Maine Late Fee Calculator

4% most a lease may charge as a late fee
Rent limit
4% of the monthly rent
Earliest fee day
Day 16 after the due date
Statute
14 M.R.S. § 6028
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 Maine limit; type the figure from your lease.
Maine lets a fee start on day 16, so this box starts at 15 days; typing less will not move that day.

Your late fee

$0.00

At the legal limit

Paid 12 days late but inside the lease's 15-day grace period, so no late fee.

The lease asks for $50.00, exactly the most 14 M.R.S. § 6028 permits on these figures.

Days past due
12 days
Grace period ends
November 3, 2026
Earliest fee date
November 4, 2026
Lease late fee
4% of $1,250.00 = $50.00
Legal maximum
$50.00
Rent + late fee
$1,250.00

Limit set by Maine (4% of the monthly rent): $50.00

4% × $1,250.00 monthly rent = $50.00

Maine, earliest legal fee date: November 4, 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).

Amount now due

Unpaid rent
$1,250.00
Late charge
$0.00
Total
$1,250.00

Please pay $1,250.00 at your earliest opportunity.

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

Regards,

[Your name or company]

6.51% 2026 — resets periodically
Max written B2B rate
No general cap for business/commercial credit — Maine's Consumer Credit Code excludes business-purpose extensions of credit.
Cap regime
No statutory cap
Statute
14 M.R.S. §§ 1602-B, 1602-C; 9-A M.R.S. § 1-202(1)
Current rate source
official current-rate page
Verified
— how we verify · changelog

When the contract is silent: 1-year U.S. Treasury bill rate +3 pts (prejudgment; T-bill +6 pts after judgment). The rate is fixed for the whole year at the Fed's weekly average 1-year constant maturity Treasury yield for the last full week of the PRIOR calendar year (not the current week's H.15 figure). For 2026 the anchor is the week ending December 26, 2025, whose weekly average was 3.51%, so the 2026 figures are 6.51% before judgment and 9.51% after.

Maine's default (contract silent): variable. Published figure: 6.51% (2026) — see the note above for when it applies, confirm it on the official page, then enter the rate that applies (or your contract's rate).

Maximum late fee in Maine — written B2B contracts

No statutory cap

Basis: 9-A M.R.S. § 1-202(1).

About this page

Maine rent late fee law

Maine: rent counts as late only after 15 days from its due date, the landlord must have disclosed the penalty in writing at the start of the rental agreement, and the penalty can be at most 4% of one month's amount due.

A landlord may assess a penalty against a residential tenant for late payment of rent for a residential dwelling unit according to this section. [...] 1. Late payment. A payment of rent is late if it is not made within 15 days from the time the payment is due. [...] 2. Maximum penalty. A landlord may not assess a penalty for the late payment of rent which exceeds 4% of the amount due for one month. [...] 3. Notice in writing. A landlord may not assess a penalty for the late payment of rent unless the landlord gave the tenant written notice at the time they entered into the rental agreement that a penalty, up to 4% of one month's rent, may be charged for the late payment of rent.
— 14 M.R.S. § 6028. 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 Maine has its own rules for it. Nothing on this page is legal advice.

What Maine law says about invoice interest

prejudgment interest is allowed at the one-year United States Treasury bill rate plus 3%. [...] the weekly average one-year constant maturity Treasury yield, as published by the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, for the last full week of the calendar year immediately prior to the year in which prejudgment interest begins to accrue.
— 14 M.R.S. § 1602-B(3). Read it at the official source · row verified 2026-08-19.

No general cap on business/commercial credit; the Consumer Credit Code excludes business-purpose extensions and the old usury statute is repealed. Set the rate in writing.

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