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Tenancy deposit protection deadline calculator
Enter the date you received the deposit (or the tenancy start date in Scotland) and see the exact statutory deadlines for protecting it and serving the required information - with days remaining. Runs in your browser; nothing is sent to our servers.
General information, not legal advice. Deadlines and penalties reflect the position in 2026 - confirm against the current GOV.UK or legislation.gov.uk source before acting.
Frequently asked questions
How long do I have to protect a tenancy deposit?
In England and Wales, a deposit must be protected with a government-approved scheme within 30 calendar days of receipt, and the prescribed information served on the tenant within the same 30 days. In Scotland the deadline is 30 working days from the start of the tenancy. In Northern Ireland the deposit must be protected within 28 calendar days and the required information served within 35 calendar days.
What happens if I miss the deposit protection deadline?
A court can order you to pay the tenant compensation of one to three times the deposit amount, and you cannot rely on certain possession routes until the failure is remedied. The deadline cannot be extended, and protecting the deposit late does not remove liability for the penalty.
Which deposit protection schemes are approved?
England and Wales: Deposit Protection Service (DPS), MyDeposits and Tenancy Deposit Scheme (TDS). Scotland: SafeDeposits Scotland, MyDeposits Scotland and Letting Protection Service Scotland. Northern Ireland: TDS NI, MyDeposits NI and LPS NI. Each offers custodial (free) and most offer insured options.
Does the 30-day rule apply to holding deposits?
No. Holding deposits taken before a tenancy is agreed are governed by the Tenant Fees Act 2019 in England (capped at one week's rent, with rules on when they must be refunded) - they only need protecting if they convert into the tenancy deposit, at which point the protection clock runs from when it became a tenancy deposit.
What counts as 'prescribed information'?
A statutory set of details you must give the tenant after protecting the deposit: which scheme holds it, the deposit amount and property address, how it will be repaid, dispute procedures, and the scheme's leaflet or terms. Serving it late or incompletely carries the same one-to-three-times penalty as failing to protect.
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