Hawaii Late Fee Law
Hawaii limits residential late fees by statute. No more than 8% of the rent due. State law sets no grace period, so any grace period comes from the lease.
Last verified: · Researched and cited by MakeLease · not yet attorney-reviewed
Hawaii late fee law at a glance
Upcoming change
- The mediation pilot ends: § 521-68 returns to its pre-2026 text, except that the Act's changes to subsection (a) stay. The 10-calendar-day notice and the posting and mailing receipt rules continue, but the required notice contents, the copy to a mediation center and the 20-day filing wait end. Effective (Act 278, SLH 2025 (S.B. 825), § 7(2)).
| Late-fee cap | No more than 8% of the rent dueHaw. Rev. Stat. § 521-21(f) |
|---|---|
| Grace period | No state grace periodHaw. Rev. Stat. § 521-21(b), (f) |
| Notice before filing for unpaid rent | 10 days (10-calendar-day notice to pay rent (with prelitigation mediation notice))Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-68(a)-(d), (i) (version effective Feb. 5, 2026), Act 278, SLH 2025 (S.B. 825), §§ 2, 7 |
Late-fee cap
- In effect since .
Notice before filing for unpaid rent
- In effect since .
- Before : Notice had to give at least five business days after receipt to pay (Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-68(a), version effective until Feb. 4, 2026).
What Hawaii law says
Is there a limit on late fees in Hawaii?
A late charge may not exceed 8% of the rent due (Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-21(f)).
Does Hawaii require a grace period before a late fee?
Hawaii law sets no grace period before a late charge may be imposed; rent is due when the rental agreement says (Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-21(b), (f)).
How much notice must a Hawaii landlord give for unpaid rent?
Serve a written 10-calendar-day notice to pay rent that includes the statutory contents and send a copy to a state-funded mediation center; if the tenant schedules mediation within the 10 days, the landlord may not file until 20 days after the tenant received the notice (Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-68, effective Feb. 5, 2026) (Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-68(a)-(d), (i) (version effective Feb. 5, 2026)).
How Hawaii compares
20 of 51 verified jurisdictions cap late fees by statute. 14 require a grace period.
Other Hawaii rules
| Security deposit limit | 1 month's rent (with exceptions)Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-44(b) |
|---|---|
| Deposit return deadline | 14 days after the lease endsHaw. Rev. Stat. § 521-44(c) |
| Entry notice | 48 hours' noticeHaw. Rev. Stat. § 521-53 |
| Rent-increase notice | 45 days (15 days' written notice for tenancies shorter than month-to-month; fixed-term rent is set by the agreement)Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-21(d)–(e) |
| Month-to-month termination | Landlord 45 days · tenant 28 daysHaw. Rev. Stat. § 521-71 |