How Long Does a Motion for Reconsideration Take to Resolve?

The Short Answer: Thirty Days From Submission

Rule 37 of the Rules of Court is direct about this. Once a motion for reconsideration has been submitted for resolution, the court “shall” resolve it within thirty (30) calendar days. That is the rule as written, and it applies to motions for reconsideration filed against a trial court’s judgment or final order. The harder part — and the part that actually determines how long you wait — is figuring out when a motion counts as “submitted for resolution” in the first place, because that is when the thirty-day clock starts, not the day you filed the motion.

What “Submitted for Resolution” Really Means

A motion is not submitted the moment it lands on the clerk’s desk. Under the rules, a case or matter is deemed submitted upon the filing of the last pleading, brief, or memorandum that the rules — or the court itself — require. In practice, that usually means the thirty-day period does not start until:

• the opposing party has filed (or had the chance to file) a comment or opposition to the motion, and
• any hearing the court sets on the motion has actually taken place, if one is required.

So if you file a motion for reconsideration today, the more realistic mental math is: filing date, plus however long the court gives the other side to respond, plus any hearing date, and only then does the thirty-day resolution clock begin. It is common for the total time from filing to an actual ruling to run well past thirty days once these preliminary steps are accounted for — the thirty-day figure covers the court’s own deliberation period after the motion is ripe, not the whole process from filing to decision.

You Only Have Fifteen Days to File the Motion in the First Place

Before resolution timing matters at all, filing timing does. A motion for new trial or reconsideration must be filed within the same period allowed for taking an appeal from the judgment or final order — ordinarily fifteen days from receipt of the decision, though certain proceedings that require a record on appeal allow a longer window. Miss that window and the judgment becomes final and executory; there is no such thing as a late motion for reconsideration that still tolls the appeal period.

One trap worth flagging: a motion for reconsideration that is merely pro forma — one that repeats arguments already ruled on without pointing to specific findings or evidence the decision supposedly got wrong — does not stop the clock on your appeal period at all, even if you filed it on time. Rule 37 requires the motion to point out, specifically, which findings or conclusions are unsupported by the evidence or contrary to law, with reference to the actual testimony, documents, or legal provisions involved. A motion that just says the judge was wrong, without that specificity, risks being treated as if it were never filed for purposes of preserving your right to appeal.

Only One Motion for Reconsideration Is Allowed

Rule 37 also limits how many bites at the apple a losing party gets. No party is allowed a second motion for reconsideration of the same judgment or final order. Everything you intend to argue has to go into the single motion; grounds not raised are deemed waived. This is different from a second motion for new trial, which the rules allow in narrow circumstances if it is based on a ground that did not exist or was not available when the first motion was filed.

The Bigger Constitutional Backstop

Beyond Rule 37’s specific thirty-day figure, the 1987 Constitution sets an outer boundary on how long any “case or matter” — a category the Supreme Court has treated as covering motions submitted for resolution, not just judgments on the merits — can sit with a court. Article VIII, Section 15 requires cases or matters to be decided or resolved within twenty-four months for the Supreme Court, twelve months for lower collegiate courts (the Court of Appeals, Sandiganbayan, and Court of Tax Appeals), and three months — roughly ninety days — for all other lower courts, such as Regional Trial Courts and first-level courts, counted from the date of submission. Judges who let a matter run past this constitutional deadline are required to certify the reason for the delay, and the Constitution is explicit that the deadline does not excuse a court from eventually deciding the matter regardless of how much time has passed.

For most litigants dealing with a motion for reconsideration in a trial court, then, there are really two numbers in play: the thirty-day period specific to Rule 37, and the three-month constitutional ceiling that applies more broadly if a court is unusually slow. Neither number restarts the clock retroactively if missed — a court that rules on day forty or day one hundred has not given you any additional remedy against the delay itself, beyond the political and administrative accountability the Constitution builds in for the judge.

