Free calculator + guide
Prorated rent calculator
Prorated rent is the partial-month amount a tenant pays when a lease starts or ends mid-month: daily rate × days occupied. Enter the rent and date below, pick the daily-rate method your lease specifies — actual days, 30-day, or 365-day — and get the exact amount with a summary you can copy into an email or ledger.
Amount due
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Enter a monthly rent and a date to see the prorated amount.
For information only — always follow the proration clause in the signed lease. If the lease is silent, actual-days is the most common method in Maryland.
The part other calculators skip
The three methods don't produce the same number
Most calculators quietly assume one method. But on the same $2,400 rent, the method changes what the tenant owes — by almost $100 in February. That's why the lease should name the method, and why this calculator lets you pick it.
| $2,400/mo scenario | Actual days | 30-day month | 365-day annual | Spread |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Feb move-in on the 15th (14 of 28 days) | $1,200.00 | $1,120.00 | $1,104.66 | $95.34 |
| July move-in on the 20th (12 of 31 days) | $929.03 | $960.00 | $946.85 | $30.97 |
Notice the flip: actual-days is the most expensive method in short February and the cheapest in 31-day July. Neither party is being cheated — the methods just distribute the year differently. Pick one, write it into the lease, and apply it to every tenant identically.
The most-asked question
Is prorated rent due the first month — or the second?
Convention A: prorate month one
The tenant pays only the prorated partial month at move-in, then full rent on the 1st thereafter. Simplest for tenants to understand; less cash collected up front.
Convention B: prorate month two
The tenant pays a full month at move-in, and the prorated amount is applied to the second month. Landlords often prefer this — a full month plus the security deposit is collected before keys change hands.
Both are legitimate; disputes happen only when the lease doesn't say which one applies. Full breakdown with a timeline example →
Maryland specifics
What Maryland law actually says about prorated rent
No Maryland statute requires proration. It's purely a lease term — which means the lease's proration clause (method and due-date convention) is the whole ballgame. A landlord can decline to prorate, but a clear clause beats an argument every time.
The rest of the move-in math is regulated. Maryland caps the security deposit at one month's rent (since October 1, 2024, under Md. Real Property § 8-203), caps late fees at 5% of the rent due (§ 8-208), and regulates application fees over $25 (§ 8-213). So a Maryland mid-month move-in typically totals: prorated or full first month + at most one month's deposit.
Deposit in that math earning interest? Maryland security deposit interest calculator →
- ✓Proration method named in every lease we write
- ✓Due-date convention stated — no month-two surprises
- ✓Deposit capped and handled per § 8-203
- ✓Same policy applied to every applicant
FAQ
Prorated rent, answered
How do you calculate prorated rent?＋
Divide the monthly rent by the number of days in the billing basis to get a daily rate, then multiply by the days occupied. The three common bases: actual days in that calendar month (most common in Maryland), a flat 30-day month, or an annual basis of monthly rent × 12 ÷ 365. Your lease's proration clause controls which applies.
Do you pay full rent the first month if you move in mid-month?＋
Not usually — most leases prorate the partial month so you only pay for the days you occupy. But the lease controls: some landlords collect a full first month at signing and apply the proration to the second month instead. Both are legitimate; the lease should say which.
Is prorated rent due at move-in or with the second month?＋
It depends on the convention the lease uses. Convention A: the prorated partial month is what you pay at move-in. Convention B: you pay a full month at move-in and the prorated amount is folded into month two. Many landlords prefer B because it keeps a full month collected up front.
Is a landlord required to prorate rent in Maryland?＋
No Maryland statute requires proration — it's a lease term. In practice nearly all mid-month move-ins are prorated, and a lease that spells out the method and due-date convention prevents the dispute entirely.
Which proration method should I use?＋
Whatever the lease says. If the lease is silent, actual-days-in-month is the most common and the easiest to defend: the tenant pays exactly the fraction of the month they occupied. Whichever method you pick, apply it identically to every tenant.
How do you prorate rent for February or a leap year?＋
Under the actual-days method, February's daily rate is the highest of the year because the same rent divides across 28 days (29 in a leap year — next in 2028). At $2,400 a month that's $85.71 per day in February versus $77.42 in July. The 30-day and 365-day methods avoid the swing entirely.
Do landlords have to prorate rent when you move out?＋
Only if the lease provides for it. Many leases require rent through the end of the final month or through the notice period regardless of the exact move-out date. Check the lease's notice and proration clauses together — they interact.
How is a mid-lease rent increase prorated?＋
If a renewal rate starts mid-month, charge the old daily rate for days before the effective date and the new daily rate from the effective date on, using the same daily-rate method as the lease. Almost no lease template addresses this — worth adding a sentence when you renew.
How much should a Maryland tenant expect to pay at move-in?＋
Typically the first month's rent (full or prorated, per the lease's convention) plus a security deposit — which Maryland caps at one month's rent since October 2024. Any application fee over $25 is subject to refund rules under Md. Real Property § 8-213.
Prorations, deposits, and move-in math are part of every lease we write — see tenant placement or get a free rental analysis.