What is prorated rent?
Quick answer
Prorated rent is rent charged for part of a month instead of the whole month. Multiply the monthly rent by the days you stay, then divide by the days in the month. Moving in on the 12th of a 31-day month leaves 20 days, so $1,800 rent is $1,161.29. A lease that counts 30 days a month gives $1,200.
Key points
- Prorated rent = monthly rent × days you pay for ÷ days in the month. The move-in day counts as a day.
- $1,800 from the 12th of a 31-day month is $1,161.29 on actual days and $1,200.00 on a 30-day month.
- A $950 share handed over on the 18th and 19th of a 31-day month splits into $551.61 and $398.39, which add up to $950.00.
- Round only the final amount. Rounding the daily rate to $58.06 first leaves the total 9 cents short.
On this page
What does prorated rent mean?
Prorated rent is rent for only part of a rental month, worked out in proportion to the days. It comes up when you move in after the 1st or move out before the month ends, and the amount is on the first or last bill.
The formula is monthly rent × days you pay for ÷ days in the month. Moving in on day 12 of a 31-day month, you pay for 31 minus 12 plus 1, which is 20 days, because the day you arrive counts.
How do the two day-count methods differ?
There are two ways to count the month, and the lease says which applies. Actual days divide by the real length of the month. A 30-day month divides by 30 every time, so a 31-day month is treated as if it were shorter.
Take $1,800 rent and a move-in on the 12th of a 31-day month, which is 20 days.
- Actual days: $1,800 × 20 ÷ 31 = $1,161.29.
- 30-day month: $1,800 × 20 ÷ 30 = $1,200.00.
The second method costs $38.71 more in a 31-day month. For your own dates and rent, the prorated rent calculator does both at once.
When do roommates use it?
Roommates meet it when someone arrives or leaves mid-month. Say a roommate’s share is $950 a month and the month has 31 days.
- Outgoing roommate, last day the 18th: 18 days, so $950 × 18 ÷ 31 = $551.61.
- Incoming roommate, first day the 19th: 13 days, so $950 × 13 ÷ 31 = $398.39.
Together they pay $551.61 + $398.39 = $950.00, so the share is covered with nothing over and nothing missing. That only works when both use the same method. If one roommate is prorated on actual days and the other on a 30-day month, the two amounts will not match the share. Other costs that change when someone leaves are in what roommates owe when one moves out early.
Who decides how it is prorated?
The lease or the agreement among the roommates sets whether rent is prorated at all, and which method it uses. This page covers the arithmetic and does not say what any landlord must charge. If the number matters, ask for it in writing before the first payment.
When a move-in also brings a deposit and other first-month costs, apartment move-in costs for roommates lists them. If the rent goes up on the same date, how to split a rent increase between roommates covers the new shares.
In EvenOut, a prorated month is an expense where you type each person’s amount under “Exact amounts”. From the first full month, add the rent as its own expense with Repeat set to Monthly.
Frequently asked questions
Is the move-out day a paid day?
That depends on the lease. Counting it, a move-out on the 18th of a 31-day month at $950 rent is 18 days and $551.61. Not counting it, it is 17 days and $520.97. Ask which one applies before you pay.
Why round only at the end?
Rounding the daily rate first changes the total. $1,800 ÷ 31 is $58.0645 a day, and 20 days of that is $1,161.29. Rounded to $58.06 first, 20 days is $1,161.20, which is 9 cents short.
Are utilities prorated the same way as rent?
Not by the calendar month. A utility bill covers its own billing period, so split it by the days each person lived there in that period. Prorating by days is for the fixed monthly rent.
Keep reading
- Calculator Prorated rent calculator for a mid-month move Enter the rent and your move-in or move-out day to see prorated rent by actual days and by a 30-day month. $1,800 from the 12th is $1,161.29 or $1,200.
- Guide What roommates owe each other when one moves out early The money timeline when a roommate leaves early: rent until a replacement signs, a prorated last month, deposit, shared items, internet and a final settle-up.
- Guide How to split a rent increase between roommates A 5% raise on $2,700 is $135 a month. Split equally it is $45 each, or by room it is $55, $45 and $35. Three ways to share it, plus mid-month proration.
- Guide Apartment move-in costs and how roommates split them A line-by-line list of apartment move-in costs, which ones multiply by headcount, and a worked three-roommate example of who owes what at signing and move day.
- Glossary What does 'utilities included' mean? 'Utilities included' means the landlord pays the services the lease lists. Here are three wordings, an eight-item checklist and what roommates still split.