deposit-interest
Security Deposit Interest in Montana: No State Requirement (2026)
Montana's Residential Tenants' Security Deposits act (MCA 70-25-201 et seq., 2025 edition) contains no interest requirement — verified against th… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Rule verified: 2026-10-28
Quick answer
No — Montana law does not require landlords to pay interest on security deposits. Montana's Residential Tenants' Security Deposits act (MCA 70-25-201 et seq., 2025 edition) contains no interest requirement — verified against the full statutory text; deposits may be held without interest, refundable in 10 days (no deductions) or 30 days (with itemized list). The rule comes from Mont. Code Annot. §70-25-201 (Title 70, ch. 25 — Residential Tenants' Security Deposits). State statute (official text) · 2026-10-28
Calculator pre-loaded with this state:
What Montana law does — and does not — require
Montana has no statewide statute requiring interest on security deposits. Montana's Residential Tenants' Security Deposits act (MCA 70-25-201 et seq., 2025 edition) contains no interest requirement — verified against the full statutory text; deposits may be held without interest, refundable in 10 days (no deductions) or 30 days (with itemized list).
The statute that governs deposits in Montana, Mont. Code Annot. §70-25-201 (Title 70, ch. 25 — Residential Tenants' Security Deposits), covers how and when the deposit itself must be returned — it simply does not mandate interest on top.
How interest must be paid
Interest accrues as N/a. Refund within 10 days if no deductions are claimed; within 30 days with a written itemized list of damages (MCA 70-25-202); landlord forfeits deduction rights if no statement delivered (70-25-203).
Who the law applies to
All residential rentals covered by the chapter; deductions limited to tenant-caused damage, unpaid rent, late charges, utilities and similar sums (70-25-201).
States that do require deposit interest
Montana has no statewide requirement. If you are moving or own rentals across state lines, these states do — each rate is the statutory value verified on the state page:
| State | Statutory rate |
|---|---|
| Massachusetts | 5% per annum, or the lesser amount of interest actually received from |
| Ohio | 5% per annum |
| Maryland | greater of 1.5%/year or U.S. Treasury 1-year yield curve rate (leases |
| Minnesota | 1% per annum |
| New York | Interest actually accrued/paid on the deposit in the interest-bearing |
The statute behind it
| Field | Value | | --- | --- | --- | | Citation | Mont. Code Annot. §70-25-201 (Title 70, ch. 25 — Residential Tenants' Security Deposits) | | Official text | mca.legmt.gov | | Last verified | 2026-10-28 |
Cross-checked against: MontPIRG Tenant Landlord Guide 2023 (Montana Law Help) — deposit rules summary.
Statutes get amended. If you are relying on this page — for a move-out, a dispute, or a lease draft — click through to the official text and confirm the current wording.
FAQ
Does Montana require landlords to pay interest on security deposits?
No. Montana law does not mandate interest; whatever the lease says governs. Montana's Residential Tenants' Security Deposits act (MCA 70-25-201 et seq., 2025 edition) contains no interest requirement — verified against the full statutory text; deposits may be held without interest, refundable in 10 days (no deductions) or 30 days (with itemized list).
How is deposit interest calculated in Montana?
MCA 70-25-201 full text (opened 2025 edition) contains no interest provision; the chapter places no conditions on how the deposit must be held. The calculator at the top of this page reflects Montana's rules where a numeric value exists.
When do I get the interest?
Refund within 10 days if no deductions are claimed; within 30 days with a written itemized list of damages (MCA 70-25-202); landlord forfeits deduction rights if no statement delivered (70-25-203).
Can my lease require the landlord to pay interest anyway?
Yes — a lease can always give you more than state law requires, never less. If your Montana lease promises interest, that promise is enforceable as a contract even though no statute mandates it.
Independent second source · 2026-10-28Related guides
- All states: security deposit interest by state · rent increase rules by state
- Tools: deposit interest calculator · rent increase calculator
- Neighboring states: Alaska · California
This page is information, not legal advice — see the full disclaimer.
All deposit-interest
Security Deposit Interest Rules by State (2026)
Security deposit interest rules for all 50 states plus DC: which states require landlords to pay interest, the current statutory rate, payment timing and the exact statute — verified October 2026.
