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Tools · Security Deposit

South Carolina Security Deposit Calculator (2026)

Enter your rent and move-out date to see the most a South Carolina landlord can charge and the exact date your deposit is due back — no statutory cap here, returned 30 days after the tenancy ends and you hand back the unit, whichever is later, once you have given the landlord a forwarding address.

Cited to S.C. Code Ann. §27-40-410 (Residential Landlord and Tenant Act)Source: South Carolina Legislature, S.C. Code §27-40-410.

South Carolina security deposit calculator

Security deposit · South Carolina
South Carolina rule applied to your numbers
Maximum deposit
No cap
South Carolina sets no statutory maximum; your lease sets the amount. Section 27-40-410 does not limit the size of a residential security deposit. A landlord and tenant may agree to any amount in the lease. One-to-two months of rent is common in practice, but that is custom, not a legal ceiling.
Return deadline
30 days
30 days after the tenancy ends and you hand back the unit, whichever is later, once you have given the landlord a forwarding address. Enter your move-out date for the exact deadline.

These are the South Carolina 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 return the deposit or send the required written itemization, you may recover three times the amount wrongfully withheld plus reasonable attorney fees. There is also a distinctive disclosure rule: a landlord who rents more than four adjoining units on the premises and uses different deposit standards for different tenants must, before the lease is signed, either post those standards conspicuously or give each prospective tenant a written statement of them. A landlord who does not comply cannot take damage deductions from the amount by which your deposit exceeds the lowest deposit charged a comparable unit.
Interest on the deposit
South Carolina does not require a landlord to pay interest on a security deposit. Section 27-40-410 is silent on interest, so any interest the deposit earns belongs to the landlord unless the lease says otherwise.

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 South Carolina security deposit reference, cited to S.C. Code Ann. §27-40-410 (Residential Landlord and Tenant Act).

How South Carolina security deposits work

South Carolina puts real teeth behind its deposit rules: if a landlord wrongfully keeps your money or skips the required written notice, you can recover three times the amount wrongfully withheld plus reasonable attorney fees under S.C. Code 27-40-410. The state also has an unusual disclosure rule. A landlord who rents more than four adjoining units on a property and charges different deposit amounts under different standards must, before you sign, either post those standards in a conspicuous place or hand you a written statement of them. Skip that step, and the landlord loses the right to deduct damages from the part of your deposit that exceeds the lowest deposit charged for a comparable unit. There is no cap on the deposit amount, so the figure is whatever the lease sets. The landlord has 30 days after you leave and return the unit to send back the deposit with any deductions itemized in writing. To start that clock and protect your rights, give the landlord a forwarding address in writing.

This calculator shows the South Carolina 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 South Carolina security deposit reference.

Security deposit calculators for other states

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