North Carolina Late Fee Calculator

$15 / 5% most a lease may charge as a late fee
Rent limit
the larger of $15 and 5% of the monthly rent
Earliest fee day
Day 5 after the due date
Statute
N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-46(a)
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 North Carolina limit; type the figure from your lease.
North Carolina lets a fee start on day 5, so this box starts at 4 days; typing less will not move that day.

Your late fee

$62.50

At the legal limit

Paid 12 days late, after the 4-day grace period.

The lease asks for $62.50, exactly the most N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-46(a) permits on these figures.

Days past due
12 days
Grace period ends
October 23, 2026
Earliest fee date
October 24, 2026
Lease late fee
5% of $1,250.00 = $62.50
Legal maximum
$62.50
Rent + late fee
$1,312.50

Limit set by North Carolina (the larger of $15 and 5% of the monthly rent): $62.50

max($15.00, 5% × $1,250.00 monthly rent) = $62.50

North Carolina, earliest legal fee date: October 24, 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
No cap on an 'exempt loan' under § 24-9 — loan amount $300,000 or more, a borrower that is not a natural person, or a natural person borrowing primarily for a non-consumer purpose — and there a usury claim or defense is barred. Outside § 24-9, any rate may still be agreed in writing where principal exceeds $25,000 (§ 24-1.1(a)(2)); only principal of $25,000 or less is capped, at the greater of 16% or the six-month T-bill noncompetitive rate + 6%, announced monthly by the Commissioner of Banks (§ 24-1.1(c)).
Cap regime
No statutory cap
Statute
N.C.G.S. §§ 24-1, 24-5, 24-1.1, 24-9
Verified
— how we verify · changelog

Legal rate; on contract claims the awarded amount bears interest from the date of breach.

Pre-filled with North Carolina's statutory default (8%), which governs only when the contract names no rate; a rate stated in your contract replaces it.

Interest at 8% a year

Interest owed on an overdue invoice in North Carolina 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 North Carolina — written B2B contracts

No statutory cap

Basis: N.C.G.S. §§ 24-9, 24-1.1(a).

About this page

North Carolina rent late fee law

North Carolina, G.S. 42-46(a): the parties may agree to a late fee that applies only when a payment is at least five calendar days late, day one being the day after the due date. For monthly rent the cap is the higher of $15 and 5% of the rent; for weekly rent it is the higher of $4 and 5%.

(a) Late Fee. - In all residential rental agreements in which a definite time for the payment of the rent is fixed, the parties may agree to a late fee not inconsistent with the provisions of this subsection, to be chargeable only if any rental payment is five calendar days or more late, with the first day being the day after the rent was due. If the rent: (1) Is due in monthly installments, a landlord may charge a late fee not to exceed fifteen dollars ($15.00) or five percent (5%) of the monthly rent, whichever is greater. (2) Is due in weekly installments, a landlord may charge a late fee not to exceed four dollars ($4.00) or five percent (5%) of the weekly rent, whichever is greater.
— N.C. Gen. Stat. § 42-46(a). archived copy of the official text (2026-05-10) · 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 North Carolina has its own rules for it. Nothing on this page is legal advice.

What North Carolina law says about invoice interest

§ 24-1: [...] the legal rate of interest shall be eight percent (8%) per annum [...] and no more. § 24-9(b): [...] any borrower in an exempt loan transaction may agree to pay, and any lender [...] may charge and collect [...] interest at any rate [...]. A claim or defense of usury is prohibited in an exempt loan transaction.
— N.C.G.S. § 24-1; N.C.G.S. § 24-9(b). Read it at the official source · row verified 2026-08-19.

Any loan to a business entity OR for a business/commercial purpose is an 'exempt loan transaction' — any rate, usury defense barred. The floating cap hits only small consumer-type loans.

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