Tools · Security Deposit

Maine Security Deposit Calculator (2026)

Enter your rent and move-out date to see the most a Maine landlord can charge and the exact date your deposit is due back — up to 2 months of rent, returned 30 days (written lease) or 21 days (tenancy at will) after the tenancy ends or the tenant surrenders the unit and the landlord accepts it, whichever is later.

Cited to 14 M.R.S. §§6031-6038Source: Maine Legislature, 14 M.R.S. Chapter 710-A (§§6032, 6033, 6034, 6037, 6038).

Maine security deposit calculator

Security deposit · Maine

State

Monthly rent

Move-out date

Maine rule applied to your numbers

Maximum deposit

$4,000

Up to 2 months’ rent under Maine law. Section 6032 sets a flat cap: a lease or tenancy-at-will agreement for a dwelling meant for human habitation may not require a deposit worth more than two months' rent. The cap does not apply to a building of five or fewer units when the landlord lives in one of them, or where the deposit rules conflict with a federally guaranteed mortgage (14 M.R.S. 6037).

Return deadline

30 days (written lease) or 21 days (tenancy at will)

30 days (written lease) or 21 days (tenancy at will) after the tenancy ends or the tenant surrenders the unit and the landlord accepts it, whichever is later. Enter your move-out date for the exact deadline.

These are the Maine 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

Wrongful retention makes the landlord liable for double the amount wrongfully withheld, plus reasonable attorney's fees and court costs (14 M.R.S. 6034). If the landlord does not return the deposit within seven days after the tenant serves written notice of intent to sue, the landlord is presumed to be retaining it wrongfully, and the landlord carries the burden of proving otherwise. Mishandling the deposit account under section 6038 is separate: it lets the tenant recover actual damages or $500 or one month's rent, whichever is greatest, plus costs and possible attorney's fees.

Interest on the deposit

Maine does not require a landlord to pay interest on a residential security deposit. The deposit must still be held in a bank or financial institution and kept beyond the reach of the landlord's creditors, but any interest that account earns belongs to the landlord.

PlainStatute

Security deposit — Maine

Maximum deposit: $4,000 · 2 months’ rent
Monthly rent: $2,000
Move-out date: Not entered
Return deadline: 30 days (written lease) or 21 days (tenancy at will) after the tenancy ends or the tenant surrenders the unit and the landlord accepts it, whichever is later

Source: 14 M.R.S. §§6031-6038

https://legislature.maine.gov/statutes/14/title14ch710-Asec0.html

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 Maine security deposit reference, cited to 14 M.R.S. §§6031-6038.

How Maine security deposits work

Maine caps a residential security deposit at two months' rent under 14 M.R.S. 6032, and it does something many states do not: the money may not be commingled with the landlord's own assets. The deposit has to sit in a bank or financial institution, out of reach of the landlord's creditors, and on request the landlord must tell you the institution and account number where it is held. The return deadline splits by tenancy type. Under a written lease, the landlord has whatever time the lease states but never more than 30 days; under a tenancy at will, the window is 21 days after you leave and the landlord accepts the unit. Either way, keeping any part of the deposit requires a written itemized statement of the reasons, and normal wear and tear can never be charged. If the landlord holds on to your money without cause, section 6034 lets you recover double the amount wrongfully withheld plus reasonable attorney's fees and court costs.

This calculator shows the Maine 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 Maine security deposit reference.

Security deposit calculators for other states

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