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Tools · Security Deposit

California Security Deposit Calculator (2026)

Enter your rent and move-out date to see the most a California landlord can charge and the exact date your deposit is due back — up to 1 month of rent, returned 21 days after the tenant moves out.

Cited to Cal. Civ. Code §1950.5 (subdivisions renumbered by AB 2801, 2025)Source: California Legislative Information.

California security deposit calculator

Security deposit · California
California rule applied to your numbers
Maximum deposit
$2,000
Up to 1 month' rent under California law. A small landlord — a natural person (or an LLC owned entirely by natural persons) who owns no more than two rental properties totaling four or fewer units — may charge up to 2 months (§1950.5(c)(5), formerly (c)(4)). But if the tenant is a service member, the cap stays at 1 month.
Return deadline
21 days
21 days after the tenant moves out. Enter your move-out date for the exact deadline.

These are the California 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
A landlord who retains a deposit in bad faith may be liable for statutory damages of up to twice the amount of the deposit, on top of actual damages (§1950.5(m), formerly (l)).
Interest on the deposit
State law does not require interest on a security deposit. Some rent-control cities impose their own interest rules by ordinance, but that is local law, not §1950.5.
Local ordinances
Some California cities with rent control (for example under local ordinances) require landlords to pay interest on deposits. This page states the statewide rule; check your city.
PlainStatute
Security deposit — California
Maximum deposit
$2,000 · 1 month rent
Monthly rent
$2,000
Move-out date
Not entered
Return deadline (21 days)
21 days
Source: Cal. Civ. Code §1950.5 (subdivisions renumbered by AB 2801, 2025)
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202320240AB12
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 California security deposit reference, cited to Cal. Civ. Code §1950.5 (subdivisions renumbered by AB 2801, 2025).

How California security deposits work

California's deposit rules changed dramatically in 2024. AB 12 slashed the old two-to-three-months cap down to a single month's rent for most landlords — one of the biggest tenant wins in years. A narrow exception lets true small landlords (two or fewer properties, four or fewer units) charge two months, but never to a service member. And thanks to AB 2801, landlords now have to photograph the unit and any repairs they bill you for, which makes vague "cleaning and damage" deductions much harder to defend.

This calculator shows the California 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 California security deposit reference.

Security deposit calculators for other states

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

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