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Tools · Security Deposit

New Jersey Security Deposit Calculator (2026)

Enter your rent and move-out date to see the most a New Jersey landlord can charge and the exact date your deposit is due back — up to 1.5 months of rent, returned 30 days (5 business days after displacement; 15 after a DV termination) after the lease ends.

Cited to N.J.S.A. §§46:8-19 to 46:8-26Source: New Jersey Department of Community Affairs.

New Jersey security deposit calculator

Security deposit · New Jersey
New Jersey rule applied to your numbers
Maximum deposit
$3,000
Up to 1.5 months' rent under New Jersey law. The deposit may not exceed 1.5 months' rent, and any yearly increase is capped at 10% of the existing deposit.
Return deadline
30 days (5 business days after displacement; 15 after a DV termination)
30 days (5 business days after displacement; 15 after a DV termination) after the lease ends. Enter your move-out date for the exact deadline.

These are the New Jersey 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
The court "shall award recovery of double the amount" of the deposit or interest wrongfully withheld, plus full costs; attorney's fees may be awarded at the court's discretion (§46:8-21.1).
Interest on the deposit
Interest (or investment earnings) on the deposit belongs to the tenant — at the variable rate the required account actually earns, not a fixed percentage. It is paid in cash or credited toward rent at each annual renewal date or every January 31 (§46:8-19). The one fixed figure in the statute is a remedy: if the landlord fails to invest the deposit or give the required notice, the tenant may apply the deposit to rent and the landlord owes 7% interest (§46:8-19).
PlainStatute
Security deposit — New Jersey
Maximum deposit
$3,000 · 1.5 months rent
Monthly rent
$2,000
Move-out date
Not entered
Return deadline (30 days (5 business days after displacement; 15 after a DV termination))
30 days (5 business days after displacement; 15 after a DV termination)
Source: N.J.S.A. §§46:8-19 to 46:8-26
https://www.nj.gov/dca/codes/publications/pdf_lti/sdepsit_law.pdf
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 New Jersey security deposit reference, cited to N.J.S.A. §§46:8-19 to 46:8-26.

How New Jersey security deposits work

New Jersey is one of the few states where interest on your deposit is genuinely mandatory — it's your money, and the landlord must either pay it out or credit it against rent every year. The cap is one and a half months' rent, and even the annual increase is limited to 10%. The return deadline is normally 30 days, but it collapses fast in emergencies: just five business days if you're displaced by a fire, flood, or condemnation, and fifteen after a domestic-violence lease termination. Ignore the aggregator claim that the deadline became 45 days in 2024 — it's still 30.

This calculator shows the New Jersey 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 New Jersey security deposit reference.

Security deposit calculators for other states

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

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