Updated:
A pay or quit notice is a written demand for overdue rent. It gives the tenant a set number of days to pay in full or move out. Landlords need it when a tenant falls behind, especially before an eviction case.
This page offers a free notice to pay rent or quit template you can fill out online, download and print. It lists the time each state gives a tenant to pay, with the statute behind it, and walks through filling out and serving the notice.
Build Your Document
Answer a few simple questions to make your document in minutes
Save and Print
Save progress and finish on any device, download and print anytime
Sign and Use
Your valid, lawyer-approved document is ready
A pay or quit notice is a landlord's written demand that a tenant pay the past due rent by a deadline or leave the rental. Some states call the same form a notice to pay rent or vacate, a demand for rent or a late rent notice.
The notice usually comes after a friendly reminder has failed. It puts the amount owed and the deadline on paper, so both sides know where they stand.
A landlord sends the form for one of three reasons:
A pay or quit notice is for unpaid rent only. Other problems, such as a pet in a no-pet rental, call for a different eviction notice template, covered further down this page.
A landlord can send a pay or quit notice once rent is past due, but a few states set a waiting period or a minimum amount first. Read the rule where the rental is before you date the notice.
Several states also limit when late fees start, which changes the total you put on the notice. See the late rent questions in the FAQ below.
The table lists each state for which FormsPal’s verified state data holds a notice period for unpaid rent. It gives each period with the condition that applies where the statute names one, and links the statute when an official copy is online.
| State | Time to pay or move | When it applies | Statute |
| Alabama | At least 7 business days after the tenant receives the notice | If rent is unpaid when due; the notice states the rent and late fees owed | Ala. Code § 35-9A-421 |
| Alaska | 7 days after written notice | If rent is unpaid when due and the notice states the intent to end the agreement | Alaska Stat. § 34.03.220 |
| Arizona | 5 days after written notice | If rent is unpaid when due and the notice states the intent to end the agreement | Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 33-1368 |
| Arkansas | 3 days' written notice to quit and demand for possession | When the tenant fails or refuses to pay rent when due | Ark. Code Ann. § 18-60-304 |
| California | 3 days, not counting Saturdays, Sundays and judicial holidays | After a default in rent; the notice states the amount due and the name, phone number and address of the person to pay | Cal. Civ. Proc. Code § 1161 |
| Colorado | 10 days' written notice | After a default in rent; except 3 days for a nonresidential or employer-provided housing agreement and 5 days for an exempt residential agreement | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 13-40-104 |
| Connecticut | Notice to quit at least 3 days before the date it names to leave | When the landlord ends the tenancy, including for unpaid rent | Conn. Gen. Stat. § 47a-23 |
| Delaware | At least 7 days after the notice is given or sent | Only after the period before late fees may be charged has passed | Del. Code Ann. tit. 25, § 5502(a) |
| Florida | 3 days after delivery of the written demand, not counting Saturday, Sunday and legal holidays | If the tenant fails to pay rent when due | Fla. Stat. § 83.56 |
| Georgia | 3 business days to pay all past due rent, late fees, utilities and other charges, or leave | If the tenant refuses to pay or to leave when demanded | O.C.G.A. § 44-7-50 |
| Hawaii | At least 5 business days after the tenant receives the notice | When the landlord demands unpaid rent in writing | Haw. Rev. Stat. § 521-68 |
| Idaho | 3 days' written notice stating the amount due | After a default in rent | Idaho Code § 6-303 |
| Illinois | At least 5 days after service | Any time after rent is due | 735 ILCS 5/9-209 |
| Indiana | At least 10 days' notice | Unless the parties agreed otherwise or the tenant pays in full before the period ends | Ind. Code § 32-31-1-6 |
| Iowa | 3 days after written notice | If rent is unpaid when due and the notice states the intent to end the agreement | Iowa Code § 562A.27 |
| Kansas | 3 days, counted as three consecutive 24-hour periods | If rent is unpaid when due, after written notice | Kan. Stat. Ann. § 58-2564 |
