documented date with a clear derivation.

FluxForce built this tool as part of a broader set of AML calculation and reference resources, so compliance teams have consistent, regulation-grounded answers available without having to re-derive them each time.

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