South Dakota Late Fee Calculator

No cap no late fee section in the law we read
Rent limit
None in SDCL chapters 43-32 and 21-16
Earliest fee day
–
Statute
SDCL chapters 43-32 and 21-16
Checked
What was not paid on time. Copies the rent until you type here.
How the lease sets the late fee
How many days the lease gives before a late fee; 0 if none.

Your late fee

$62.50

Paid 12 days late; the lease has no grace period.

Days past due
12 days
Grace period ends
No grace period
Earliest fee date
October 20, 2026
Lease late fee
5% of $1,250.00 = $62.50
Rent + late fee
$1,312.50

South Dakota: SDCL chapters 43-32 and 21-16 contains no late fee provision, so there is no legal cap or waiting period to apply; only your lease terms count.

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]

15% legal default rate (contract silent)
Max written B2B rate
No cap on a rate fixed by written agreement (SDCL 54-3-1.1) — unless a maximum is set elsewhere in the code, and one is: a rate that only appears on a bill, statement, or invoice may not exceed 18%.
Cap regime
Conditional cap — 18% if the rate only appears on the bill, statement, or invoice; no cap if fixed by written agreement
Statute
SDCL 54-3-5, 54-3-16, 54-3-1.1
Verified
— how we verify · changelog

Category F default rate when no written rate is fixed, from the day the balance is due/ascertained.

Pre-filled with South Dakota's statutory default (15%), which governs only when the contract names no rate; a rate stated in your contract replaces it.

Interest at 15% a year

Interest owed on an overdue invoice in South Dakota at 15% per year
Invoice amount30 days late60 days late90 days late
$1,000.00$12.33$24.66$36.99
$5,000.00$61.64$123.29$184.93
$10,000.00$123.29$246.58$369.86

Maximum late fee in South Dakota — written B2B contracts

Conditional cap 18% if the rate only appears on the bill, statement, or invoice; no cap if fixed by written agreement.

Basis: SDCL 54-3-1.1; 54-3-5.

About this page

South Dakota rent late fee law

South Dakota's codified laws on leases of real property (SDCL 43-32) and on eviction actions (21-16) contain no late fee provision, so they neither cap a late rent fee nor give a grace period.

Read in full for this check: South Dakota Codified Laws, chapter 43-32 (Lease of Real Property) and chapter 21-16 (Forcible Entry and Detainer). 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 South Dakota has its own rules for it. Nothing on this page is legal advice.

What South Dakota law says about invoice interest

Unless there is an express contract in writing fixing a different rate or the interest rate clearly appears on the bill, statement, or invoice, interest is payable on all moneys at the Category F rate of interest as established in § 54-3-16 after they become due [...] Any interest rate appearing on a bill, statement, or invoice may not exceed eighteen percent.
— SDCL 54-3-5. Read it at the official source · row verified 2026-08-21.

A rate fixed by written agreement — a document in physical or electronic form in which the parties have demonstrated their agreement to the rate — has no statutory maximum under SDCL 54-3-1.1. But that section applies only 'unless a maximum interest rate or charge is specifically established elsewhere in the code,' and SDCL 54-3-5 establishes one: a rate that merely appears on a bill, statement, or invoice may not exceed eighteen percent. Unilaterally printing 1.5%/month on an invoice is therefore the capped path, not the uncapped one.

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