| Kentucky | 7 days after written notice | If rent is unpaid when due and the notice states the intent to end the agreement | Ky. Rev. Stat. § 383.660 |
| Louisiana | At least 5 days from delivery to vacate | When the landlord gives the notice to vacate | La. Code Civ. Proc. art. 4701 |
| Maine | 7 days' written notice | When the tenant is 7 days or more behind on rent | Me. Rev. Stat. tit. 14, § 6002 |
| Maryland | 10 days after written notice of intent to file | Before the landlord files a claim to recover the rental for unpaid rent | Md. Code, Real Prop. § 8-401 |
| Massachusetts | 14 days' written notice to quit | When a tenant at will neglects or refuses to pay rent | Mass. Gen. Laws ch. 186, § 12 |
| Michigan | 7 days from service of a written demand for possession | When the tenant fails or refuses to pay rent due | Mich. Comp. Laws § 600.5714 |
| Minnesota | 14 days from the date of the notice | If the tenant does not pay the total amount due or move out | Minn. Stat. § 504B.321, subd. 1a |
| Mississippi | 3 days | When rent is unpaid; in writing, or by email or text only if the tenant agreed to that in writing | Miss. Code Ann. § 89-8-13 |
| Montana | 3 days after written notice | If rent is unpaid when due and the notice states the intent to end the agreement | Mont. Code Ann. § 70-24-422 |
| Nebraska | 7 calendar days after written notice | If rent is unpaid when due and the notice states the intent to end the agreement | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 76-1431 |
| Nevada | 7 judicial days | Only for real property other than a commercial premises | Nev. Rev. Stat. § 40.2512 |
| New Mexico | 3 days after written notice | If rent is unpaid when due and the notice states the intent to end the agreement | N.M. Stat. Ann. § 47-8-33 |
| New York | At least 14 days' notice in a written rent demand | When the tenant has defaulted on rent | N.Y. Real Prop. Acts. Law § 711 |
| Ohio | Notice to leave 3 or more days before the action begins | When the landlord is about to bring an eviction action | Ohio Rev. Code Ann. § 1923.04 |
| Oklahoma | 5 days after written notice of the demand for payment | When the tenant fails to pay rent when due | Okla. Stat. tit. 41, § 131 |
| Oregon | At least 72 hours' written notice in a week-to-week tenancy; at least 10 or 13 days' written notice in other tenancies | The 72-hour notice is given no sooner than the fifth day of the rental period; for other tenancies the period depends on the day of the rental period the notice is delivered | Or. Rev. Stat. § 90.394 |
| Pennsylvania | 10 days from service to remove | When the tenant fails to pay rent due on demand | 68 P.S. § 250.501 |
| Rhode Island | 5 days from the date the notice was mailed | Only when the tenant is more than fifteen days in arrears; the tenancy is saved if all rent in arrears is paid in that time | R.I. Gen. Laws § 34-18-56 |
| South Carolina | 5 days from the date rent is due | If the landlord has given written notice of nonpayment | S.C. Code Ann. § 27-40-710 |
| Texas | At least 3 days' written notice to vacate before a forcible detainer suit | Unless the written lease sets a shorter or longer period | Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005 |
| Utah | 3 business days after service | After a default in rent or other amounts due | Utah Code § 78B-6-802 |
| Vermont | At least 14 days after actual notice | When the landlord ends a tenancy for unpaid rent | 9 V.S.A. § 4467 |
| Virginia | 14 days after written notice is served | If rent is unpaid when due and the notice states the intent to end the agreement | Va. Code Ann. § 55.1-1245 |
| Washington | A 14-day notice in the form the statute sets out | When the notice is served under RCW 59.12.030(3) | Wash. Rev. Code § 59.18.057(1) |
| Wisconsin | At least 5 days after the notice is given | Only for a month-to-month or week-to-week tenant | Wis. Stat. § 704.17 |
| Wyoming | Notice served at least 3 days before the action begins | When the landlord brings an eviction action | Wyo. Stat. Ann. § 1-21-1003 |
FormsPal’s verified state data holds no pay or quit notice period for Missouri, New Hampshire, New Jersey, North Carolina, North Dakota, South Dakota, Tennessee or West Virginia, so those states are left out. In North Dakota and South Dakota the eviction statute applies when the tenant fails to pay rent for three days after it is due (N.D.C.C. § 47-32-01; S.D. Codified Laws § 21-16-1), but our source names no notice period. Check the rule there with the local court or a lawyer.