Security Deposit Interest in Alabama: No State Requirement (2026)
Alabama does not require landlords to pay interest on security deposits: Ala. Code § 35-9A-201 caps deposits at one month's periodic rent (with p… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Alaska: No State Requirement (2026)
Alaska Stat. §34.03.070 does not require interest on security deposits — deposits are capped at two months' periodic rent (no cap if monthly rent… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Arizona: No State Requirement (2026)
Arizona A.R.S. sec. 33-1321 contains no interest requirement at all (the word 'interest' does not appear); it caps deposits at 1.5 months' rent, … Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Arkansas: No State Requirement (2026)
Arkansas security-deposit law (Security Deposits subchapter, landlords of six or more units) caps deposits at two months' rent and requires retur… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in California: Local Rules (2026)
No statewide interest requirement (Cal. Civ. Code §1950.5 is silent on interest); San Francisco, Berkeley and Los Angeles (RSO units) require ann… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Berkeley: 0.9% (Dec 2025 annual) (2026)
Berkeley requires annual interest on security deposits at the 'Berkeley Bank Rate' published by the Rent Board — 0.9% for December 2025 and 0.6% … Current rate, payment rules and the official sourc
Security Deposit Interest in Chicago: 0.01% (2026)
Chicago's RLTO requires annual interest on security deposits in 25+ unit buildings — the City Comptroller publishes the rate each year, and it ha… Current rate, payment rules and the official sourc
Security Deposit Interest in Los Angeles: 3.03% (2026)
Los Angeles requires interest on security deposits for Rent Stabilization Ordinance (RSO) units — the 2026 rate set by the Rent Adjustment Commis… Current rate, payment rules and the official sourc
Security Deposit Interest in San Francisco: 4.2% (2026)
San Francisco requires landlords to pay annual interest on security deposits for rental units covered by the Rent Ordinance — 4.2% for the March … Current rate, payment rules and the official sourc
Security Deposit Interest in Colorado: No State Requirement (2026)
Colorado C.R.S. sec. 38-12-103 requires return of the full deposit within one month (lease may extend to 60 days) with a written itemized stateme… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Connecticut: Not less than the (2026)
Connecticut landlords must pay interest on every security deposit at a rate not less than the annual 'deposit index' announced by the Banking Com… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Delaware: No State Requirement (2026)
Delaware's Residential Landlord-Tenant Code requires security deposits to be held in escrow (25 Del. C. § 5514) but does not require landlords to… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in DC: Interest accrued in (2026)
DC housing providers must hold security deposits in an interest-bearing escrow account in the District and return the deposit with interest withi… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Florida: No State Requirement (2026)
Florida does not unconditionally require interest on security deposits: under Fla. Stat. § 83.49 the landlord elects the holding method - if the … Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Georgia: No State Requirement (2026)
Georgia does not require landlords to pay interest on security deposits: O.C.G.A. § 44-7-31 requires deposits be held in trust for the tenant and… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Hawaii: No State Requirement (2026)
Hawaii requires no interest on security deposits — HRS §521-44 caps deposits at one month's rent (plus optional pet deposit), declares the deposi… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Idaho: No State Requirement (2026)
Idaho Code §55-320 does not require landlords to pay interest on security deposits; there is no deposit cap, and deposits must be returned within… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Illinois: 0.01% (2025 announced (2026)
Illinois requires landlords of residential buildings with 25 or more units to pay interest on security deposits held 6 months or more; the rate i… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Indiana: No State Requirement (2026)
Indiana does not require landlords to pay interest on security deposits; IC 32-31-3 governs deposits (no cap on amount, 45-day return with itemiz… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Iowa: No State Requirement (2026)
Iowa does not require landlords to pay interest on security deposits: any interest earned during the first five years of a tenancy belongs to the… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Kansas: No State Requirement (2026)
Kansas does not require landlords to pay interest on security deposits; K.S.A. 58-2550 caps deposits at 1 month's rent (1.5 furnished, plus 0.5 f… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Kentucky: No State Requirement (2026)
Kentucky does not require landlords to pay interest on security deposits; KRS 383.580 requires deposits to be kept in a separate (not necessarily… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Louisiana: No State Requirement (2026)
Louisiana's Lessee's Deposit Act (La. R.S. 9:3251) requires return within one month with itemization for withheld amounts, but contains no intere… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Maine: No State Requirement (2026)
Maine does not require landlords to pay interest on security deposits for standard residential rentals (14 M.R.S. ch. 710-A contains no interest … Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Maryland: greater of 1.5%/year (2026)
Maryland requires landlords to pay simple interest on security deposits of $50 or more: for leases entered into after Jan 1, 2015, the rate is th… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Massachusetts: 5% per annum, or the (2026)
Massachusetts landlords must pay interest on security deposits held one year or longer at 5% per year or the lesser amount actually received from… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Michigan: No State Requirement (2026)
Michigan does not require landlords to pay interest on security deposits; the Security Deposit Act (MCL 554.601 et seq.) caps deposits at 1.5 mon… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Minnesota: 1% per annum (2026)
