The three methods
Prorating comes up every time a stay starts or ends mid-month — which, for furnished mid-term rentals (MTR), is most stays. (You’ll also see them called midterm or medium-term rentals: furnished homes rented by the month.) Landlords use all three; they differ only in what one day is worth. The share of a month’s rent each method charges per day:
| Topic | Actual days | 30-day month | 365-day year |
|---|---|---|---|
| 28-day February | 3.57% | 3.33% | 3.29% |
| 29-day February (leap year) | 3.45% | 3.33% | 3.29% |
| 30-day month | 3.33% | 3.33% | 3.29% |
| 31-day month | 3.23% | 3.33% | 3.29% |
By actual days, a day in February costs the most and a day in a 31-day month the least. A 30-day month charges the same every month — slightly more than the actual-day rate in 31-day months — and a 365-day year sits just below it, because twelve months of rent spread over 365 days is a little less than rent ÷ 30.
A worked example
A furnished home rents for $3,100 a month, and the tenant moves in on October 18, 2026. October has 31 days, and October 18 through 31 is 14 days — the move-in day counts.
| Topic | October 18–31 (31-day month) | February 15–28 (28-day month) |
|---|---|---|
| Actual days | $3,100 × 14 ÷ 31 = $1,400.00 | $3,100 × 14 ÷ 28 = $1,550.00 |
| 30-day month | $3,100 ÷ 30 × 14 = $1,446.67 | $3,100 ÷ 30 × 14 = $1,446.67 |
| 365-day year | $3,100 × 12 ÷ 365 × 14 = $1,426.85 | $3,100 × 12 ÷ 365 × 14 = $1,426.85 |
The same 14 days cost $150.00 more in February than in October by actual days, while the other two methods don’t move. Which method is “cheaper” for the tenant flips with the length of the month — so the fair choice is the one you write down and use for everyone. Load the example in the calculator above to see it, then change the dates.
30 or 31 days: which should you use?
- Actual days in the month — the most precise per month, and a partial month can never cost more than a full one. It’s the easiest for a tenant to check against a calendar, and the one the Nexxus ledger uses.
- A 30-day month — one daily rate all year, easy to work out by hand. In a 31-day month, 30 days charged is already the whole rent, so cap it there.
- A 365-day year — one daily rate all year that adds up exactly to twelve months of rent. Handy when you also quote a nightly or weekly rate for the same home.
Whichever you pick, put it in the lease — with how the first and last months are charged and when each is due — so neither side has to negotiate the first payment. What else a furnished lease should cover is in mid-term lease agreements. General information, not legal advice.
Move-in and move-out months
- Move-in month: charge from the move-in day through the last day of the month. In the calculator, enter the move-in date and leave the last day blank.
- Move-out month: charge from the 1st through the last day the lease gives the tenant the home. For a nightly-style stay with a checkout date, the checkout day isn’t a night — enter the day before.
- A short stay inside one month — a 20-day stay, say — is the same math with both dates filled in.
- When to collect it. Nexxus founder Tyler Sorenson’s leases, for example, collect the prorated first month at move-in, then rent on the 1st of each month, with the last month prorated. If a move-in falls late in the month, some landlords collect the prorated days and the next full month together.
Prorating in Nexxus
Whether you rent out one furnished home of your own or manage a portfolio for owners, you shouldn’t be doing this math by hand every month. The Nexxus ledger schedules rent for the whole stay when the lease is signed, with each partial month prorated by the day — the actual-days column above. Extend the stay and the new months post; shorten it and they come off. Branded resident invoices show each partial month as its nights of the month, and tenants pay online in their resident portal.
See how that works in mid-term rental software, see a partial month on a real invoice in the corporate housing invoice template, or open the live demo set up for mid-term — no sign-up. Comparing whole strategies instead of one month? Try the mid-term rental calculator.
Prorated rent FAQ
When prorating rent, do you use 30 or 31 days?
Either, as long as your lease says which and you use it every time. Dividing by the actual days in the month (31 in October, 28 or 29 in February) ties the daily rate to that month, so a partial month never costs more than a full one. A fixed 30-day month — or a 365-day year — gives the same daily rate all year. The calculator above shows all three side by side.
How do you calculate prorated rent?
Find the daily rate, then multiply by the days the tenant has the home that month. By actual days: monthly rent ÷ days in that month × days charged. By a 30-day month: rent ÷ 30 × days. By a 365-day year: rent × 12 ÷ 365 × days. For $3,100 a month and a move-in on October 18, that’s 14 days: $1,400.00, $1,446.67 or $1,426.85.
Do you count the move-in day when prorating rent?
Yes — count every day the tenant has the home, the move-in day included. October 18 through October 31 is 14 days, not 13. At the other end, count through the last day the lease gives them the home.
How do you prorate rent for February?
By actual days, February’s daily rate is the rent ÷ 28 (29 in a leap year), so each February day costs more than a day in a 31-day month. On a 30-day or 365-day basis the daily rate doesn’t change. For $3,100 and 14 days in February 2027, that’s $1,550.00 by actual days, $1,446.67 by a 30-day month and $1,426.85 by a 365-day year.
What is the daily rate for my rent?
It depends on the method. For $3,100 a month: $100.00 a day in a 31-day month (actual days), $103.33 on a 30-day month and $101.92 on a 365-day year. Enter your rent above to see yours.
Is the security deposit included in prorated rent?
No. The deposit is a separate, refundable amount held until move-out; only the rent for the partial month is prorated. Fees such as cleaning or admin fees aren’t prorated either — they’re charged in full as the lease says.
Do landlords have to prorate rent?
Generally your lease decides how a partial month is charged, and state or local rules can apply to specific situations. Write the method into the lease before move-in and check your state’s rules — this is general information, not legal advice.