Tools · Security Deposit

Alabama Security Deposit Calculator (2026)

Enter your rent and move-out date to see the most a Alabama landlord can charge and the exact date your deposit is due back — up to 1 month of rent, returned 60 days after the tenancy ends and the tenant returns possession of the unit.

Cited to Ala. Code §35-9A-201Source: Alabama Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act, Ala. Code §35-9A-201 (via FindLaw).

Alabama security deposit calculator

Security deposit · Alabama

State

Monthly rent

Move-out date

Alabama rule applied to your numbers

Maximum deposit

$2,000

Up to 1 month’s rent under Alabama law. Alabama caps a base security deposit at one month's periodic rent (Ala. Code 35-9A-201). The cap does not count three specific extras the statute lets a landlord charge on top: a deposit for pets, a deposit tied to changes the tenant makes to the unit, and a deposit for anything that increases the liability risk to the landlord or the property. Because of those carve-outs, the total a tenant pays up front can lawfully exceed one month's rent.

Return deadline

60 days

60 days after the tenancy ends and the tenant returns possession of the unit. Enter your move-out date for the exact deadline.

These are the Alabama figures applied to what you entered: a plain summary of the rule and the dates, not a determination that anyone did or did not comply.

If a deposit is wrongly kept

If the landlord fails to mail a timely refund or itemized accounting within the 60-day period, the landlord must pay the tenant double the amount of the tenant's original deposit.

Interest on the deposit

Alabama does not require a landlord to pay interest on a security deposit. A landlord may choose to pay interest, but nothing in the statute compels it.

PlainStatute

Security deposit — Alabama

Maximum deposit: $2,000 · 1 month’s rent
Monthly rent: $2,000
Move-out date: Not entered
Return deadline: 60 days after the tenancy ends and the tenant returns possession of the unit

Source: Ala. Code §35-9A-201

https://codes.findlaw.com/al/title-35-property/al-code-sect-35-9a-201/

⚠ Draft: confirm with the official source before relying on this.

Printed from plainstatute.com
Plain-language summary, not legal advice.

Informational only, not legal advice. Security-deposit rules carry exceptions (lease type, small landlords, city ordinances) this summary cannot weigh. See the full statute and exceptions on the Alabama security deposit reference, cited to Ala. Code §35-9A-201.

How Alabama security deposits work

Alabama caps a base residential security deposit at one month's rent under the state's Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act (Ala. Code 35-9A-201). The cap comes with three notable carve-outs: a landlord may charge extra, above that one month, for a pet deposit, for changes the tenant makes to the unit, and for anything that raises the liability risk to the landlord or the property. So the total collected up front can lawfully run higher than one month's rent. After you move out and hand back the unit, the landlord has 60 days to mail your deposit or a written itemized list of what was kept and why. Miss that deadline and the landlord owes you double your original deposit. Alabama does not require interest on the deposit or a separate account, and any deposit you never claim is forfeited after 90 days.

This calculator shows the Alabama figures applied to your own rent and dates. It is informational only and not legal advice — exceptions this summary cannot weigh may apply. For the full rules, penalties, and citations, see the Alabama security deposit reference.

Security deposit calculators for other states

Same tool, each with its own cap and return deadline.