How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Connecticut?

2 months' rent — That is the limit for tenants under 62; for tenants 62 or older the ceiling is one month's rent. Prepaid last month's rent and refundable pet deposits count toward the limit.

How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Connecticut?

21 days. That deadline has a second prong. The deposit is due not later than 21 days after termination of the tenancy OR 15 days after the landlord receives written notification of the tenant's forwarding address, WHICHEVER IS LATER (47a-21(d)(2)).

What happens if a landlord does not return the deposit on time in Connecticut?

A landlord who violates the return or itemization duties owes twice the amount of the security deposit PAID by the tenant, not merely twice the sum withheld (47a-21(d)(2)). If the only violation is unpaid accrued interest, liability is $10 or twice that interest, whichever is greater.

Do landlords have to pay interest on security deposits in Connecticut?

Yes — Connecticut requires interest on the security deposit to be paid to the tenant. Interest accrues at not less than the annual 'deposit index' defined in Conn. Gen. Stat. 36a-26 — 0.49% for calendar 2026. It must be paid to the tenant or credited toward rent on each anniversary of the tenancy, and accrued interest must be paid within 21 days of termination (47a-21(i)).

Can a landlord charge a non-refundable fee in Connecticut?

No — non-refundable fees are not allowed in Connecticut.

What are the security deposit rules in Connecticut?

Verified August 12, 2026 All Connecticut topics →

Check your municipality. Connecticut does not preempt local rent regulation — city or county ordinances may impose rent caps, notice rules, and fee limits that are stricter than the state-level rules on this page and are not covered here. Verify your municipality's ordinances before relying on any figure below. Verified local pages: Connecticut municipalities , Stamford .

What the state record says

Connecticut has no statewide rent cap or stabilization formula. It instead mandates local rent oversight: every municipality of 15,000 or more must maintain a fair rent commission, and those commissions can roll a rent back to a fair and equitable level when it is harsh and unconscionable. The mandate is Conn. Gen. Stat. 7-148b, as amended by Nov. Sp. Sess. P.A. 25-1, eff. 2026-01-01: every municipality with a population of 15,000 or more MUST maintain a fair rent commission (or join a joint or regional one), and any smaller municipality MAY create one. Commissions receive complaints about rents and 'rental charges' (including any fee on top of rent), and may roll a rent back to a fair and equitable level if, weighing the 13 factors in 7-148c (comparable rents, condition, services, repairs, taxes and debt service, code compliance, tenant income, amount and frequency of increases, reinvestment), it is 'so excessive ... as to be harsh and unconscionable' (7-148c, 7-148d). They can also suspend rent into escrow for health/safety violations and order landlords to stop retaliating against complainants; violations of commission orders draw fines of $25-$100 per offense, with each day beyond five a fresh offense (7-148d, 7-148f). Newly covered municipalities (15,000-24,999) have until January 1, 2028 to adopt the ordinance; commissions existing before 2026 cannot be abolished before then. The original mandate (25,000+, deadline July 1, 2023) came from P.A. 22-30. Separately, using rent-setting algorithms that compute on nonpublic competitor data is an unfair trade practice as of January 1, 2026 (47a-4f).

Legislative changes ahead — not yet in force. The rules on this page reflect the law in force today. The following measure would change it:

SB 218 (2026) — Public Act 26-79, Section 3 — Enacted but NOT yet effective. Amends Conn. Gen. Stat. 47a-21(j)(1) so that the Banking Commissioner, on finding a security-deposit violation within the commissioner's jurisdiction (deposit-amount cap, return/itemization duties, escrow duties, or interest duties), may order the landlord to PAY A CIVIL PENALTY under Conn. Gen. Stat. 36a-50 (up to $100,000 per violation) in addition to the existing cease-and-desist and compliance orders. Adds real administrative teeth to the deposit rules. The penalty figures shown for security deposits do not yet reflect it.Status: Passed Senate 2026-04-15 and House 2026-05-05, signed by the governor 2026-05-27 as Public Act 26-79; Section 3 effective October 1, 2026. (checked 2026-07-10).

