Tennessee Late Fee Calculator

10% most a lease may charge as a late fee
Rent limit
10% of the overdue rent
Earliest fee day
Day 5 after the due date
Statute
Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-201(d)
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 Tennessee limit; type the figure from your lease.
Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-201(d) lets a fee start on day 5, so this box starts at 4 days; typing less will not move that day.

Your late fee

$125.00

At the legal limit

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

The lease asks for $125.00, exactly the most Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-201(d) permits on these figures.

Days past due
12 days
Grace period ends
October 23, 2026
Earliest fee date
October 24, 2026
Lease late fee
10% of $1,250.00 = $125.00
Legal maximum
$125.00
Rent + late fee
$1,375.00

Limit set by Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-201(d) (10% of the overdue rent): $125.00

10% × $1,250.00 overdue rent = $125.00

Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-201(d), 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 $125.00.

Amount now due

Unpaid rent
$1,250.00
Late charge
$125.00
Total
$1,375.00

Please pay $1,375.00 at your earliest opportunity.

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

Regards,

[Your name or company]

10% statutory ceiling — not automatic (see note)
Max written B2B rate
Formula rate: lesser of Fed prime +4 pts or 24%, announced weekly by the TN Dept. of Financial Institutions (Oct 27, 2026: 11.00%).
Cap regime
Hard cap — formula rate (11.00% on Oct 27, 2026; max 24%)
Statute
Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 47-14-102, -103, -123
Written-cap ceiling source
TDFI weekly formula rate announcement (11.00%, Oct 27, 2026)
Verified
— how we verify · changelog

Maximum effective default for uncontracted transactions; courts award prejudgment interest in equity at up to 10%.

Tennessee's 10% is a statutory ceiling, not an automatic entitlement — see the note on this card. Enter your contract rate or the figure that applies to your case.

Maximum late fee in Tennessee — written B2B contracts

Hard cap formula rate (11.00% on Oct 27, 2026; max 24%).

Basis: Tenn. Code Ann. §§ 47-14-102, -103.

About this page

Tennessee rent late fee law

Tennessee: no late fee may be charged during a five-day grace period that begins on, and includes, the day rent is due, and any late charge is limited to 10% of the past-due rent.

Tennessee's quoted section belongs to its Uniform Residential Landlord and Tenant Act; confirm that the county where the rental sits is covered by the Act.

(d) There shall be a five-day grace period beginning the day the rent was due to the day a fee for the late payment of rent may be charged. The date the rent was due shall be included in the calculation of the five-day grace period. [...] Any charge or fee, however described, which is charged by the landlord for the late payment of rent, shall not exceed ten percent (10%) of the amount of rent past due.
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 66-28-201(d) (2011 Tenn. Pub. Acts ch. 272, § 4). 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 Tennessee has its own rules for it. Nothing on this page is legal advice.

What Tennessee law says about invoice interest

Except as otherwise expressly provided by this chapter or by other statutes, the maximum effective rates of interest are as follows: [...] (2) For all written contracts [...] signed by the party to be charged, and not subject to subdivision (1), the applicable formula rate; and (3) For all other transactions, ten percent (10%) per annum.
— Tenn. Code Ann. § 47-14-103 (text via FindLaw's Tennessee Code republication; the official Lexis portal is session-gated). Read it at the official source · row verified 2026-10-30.

Floating 'formula rate' caps written contracts (incl. commercial): lesser of Fed prime +4 pts or 24%, published weekly (11.00% as announced Oct 27, 2026). No general business exemption.

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