Calculator
Prorated rent calculator
Calculate exact prorated rent for a mid-month move-in or move-out. Both the actual-days and 30-day methods, with the math shown.
How proration works
Prorated rent is rent for a partial month, owed when a tenant moves in or out on any day other than the first. Most US leases prorate the first month automatically; the catch is which daily rate and day count you use, because two leases starting on the same day can land on different numbers.
Two daily rates
The daily rate is the monthly rent divided by the number of days in the month, or divided by 30. Dividing by the actual month length charges a February move-in 8–10% more per day than dividing by 30. Neither method is universally required; a handful of states and many local leases fix the 30-day month in statute or in the lease language. Say which method you used on the tenant’s first statement, and stick to it for the life of the tenancy.
Which days count
Count from the move-in date through the end of the month, inclusive. If a tenant’s first full day is the 15th and the month has 31 days, that is 17 days owed. Move-out proration works the same way in reverse: from the first of the month through the day the keys come back. When the lease names a “possession date” different from the signing date, the possession date wins.
What to tell the tenant
Put the prorated amount, the daily rate, and the day count on the move-in statement, not just the total. Disputes about prorated rent are rarely about arithmetic; they are about a tenant who was never shown the rate or the dates. One line in the statement (“$55.47/day x 17 days”) is enough.
Worked examples
Tenant moves in June 15, rent $1,500
The actual-days rate is $50.00 per day ($1,500 divided by 30) times 16 days from the 15th through the 30th, for $800.00. When June is a 30-day month the actual-days and 30-day methods agree, so both methods land on the same $800.00.
Tenant moves in February 15, rent $1,500
In a 28-day February the actual-month rate is $53.57 per day ($1,500 divided by 28) times 14 days through the 28th, for $750.00. The 30-day method charges $50.00 per day times 16 days, for $800.00. The day counts differ by method, and the counting stays consistent with the June example above.
Month with 31 days, moves in on the 15th, rent $1,500
The actual-month rate is $48.38 per day ($1,500 divided by 31) times 17 days through the 31st, for $822.46.
Frequently asked questions
Do you have to prorate rent on move-out, or only move-in?
Both work the same way: rent owed for days from the first of the month through the day the tenant surrenders the keys, multiplied by the daily rate. Whether a landlord must prorate move-out depends on the lease; most states do not force move-out proration unless the lease says so.
Is the 30-day month or the actual-month method better?
The actual-month method charges more per day in February and less in a 31-day month. Courts and lease disputes care that you use one method consistently and disclose it on the statement, not which one you pick. Many large managers use 30-day because it keeps every month identical.
Should the prorated amount be due before the tenant gets the keys?
Yes. Collect the prorated first partial month (plus deposit and any fees) at signing or key handover, then the first full month on the normal due date. Never float a prorated amount into the first full month as a combined charge: it obscures the daily rate and invites disputes.
What if the tenant moves in on the first of a month but not the usual due date?
No proration needed: a move-in on the 1st owes the full month. Proration only applies when occupancy starts or ends mid-period. If your lease year runs from the 15th to the 14th, prorate to that cycle exactly as the lease defines it.
Can the tenant and landlord just agree to a round number instead?
They can, and often do when the computed number is awkward ($822.46 becomes $820 or $825). Put the agreed number in writing on the statement with the daily rate it is based on. A superseded calculation with no paper trail is how proration disputes reach small-claims court.
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