Connecticut caps residential security deposits at two months' rent — one month's rent if the tenant is 62 or older — and requires the deposit to be returned within 21 days after the tenancy ends or 15 days after the landlord receives the tenant's forwarding address in writing, whichever is later.

Cited to Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21 (a)(11), (b), (d), (h), (i), (j), (k) and 4 more Connecticut statutes · Verified August 12, 2026

Anything paid in advance except the first month's rent counts as part of the deposit, so prepaid last month's rent and pet deposits all fit under the cap, and a tenant who turns 62 can demand the excess over one month back. Deposits must sit in a Connecticut escrow account disclosed to the tenant and earn interest at the state's annual deposit index (0.49% for 2026), paid or credited every year on the tenancy's anniversary. A landlord who withholds for damages must send an itemized written statement within the same deadline, and a landlord who blows the deadline owes twice the entire deposit — plus possible fines, and, from October 2026, Banking Commissioner civil penalties. The 21-day deadline dates from October 2023; older sources still saying 30 days are out of date. Move-in and move-out fees are banned outright, and the only up-front charges the law allows are the deposit, the first month's rent, a key or special-equipment deposit, and a capped tenant-screening fee (§ 47a-4d, since October 2023).

Connecticut security deposits at a glance

Maximum deposit	2 months' rent — That is the limit for tenants under 62; for tenants 62 or older the ceiling is one month's rent. Prepaid last month's rent and refundable pet deposits count toward the limit. A tenant who turns 62 mid-tenancy may demand refund of any portion of an existing deposit exceeding one month's rent (Conn. Gen. Stat. 47a-21(b)). 'Security deposit' is defined broadly as ANY advance rental payment except the first month's rent and key/special-equipment deposits (47a-21(a)(11)), which is why prepaid last month's rent and refundable pet deposits all count toward the cap.
Return deadline	21 days
Deadline conditions	That deadline has a second prong. The deposit is due not later than 21 days after termination of the tenancy OR 15 days after the landlord receives written notification of the tenant's forwarding address, WHICHEVER IS LATER (47a-21(d)(2)). The deadline was cut from 30 to 21 days by PA 23-207 §§38-39, effective October 1, 2023 — pre-2023 sources citing 30 days are stale. Delivery must be to the tenant's forwarding address; case law denies the double-damages penalty to tenants who never provided one (80 Conn. App. 155).
Itemization required	Yes
Itemization rules	A landlord who deducts damages must deliver, within the same deadline, the balance of the deposit plus accrued interest 'together with a written statement itemizing the nature and amount of such damages' (47a-21(d)(2)). Deductions are limited to the tenant's obligations: unpaid rent or utilities due the landlord, breach of the tenant duties in 47a-11, and unpaid lock-change costs under 47a-7b (47a-21(a)(14)).
Separate account required	Yes
Interest owed to tenant	Yes
Account & interest rules	Interest accrues at not less than the annual 'deposit index' defined in Conn. Gen. Stat. 36a-26 — 0.49% for calendar 2026. It must be paid to the tenant or credited toward rent on each anniversary of the tenancy, and accrued interest must be paid within 21 days of termination (47a-21(i)). Deposits must be held in one or more escrow accounts at a financial institution located in Connecticut, with written notice to the tenant of the amount held and the institution's name and address within 30 days of receipt or transfer (47a-21(h)). The deposit index is the average of FDIC-published national savings/money-market rates, set by the Banking Commissioner: 0.49% for 2026, 0.52% in 2025, 0.55% in 2024. A tenant forfeits interest for any month in which rent was more than 10 days delinquent — UNLESS the landlord imposed a late charge for that delinquency (the landlord cannot take both). Landlords may not raise rent to offset the interest duty. Student housing owned by educational institutions is exempt from the interest duty.
Pet deposits	No separate pet-deposit statute. Any refundable pet deposit is an 'advance rental payment' within the 47a-21(a)(11) definition, so it rides the full deposit scheme — counted toward the 2-month/1-month cap, escrowed, interest-bearing, and returnable on the 21/15-day clock. (The new all-in advertising statute, 47a-7d(b)(2), lets pet fees/deposits be excluded from the advertised rent figure but does not authorize any extra deposit room.)
Non-refundable fees allowed	No
Penalty for violation	A landlord who violates the return or itemization duties owes twice the amount of the security deposit PAID by the tenant, not merely twice the sum withheld (47a-21(d)(2)). If the only violation is unpaid accrued interest, liability is $10 or twice that interest, whichever is greater. Criminal exposure: up to $250 fine for knowing and wilful failure to return (good-faith-deduction affirmative defense); up to $500 and/or 30 days in jail per offense for wilful escrow violations (affirmative defense for landlords with fewer than four deposit-paying tenants); up to $100 for wilful interest violations (47a-21(k)). The Banking Commissioner investigates complaints about the cap, return, escrow and interest duties, except good-faith damage disputes and annual-interest nonpayment (47a-21(j)); from October 1, 2026, PA 26-79 adds commissioner-ordered civil penalties (see pending legislation).
Tenant forwarding-address duty	Upon termination, the tenant 'may notify the landlord in writing' of a forwarding address (47a-21(d)(2)); the 15-day prong of the return clock runs from the landlord's receipt of that written notification, and the statutory penalty presupposes a forwarding address — a tenant who never supplies one cannot collect double damages (80 Conn. App. 155). No statute lets the tenant apply the deposit to last month's rent; prepaid last month's rent is itself part of the deposit.

