Colorado Late Fee Calculator

$50 / 5% most a lease may charge as a late fee
Rent limit
the larger of $50 and 5% of the overdue rent
Earliest fee day
Day 7 after the due date
Statute
C.R.S. § 38-12-105(1)(a)-(b)
Checked
What was not paid on time. Copies the rent until you type here.
How the lease sets the late fee
Pre-filled with the Colorado limit; type the figure from your lease.
Colorado lets a fee start on day 7, so this box starts at 6 days; typing less will not move that day.

Your late fee

$62.50

At the legal limit

Paid 12 days late, after the 6-day grace period.

The lease asks for $62.50, exactly the most C.R.S. § 38-12-105(1)(a)-(b) permits on these figures.

Days past due
12 days
Grace period ends
October 25, 2026
Earliest fee date
October 26, 2026
Lease late fee
5% of $1,250.00 = $62.50
Legal maximum
$62.50
Rent + late fee
$1,312.50

Limit set by Colorado (the larger of $50 and 5% of the overdue rent): $62.50

max($50.00, 5% × $1,250.00 overdue rent) = $62.50

Colorado, earliest legal fee date: October 26, 2026

Late rent notice builder

Who it is from and to
Amounts
Taken from the calculator. Set 0 if the rent itself is paid.
Taken from the result; you may change it.
Adds the two above until you type your own figure.
Blank: the letter asks for payment at the earliest opportunity.
Payment and contact
Where and how the tenant can pay.
Late rent notice

[Your name or company]

Date: October 31, 2026

To: [Tenant name]

[Rental property address]

Re: Overdue rent for [Rental property address]

Dear [Tenant name],

This letter is a reminder that the rent of $1,250.00 for [Rental property address] was due on October 19, 2026. As of October 31, 2026, $1,250.00 of it is still unpaid (12 days past due).

Your lease provides for a late charge, which comes to $62.50.

Amount now due

Unpaid rent
$1,250.00
Late charge
$62.50
Total
$1,312.50

Please pay $1,312.50 at your earliest opportunity.

If this letter crossed with your payment, please disregard it.

Regards,

[Your name or company]

8% legal default rate (contract silent)
Max written B2B rate
Up to 45% per year may be stipulated in writing — the cap applies to business deals too.
Cap regime
Hard cap — 45%
Statute
C.R.S. §§ 5-12-101 to -103
Verified
— how we verify · changelog

Compounded annually; runs from when the money became due on instruments, settled accounts, and money due on account.

Pre-filled with Colorado's statutory default (8%), which governs only when the contract names no rate; a rate stated in your contract replaces it.
Compounding only changes the result once the debt is more than a year overdue. Untick it if your contract sets simple interest.

Interest at 8% a year

Interest owed on an overdue invoice in Colorado at 8% per year
Invoice amount30 days late60 days late90 days late
$1,000.00$6.58$13.15$19.73
$5,000.00$32.88$65.75$98.63
$10,000.00$65.75$131.51$197.26

Maximum late fee in Colorado — written B2B contracts

Hard cap 45%.

Basis: C.R.S. §§ 5-12-103, 18-15-104.

About this page

Colorado rent late fee law

Colorado: a late fee can be charged only when a rent payment is seven or more calendar days late, and it can be no higher than $50 or 5% of the past-due payment, whichever is more.

(1) A LANDLORD SHALL NOT TAKE ANY OF THE FOLLOWING ACTIONS [...]: (a) CHARGE A TENANT OR HOME OWNER A LATE FEE UNLESS A RENT PAYMENT IS LATE BY AT LEAST SEVEN CALENDAR DAYS; (b) CHARGE A TENANT OR HOME OWNER A LATE FEE IN AN AMOUNT THAT EXCEEDS THE GREATER OF: (I) FIFTY DOLLARS; OR (II) FIVE PERCENT OF THE AMOUNT OF THE PAST DUE RENT PAYMENT;
— Colo. Rev. Stat. § 38-12-105(1)(a)-(b) (2021 Colo. Sess. Laws ch. 349, § 8). Read it at the official source · checked .

Before you send the late rent notice: it is a reminder letter about overdue rent and a late charge, not an eviction notice. A notice to pay rent or quit is a separate document, and Colorado has its own rules for it. Nothing on this page is legal advice.

What Colorado law says about invoice interest

When there is no agreement as to the rate thereof, creditors shall be allowed to receive interest at the rate of eight percent per annum compounded annually for all moneys after they become due on any bill, bond, promissory note, or other instrument of writing [...] but not exceeding forty-five percent per annum
— C.R.S. §§ 5-12-102(2), 5-12-103(1) (Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 5, official OLLS printout, pp. 121-122). Read it at the official source · row verified 2026-08-19.

Up to 45%/yr may be stipulated in writing; the cap binds business deals too and 45% is also the criminal-usury line. Narrow 'commercial credit plan' carve-out exists.

Not legal advice. Figures were last verified on the date shown; check the cited statute before charging a late fee.