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Late rent fee calculator
Enter the rent, how many days late it is, and the state. The calculator applies the statutory cap and grace period and shows the most that can lawfully be charged, or tells you plainly when the state has no cap.
States with a statutory late fee cap
| State | Cap | Grace period | Statute |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado | Greater of $50 or 5% | 7 days | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 38-12-105(1) |
| Connecticut | Lesser of $null or 5% | 9 days | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-15a(a)-(b); § 47a-4(a)(8)-(9) |
| Delaware | 5% of monthly rent | 5 days | Del. Code tit. 25, § 5501(d) |
| District of Columbia | 5% of monthly rent | 5 days | D.C. Code § 42-3505.31 |
| Hawaii | 8% of monthly rent | — | HRS § 521-21(f) |
| Iowa | Tiered | — | Iowa Code § 562A.9(4) |
| Maine | 4% of monthly rent | 15 days | 14 M.R.S. § 6028 |
| Maryland | 5% of monthly rent | — | Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-208 |
| Minnesota | 8% of monthly rent | — | Minn. Stat. § 504B.177 |
| Nevada | 5% of monthly rent | 3 days | NRS 118A.210(4) |
| New Mexico | 5% of monthly rent | — | NMSA 1978 § 47-8-15(D), as amended by Laws 2025, ch. 122, § 6 (SB 267) |
| New York | Lesser of $50 or 5% | 5 days | N.Y. Real Prop. Law § 238-a |
| North Carolina | Greater of $15 or 5% | 5 days | N.C.G.S. § 42-46(a), (b) |
| Oregon | 5% (tiered) | 4 days | ORS 90.260; ORS 90.302(2)(a) |
| Tennessee | 10% of monthly rent | 5 days | Tenn. Code § 66-28-201(d) |
| Texas | 12% of monthly rent | 2 days | Tex. Prop. Code § 92.019 |
| Utah | Greater of $75 or 10% | — | Utah Code § 57-22-4(5) |
| Virginia | Lesser of $null or 10% | 5 days | Va. Code § 55.1-1204(E); § 55.1-1204(C)(5) |
States without a fixed cap
In these states the lease sets the fee and the courts police it with a reasonableness or liquidated-damages standard. Some still impose a grace period or a 30-day rule (Massachusetts).
| State | Rule | Grace period |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | No statutory cap and no statutory grace period; no statute located. The Alabama Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Ala. Code Title 35, Ch. 9A) is silent on late fees; fee must be in the written lease and is subject to general reasonableness/unconscionability limits (confirmed via secondary sources only). | — |
| Alaska | No statutory cap and no statutory grace period; no statute located. The Alaska Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (AS 34.03) is silent on late charges; the Alaska Department of Law booklet says a lease may set a small flat-rate late charge that reasonably approximates the landlord's actual costs, and a tenant cannot be evicted for unpaid late fees alone. | — |
| Arizona | No statutory dollar or percentage cap and no statutory grace period; the landlord may collect 'a reasonable late fee set forth in a written rental agreement' (A.R.S. § 33-1368(B)). Reasonableness is undefined in statute. (Mobile home parks have a separate 5-day grace rule under § 33-1414, out of scope.) | — |
| Arkansas | No statutory cap and no statutory grace period; no statute located. Arkansas landlord-tenant statutes are silent on late fees; the lease governs, subject to general reasonableness (confirmed via secondary sources only). | — |
| California | No statutory dollar or percentage cap and no statutory grace period. A late-fee clause in a residential lease is a liquidated-damages provision that is void unless it would be impracticable or extremely difficult to fix actual damages, so the fee must be a reasonable pre-estimate of the landlord's actual costs (Civ. Code § 1671(d); Orozco v. Casimiro (2004)). | — |
| Florida | No statutory cap or grace period; no statute located. Fla. Stat. ch. 83, Part II (including §§ 83.46 and 83.56) contains no late-fee provision. Fees must be in the written lease and are enforceable as liquidated damages only if reasonable (not a penalty). Since HB 1417 (2023), local governments are preempted from regulating the landlord-tenant relationship, including fees. Confirmed via secondary sources. | — |
| Georgia | No statutory cap or grace period; no statute located. O.C.G.A. Title 44, Chapter 7 does not regulate late fees; a fee must be in the lease and can be challenged on general contract (penalty vs. liquidated damages) grounds. Confirmed via secondary sources. | — |
| Idaho | No dollar or percentage cap and no statutory grace period. Any fee imposed on a residential tenant, including a late fee, must be reasonable, may not exceed the amount agreed in the rental agreement, and may not be charged unless it is in the written agreement (or the landlord gives 30 days' written notice of the change; oral agreements excepted). Applies to agreements entered into or renewed on or after July 1, 2023. | — |
| Illinois | No statewide statutory cap or grace period; no statute located. Late fees must be in the lease and reasonable (unenforceable penalty if excessive). The Landlord and Tenant Act (765 ILCS 705) was read in full and contains no late-fee section. The frequently cited '$20 or 20% of monthly rent, whichever is greater' rule is from the Self-Service Storage Facility Act (770 ILCS 95) and does not apply to residential rentals. Chicago (RLTO) and Cook County (RTLO) ordinances impose local caps and grace periods. | — |