Cite this page: "Landlord Atlas, Connecticut Security Deposit Laws (verified August 12, 2026), landlordatlas.com/laws/security-deposits/connecticut/" — free to cite and quote with a link (how these records are verified). Every figure above is cited to the Connecticut statute in the citations section below.

Generate a Connecticut security-deposit return letter — free, no signup, built on the same verified Connecticut rules as this page.

Notes and caveats

21 days since October 2023 — '30 days' is stale — P.A. 23-207 §§38-39 cut the return deadline from 30 to 21 days effective October 1, 2023. Pre-2023 sources still citing 30 days are out of date.
The deadline has a second prong most summaries omit — the deposit is due 21 days after the tenancy ends OR 15 days after the landlord receives the tenant's forwarding address in writing, whichever is LATER — most secondary sources drop the forwarding-address prong entirely.
Twice the deposit PAID, not twice the amount withheld — sources saying the penalty is 'twice the amount withheld' misstate 47a-21(d)(2) — the statute doubles the entire deposit the tenant paid.
Interest is a floating index — fixed-rate figures are stale — the 1.5% floor was removed effective 2012 (P.A. 11-94/12-96), and ancient 4%/5.25% figures still circulate. The current rule is the annual deposit index — 0.49% for 2026.
The interest-forfeiture / late-charge interplay — many summaries miss this piece of 47a-21(i): a tenant more than 10 days delinquent forfeits that month's deposit interest only if the landlord did not impose a late charge — the landlord cannot take both.
Coming October 1, 2026: Banking Commissioner civil penalties — P.A. 26-79 §3 will let the commissioner order civil penalties for deposit violations. It is enacted but not yet effective and is not incorporated into the figures above (see pending legislation).
Escrow violations carry criminal penalties — the escrow duty in 47a-21(h) is backed by criminal penalties — unusual nationally.
The 2-month cap drops to one month at age 62 — the headline two-month figure is the general cap; tenants 62 or older are capped at one month's rent (see the conditions above for the mid-tenancy refund right).
Move-in and move-out fees are banned outright — Since October 1, 2023, § 47a-4d(b) (P.A. 23-207, § 6) says flatly that no landlord may charge a tenant a move-in or move-out fee, and bars demanding any other payment before or at the beginning of the tenancy except a § 47a-21 security deposit, advance payment of the first month's rent, a deposit for a key or special equipment, or a capped tenant-screening-report fee. Since May 26, 2026 (P.A. 26-68, § 59), the application-fee bar and the screening-fee rules also bind third parties acting on behalf of a landlord or of the state, and the screening-fee cap runs at $50 plus an annual consumer-price-index adjustment set by the Commissioner of Housing (the move-in/move-out sentence itself still names only the landlord). Beyond § 47a-4d, the broad 'any advance rental payment' definition in 47a-21 pulls most other up-front money into the refundable-deposit scheme however it is labeled, and 47a-7d (2025) forces all periodic fees into the advertised rent.

