Deposit protection deadline calculator
Enter the day you received the deposit. We'll show the last day to protect it in an approved scheme and give the tenant the prescribed information. Add the rent to see the deposit cap.
Not legal advice. This tool follows the law as we understand it. Check the official guidance, and take legal advice if you've missed the deadline.
How it works
The law gives you 30 days beginning with the day you receive the deposit. The day you receive it counts as day 1, so the last day is 29 days after it. The cap is five weeks' rent where the annual rent is less than £50,000, or six weeks' rent where it's £50,000 or more. One week's rent is the annual rent divided by 52. For monthly rent, the annual rent is the monthly rent × 12.
Example: you receive a £750 deposit on 10 June 2026. Protect it and give the prescribed information by 9 July 2026. The room is £650 a month: £650 × 12 = £7,800 a year, £150 a week, so the most deposit you can take is £750.
The law behind it
Section 213 of the Housing Act 2004 says you must protect the deposit in a government-approved scheme and give the prescribed information within 30 days beginning with the day you receive it. Section 214 sets what a court must order if you don't. The cap on deposits is in Schedule 1 to the Tenant Fees Act 2019.
Questions
Do the 30 days start when the tenancy starts?
No. They start when you receive the deposit. If a tenant pays weeks before moving in, the 30 days run from then.
What's the most deposit I can take?
Five weeks' rent where the annual rent is less than £50,000, or six weeks' rent where it's £50,000 or more. One week's rent is the annual rent divided by 52.
Do I have to protect a lodger's deposit?
GOV.UK says resident landlords don't have to protect a lodger's deposit in a government-approved scheme. You still need to return it as agreed.
What if I protected the deposit late?
The tenant can apply to court, and the court must order you to pay them between one and three times the deposit. Take legal advice if you've missed the deadline.
This page is general information about England, not legal advice. Rules change and every tenancy is different; if your situation is unusual, speak to a solicitor.