What Happens After the Motion Is Resolved

If the motion for reconsideration is granted, the original judgment may be modified, amended, or set aside, and the case proceeds accordingly — sometimes with a new trial. If it is denied, the rules are specific about the remedy: you do not appeal the order denying the motion for reconsideration itself, because such an order is not appealable on its own. Instead, you appeal the underlying judgment or final order, using whatever time remains in your original appeal period, or the balance of it, counted from receipt of the denial. This is why filing the motion for reconsideration on time matters so much — it is what preserves and, in effect, pauses your appeal clock while the court considers it.

Why Real-World Timelines Still Vary

Even with these fixed periods on the books, actual turnaround depends heavily on a court’s caseload, whether a hearing is required and how quickly it can be scheduled, and whether the opposing party asks for (and is given) extensions to file a comment. Courts in busier jurisdictions, particularly urban centers like Quezon City and Metro Manila generally, routinely carry heavier dockets than the thirty-day standard anticipates. None of this changes what the rule says; it only means litigants should treat thirty days as the legal benchmark a court is supposed to meet, not a guaranteed delivery date.

Does the Court Level Change the Picture?

Rule 37’s thirty-day resolution period is written for trial courts — Regional Trial Courts and first-level courts — ruling on a judgment or final order they themselves issued. Motions for reconsideration filed with the Court of Appeals or the Supreme Court are governed by those courts’ own internal rules and practices for handling motions, rather than by Rule 37 in the same direct way, and appellate motions frequently take longer in practice given the volume of cases and the collegiate nature of the decision-making (a division of three or more justices has to deliberate together, not a single judge). What does carry through at every level is the constitutional ceiling discussed above — twelve months for the Court of Appeals and other lower collegiate courts, twenty-four months for the Supreme Court — which functions as the outer boundary regardless of which specific procedural rule governs the motion itself.

This is one more reason the appropriate expectation to set with a client or with yourself is a range rather than a fixed date: thirty days is the number Rule 37 assigns to a trial court motion once it is ripe for resolution, but the realistic end-to-end timeline — from the day you file the motion to the day you actually receive a signed order — depends on the level of court, that court’s existing caseload, and how quickly the opposing side responds.

What to Do While You Wait

• Track the submission date, not the filing date. Ask your counsel to confirm exactly when the motion became “submitted for resolution” so you know when the thirty-day period actually starts.
• Keep an eye on the three-month mark. If a trial court has not ruled within roughly ninety days of submission, that is the point at which the constitutional ceiling itself is in play, not just the Rule 37 figure.
• Do not assume silence means denial. Nothing in the rules treats a court’s failure to rule within thirty days as an automatic denial or grant — you still need an actual order before you can move to the next step, whether that is executing on the judgment or filing an appeal.
• Make the single motion count. Because a second motion for reconsideration is not allowed, raise every argument and every supporting fact you have the first time.

Frequently Asked Questions

When does the thirty-day period for resolving a motion for reconsideration actually start? It starts when the motion is deemed submitted for resolution, which is generally after the opposing party has filed (or had the opportunity to file) a comment and after any required hearing has taken place, not on the date you filed the motion.

What if the court does not rule within thirty days? The order still has to be issued before you can take your next step; nothing in the rules treats silence as an automatic grant or denial, though prolonged delay past the roughly three-month constitutional ceiling triggers an administrative certification requirement for the judge.

Can I file a second motion for reconsideration if the first one is denied? No. Rule 37 bars a second motion for reconsideration of the same judgment or final order, so every ground and every piece of supporting evidence needs to go into the single motion you file.

If my motion for reconsideration is denied, do I appeal that denial order? No. An order denying a motion for reconsideration is not independently appealable; the remedy is to appeal the original judgment or final order itself, within whatever time remains of your original appeal period.

This commentary is for general informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For guidance specific to your situation, please consult a licensed attorney.

If you have questions about your rights or options under Philippine law, our firm is available to assist. You may reach us via Viber or WhatsApp, call us at 0995 433 5550, or send an email to vivasnobles@gmail.com. We look forward to hearing from you.