Common questions: Connecticut security deposits

Each answer is the verified value from the table above, restated as a direct answer. Free to quote with a link to this page.

How much can a landlord charge for a security deposit in Connecticut?: 2 months' rent — That is the limit for tenants under 62; for tenants 62 or older the ceiling is one month's rent. Prepaid last month's rent and refundable pet deposits count toward the limit.
How long does a landlord have to return a security deposit in Connecticut?: 21 days. That deadline has a second prong. The deposit is due not later than 21 days after termination of the tenancy OR 15 days after the landlord receives written notification of the tenant's forwarding address, WHICHEVER IS LATER (47a-21(d)(2)).
What happens if a landlord does not return the deposit on time in Connecticut?: A landlord who violates the return or itemization duties owes twice the amount of the security deposit PAID by the tenant, not merely twice the sum withheld (47a-21(d)(2)). If the only violation is unpaid accrued interest, liability is $10 or twice that interest, whichever is greater.
Do landlords have to pay interest on security deposits in Connecticut?: Yes — Connecticut requires interest on the security deposit to be paid to the tenant. Interest accrues at not less than the annual 'deposit index' defined in Conn. Gen. Stat. 36a-26 — 0.49% for calendar 2026. It must be paid to the tenant or credited toward rent on each anniversary of the tenancy, and accrued interest must be paid within 21 days of termination (47a-21(i)).
Can a landlord charge a non-refundable fee in Connecticut?: No — non-refundable fees are not allowed in Connecticut.

Statute citations

Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21 (a)(11), (b), (d), (h), (i), (j), (k) (verified 2026) Official source
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-21 (2026 Supplement text, as amended by P.A. 25-145) (b), (d)(2), (i) (verified 2026) Official source
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 36a-26 deposit index — CT Department of Banking, 2026 rate announcement (0.49%) (verified 2026) Official source
P.A. 23-207, §§ 38-39 (30-day deadline reduced to 21 days, eff. 2023-10-01) Secs. 38, 39 (verified 2026) Official source
Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-4d (move-in/move-out fee ban and up-front-payment limits; P.A. 23-207 § 6, eff. 2023-10-01, as amended by P.A. 26-68 § 59, eff. 2026-05-26) (b)-(d) (verified 2026) Official source

How this record was verified: Direct read of statute text on the official Connecticut General Assembly site (cga.ct.gov): chapters 830, 831, 832 and 98 downloaded in full from the current-revision pages AND from the 2026 Supplement (revised to January 1, 2026), which carries the 2025-session amendments to Conn. Gen. Stat. 47a-15a, 47a-21, 47a-23 and 7-148b — the supplement text is the operative text used here. Every number that decides an answer here was read at least twice in independent documents: the 2-month/1-month deposit caps, 21-day/15-day return deadline, double-deposit penalty, deposit-index interest rule, 9-day/4-day grace periods, $5-per-day/$50/5%-of-delinquent-payment late-fee cap, and the reasonable-notice entry standard were each confirmed verbatim on both the official pages and the Justia 2024-edition mirror; the 2025 changes (fair-rent-commission threshold 25,000 to 15,000, +5-day online-payment-outage grace extension, rent-algorithm ban) were confirmed in both the 2026 Supplement and the enrolled November Special Session Public Act 25-1 (HB 8002) PDF on cga.ct.gov; the 30-to-21-day deposit-deadline change and late-fee cap were traced to PA 23-207 sections 8, 38 and 39 (effective 2023-10-01) in the enrolled act PDF. The 2026 security-deposit interest rate (0.49% deposit index) was double-read on two official Department of Banking pages. 2026-session sweep: PA 26-79 section 3 (SB 218) read in the enrolled PDF and flagged as pending (effective 2026-10-01); bill-status pages read for HB 5092, HB 5359, SB 257 and SB 274, all of which died at the 2026-05-06 adjournment.