Texas Security Deposit Deadline Calculator (2026)
A Texas landlord must refund a security deposit on or before the 30th day after the date the tenant surrenders the premises. Enter the surrender date to see the date. The rule is Tex. Prop. Code s. 92.103(a).
What starts the clock
The clock runs from the day the tenant surrenders the premises, not from the lease end date or the tenant's notice. Write down the surrender date and how you know it (keys handed over, a walk-through) and keep a signed copy. If you and the tenant disagree on the date, count from the earlier one.
Worked examples (2026 dates)
| Clock starts | Refund the deposit or send the itemized list (30th day) |
|---|---|
| Friday, May 29, 2026 | Sunday, June 28, 2026 (a weekend day: do not assume it rolls to Monday, act the business day before) |
| Wednesday, July 15, 2026 | Friday, August 14, 2026 |
| Friday, August 28, 2026 | Sunday, September 27, 2026 (a weekend day: do not assume it rolls to Monday, act the business day before) |
What the calculator does not know
- Chapter 92 has no rule that moves a weekend deadline to Monday for security deposits, so a deadline on a Saturday or Sunday means mailing earlier.
- The landlord is not obligated to return the deposit or send the written description of damages until the tenant gives a written forwarding address (s. 92.107).
- A refund or accounting placed in the mail and postmarked on or before the date is presumed timely (s. 92.1041); keep the postmark receipt.
- A landlord who fails to return the deposit or send the itemized list by the 30th day is presumed to have acted in bad faith (s. 92.109).
Read the rule itself: Tex. Prop. Code s. 92.103(a). The free article explains the Texas deposit deadline in full, and the Texas Small Landlord Compliance Guide puts every deadline and notice in one place, each cited to the statute.
Other states
Informational only, not legal advice. Dates are computed from the day counts in the statute text as described above, checked against the 2026 text; a court may count differently. For a dispute or anything expensive to get wrong, talk to a Texas landlord-tenant attorney.