| Indiana | No statutory cap and no statutory grace period; no statute located. Late fees must be stated in the lease and be reasonable (confirmed via secondary sources iPropertyManagement and Landlord Studio). | — |
| Kansas | No statutory cap and no statutory grace period; no statute located. K.S.A. 58-2545(a) lets the parties include any terms not prohibited by law, so late fees must be in the rental agreement and reasonable (secondary sources TurboTenant and Landlord Studio confirm no state limit). | — |
| Kentucky | No statutory cap or grace period. KRS 383.565 (terms of rental agreement) says nothing about late fees; some secondary sites claim a 10%/5-day rule under 383.565, which is not in the statute text. Fees are governed by the lease and general reasonableness. | — |
| Louisiana | No statutory cap or grace period; late fees are governed by the lease. Confirmed only via secondary sources (absence of statute). | — |
| Massachusetts | No statutory cap on the amount, but no interest or penalty for late rent may be imposed until rent is 30 days overdue (M.G.L. c. 186 § 15B(1)(c)). | 30 days |
| Michigan | No statute caps late fees or sets a grace period; fees must be in the written lease and are subject to common-law reasonableness (courts generally accept roughly 5-10%; secondary sources only). | — |
| Mississippi | No statute caps late fees or sets a grace period; fees are governed by the rental agreement. | — |
| Missouri | No statutory cap or grace period; late fees are enforceable only if provided in the lease and reasonable under general contract (liquidated-damages) principles. | — |
| Montana | No statutory cap or grace period; late charges are permitted if set in the rental agreement (MCA 70-25-201 expressly allows deducting 'late charges' from the deposit) and are subject only to general reasonableness/penalty principles. | — |
| Nebraska | No statutory cap or grace period in the Nebraska Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; late fees must be in the rental agreement and reasonable. | — |
| New Hampshire | No statutory cap or grace period; late fees must be provided for in the lease and reasonable. | — |
| New Jersey | No statutory cap on late fees; fee must be in the lease and reasonable (courts). A 5-business-day grace period applies ONLY to tenants who are senior citizens receiving Social Security/railroad/government pensions, or recipients of SSDI, SSI, or Work First NJ benefits, when rent is due on the 1st (N.J.S.A. 2A:42-6.1, -6.3). No grace period for other tenants. | — |
| North Dakota | No statutory cap or grace period for residential late fees in North Dakota; the lease controls (general reasonableness/penalty doctrine applies). | — |
| Ohio | No statutory cap or grace period for residential late fees in Ohio; courts enforce only reasonable fees (unreasonable fees may be struck as penalties). | — |
| Oklahoma | No statutory cap or grace period for residential late fees in Oklahoma; the lease controls. | — |
| Pennsylvania | No statutory cap or grace period for residential late fees in Pennsylvania; the lease controls and fees must be reasonable (Philadelphia and some cities have local rules). | — |
| Rhode Island | No statutory cap or grace period for residential late fees in Rhode Island; the lease controls. | — |
| South Carolina | No statutory cap or grace period for residential late fees in South Carolina; the lease controls. | — |
| South Dakota | No statutory cap or grace period for residential late fees in South Dakota; the lease controls. | — |
| Vermont | No statutory cap or grace period for residential late fees in Vermont; the lease controls. | — |
| Washington | No statutory cap on late fees, but no late fee may be charged for rent paid within five days after the due date; if rent is more than five days late, fees may run from the first day after the due date. In an eviction, a tenant may reinstate the tenancy by paying rent plus late fees of no more than $75 total (RCW 59.18.410). | 5 days |
| West Virginia | No statutory cap or grace period for residential late fees in West Virginia; the lease controls. | — |
| Wisconsin | No statutory cap or grace period for residential late fees in Wisconsin; the lease controls (ATCP 134 requires fees to be disclosed in the rental agreement). | — |
| Wyoming | No statutory cap or grace period for residential late fees in Wyoming; the lease controls. | — |
How late fee caps work
State caps come in four shapes. A percentage of rent (Delaware, Maryland, Nevada, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and others) scales with the rent. A flat dollar amount stands alone or combines with a percentage as the greater of or lesser of two figures: New York allows the lesser of $50 or 5%, Colorado the greater of $50 or 5%, North Carolina the greater of $15 or 5%. A few states allow a daily fee with a total ceiling, such as Iowa’s $12 a day up to $60 on rents of $700 or less.
Grace periods are separate from caps. Where the statute sets one, no fee may be charged until it has run, even if the lease says otherwise. Massachusetts goes further: no fee of any size until rent is 30 days late. Several no-cap states still have a statutory grace period (Washington’s five days, for instance).
Local ordinances
Cities can add limits where the state does not pre-empt them. Chicago caps late fees at $10 on the first $500 of rent plus 5% of the rest, although Illinois has no state cap. Check the city page where one exists; the state pages note the main local rules we know of.