Minnesota requires landlords to pay 1% per annum simple, non-compounded interest on security deposits, paid with the deposit return within 3 week… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Mississippi: No State Requirement (2026)
Mississippi does not require landlords to pay interest on security deposits: Miss. Code § 89-8-21 defines security deposits and requires return w… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Missouri: No State Requirement (2026)
Missouri does not require interest on security deposits - the statute expressly states that any interest earned on a security deposit is the prop… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Nebraska: No State Requirement (2026)
Nebraska's Uniform Landlord Tenant Act (Neb. Rev. Stat. §76-1416) sets a one-month deposit cap (extra pet deposit allowed if tenant keeps an anim… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Nevada: No State Requirement (2026)
Nevada NRS 118A.242 caps security at 3 months' periodic rent (including designated last month's rent), requires itemized accounting within 30 day… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in New Hampshire: Interest at the rate (2026)
New Hampshire landlords must return security deposits — plus any interest due on deposits held one year or longer (at the regular savings-account… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in New Jersey: Interest actually (2026)
New Jersey landlords must keep security deposits in an interest-bearing account in a New Jersey bank and credit or pay the interest to the tenant… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in New Mexico: (to be verified) - (2026)
New Mexico requires interest only in one scenario: under an ANNUAL rental agreement, if the deposit exceeds one month's rent, the owner must pay … Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in New York: Interest actually (2026)
New York landlords must keep security deposits in trust in an interest-bearing account in a New York bank and pay the tenant the accrued interest… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in North Carolina: No State Requirement (2026)
North Carolina does not require landlords to pay interest on security deposits: the Tenant Security Deposit Act (G.S. § 42-50 to § 42-56) only re… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in North Dakota: accrued interest (no (2026)
North Dakota REQUIRES interest on security deposits for leases or occupancy of nine months or longer — the deposit plus any accrued interest must… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Ohio: 5% per annum (2026)
Ohio requires landlords to pay 5% per annum interest on the portion of a security deposit exceeding $50 or one month's periodic rent (whichever i… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Oklahoma: No State Requirement (2026)
Oklahoma statute explicitly says the landlord must return the security deposit balance WITHOUT INTEREST within 45 days after termination, deliver… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Oregon: No State Requirement (2026)
Oregon does not require landlords to pay interest on security deposits (ORS 90.300); in Portland, interest is owed to the tenant only if the land… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Pennsylvania: Interest earned in (2026)
Pennsylvania state law (Landlord and Tenant Act of 1951, § 512, 68 P.S. § 250.512) requires landlords to pay interest on a security deposit over … Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Rhode Island: No State Requirement (2026)
Rhode Island's Residential Landlord and Tenant Act caps security deposits at one month's rent (R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-19) but does not require la… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in South Carolina: No State Requirement (2026)
South Carolina does not require landlords to pay interest on security deposits: S.C. Code § 27-40-510 (Residential Landlord and Tenant Act) caps … Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in South Dakota: No State Requirement (2026)
South Dakota requires no interest on security deposits — SDCL §43-32-6.1 caps residential deposits at one month's rent (larger by mutual agreemen… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Tennessee: No State Requirement (2026)
Tennessee does not require landlords to pay interest on security deposits: T.C.A. § 66-28-301 (URLTA) requires deposits be held in a separate acc… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Texas: No State Requirement (2026)
Texas does not require landlords to pay interest on residential security deposits; Property Code Ch. 92 Subchapter B only mandates return within … Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Utah: No State Requirement (2026)
Utah Code Title 57 Chapter 17 (secs. 57-17-1 to 57-17-5) contains no interest requirement: a non-refundable deposit requires written notice of li… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Vermont: No State Requirement (2026)
Vermont law (9 V.S.A. ch. 83 subch. 4, §§ 4461-4463) regulates security deposit return deadlines but contains no requirement that landlords pay i… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Virginia: No State Requirement (2026)
Virginia does not require landlords to pay interest on security deposits: Va. Code § 55.1-1226 caps deposits at 2 months' periodic rent and requi… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Washington: No State Requirement (2026)
Washington does not require landlords to pay security deposit interest to tenants — under RCW 59.18.270 the landlord is entitled to interest earn… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in West Virginia: No State Requirement (2026)
West Virginia does not require landlords to pay interest on security deposits: W. Va. Code § 37-6A-2 (Article 6A, Residential Rental Security Dep… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Wisconsin: No State Requirement (2026)
Wisconsin does not require landlords to pay interest on security deposits; deposit rules live in Wis. Stat. ch. 704 and Admin. Code ch. ATCP 134 … Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
Security Deposit Interest in Wyoming: No State Requirement (2026)
Wyoming W.S. 1-21-1208(a) explicitly requires the deposit balance and itemization to be delivered 'without interest' within 30 days after lease t… Calculator, statute citation, Last Verified date o
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