To count the days of a notice period, use the deadline calculator.
Filling out a notice to pay rent or quit takes four steps: get the form, total what is owed, complete each field and deliver the notice. Accurate names, amounts and dates make the notice clear and easy to prove later.
Start with a pay or quit notice template you can fill in with your own details. The builder on this page asks for each detail in turn and gives you a notice to download and print, and the same form can serve a single unit or a large portfolio.
You can also have a lawyer draft a custom notice. That costs more, so most landlords without a lawyer on hand start from a template.
Work out the exact amount before you write it down: the rent for each missed period and any late fee the lease allows. Some states limit when a late fee can start, so check the grace period rules in the FAQ below.
List each charge separately on the notice, with the period it covers. A single round figure is harder for the tenant to check and harder for you to prove.
Fill in the names of everyone who signed the lease or lives at the rental, the full address with the unit number and the date the lease was signed.
Then add the amount due, the dates it went unpaid, the deadline to pay and where or how the tenant can pay. A few statutes name what the notice itself must show:
Example (made-up details): To Jordan Lee and all occupants of 418 Maple Street, Unit 2B, Springfield. Rent for March and April is unpaid: $1,200 for each month, plus a $50 late fee under the lease, for a total of $2,450. Pay the full amount to Pat Rivera at the leasing office, 12 Oak Avenue, or move out by the date in this notice.
Most forms also include a certificate of service. The person who delivers the notice completes it at the time of delivery, so you have a record of when and how the tenant got it.
The last step is delivery. You can hand the notice to the tenant yourself or have a third party serve it, and the next section lists the delivery methods some states name.
A notice to pay or quit doesn’t require court involvement unless the tenant fails to make payment within the time limit and doesn’t leave the property.
A pay or quit notice is served by handing, mailing or posting it in the way the law where the rental is allows.
Whatever the method, write down the date, the time and how you delivered the notice. That record is what the certificate of service is for.
A tenant who gets a pay or quit notice can pay the rent owed, move out, or stay and wait for the landlord's next step. Most tenants pay to keep their home.
Some states let the tenant pay late and still keep the home:
Because some tenants leave without paying, it helps to send the notice soon after rent is missed. The sooner the notice goes out, the less rent is lost if the tenant moves.
A tenant who stays after the deadline does not have to leave on the landlord's word alone. The landlord takes the next step through the eviction process, and only that process ends with the tenant's removal.
A pay or quit notice fits unpaid rent; other notices fit a lease breach, illegal activity or an agreed ending. Pick the one that matches the reason you want the tenancy to end.
The notice periods for these notices differ from the rent notice, and many states give a tenant a chance to fix a lease breach before the tenancy ends.
A lease termination letter ends a lease when the landlord and tenant agree to it. Common reasons are a tenant who can no longer afford the rent or a unit that needs major repairs.
A notice to comply or quit is for a tenant who pays rent but breaks another lease term. It tells the tenant to fix the problem or leave.
Typical lease breaches it covers:
A notice to quit for illegal activity asks a tenant to leave because of illegal conduct in or near the rental, even when the rent is paid. Unlike a comply or quit notice, it does not offer a chance to fix the problem and stay.
In 30 of the 40 states FormsPal’s verified state data covers, the law bars a landlord from evicting a tenant without a court order, a practice known as self-help eviction. That is why landlords should not change the locks or move a tenant’s belongings on their own. Talk to a local attorney about the next step.
A pay or quit notice is for unpaid rent. A notice to comply or quit is for another lease problem, such as a pet in a no-pet rental. In 26 of the 40 states FormsPal’s verified state data covers, the law gives the tenant a chance to cure a lease violation after notice.
A Virginia pay or quit notice gives the tenant 14 days after written notice is served to pay, if rent is unpaid when due, before the landlord may end the rental agreement (Va. Code Ann. § 55.1-1245). The notice states the nonpayment and the landlord's intent to end the agreement if the rent is not paid in that time.
A single missed payment can start the process, but the landlord first has to give the notice and wait out its deadline. In Texas, when a tenant was not late before the month of the notice and the case rests only on unpaid rent, the written notice takes the form of a notice to pay rent or vacate (Tex. Prop. Code § 24.005).
Rent is late the day after it is due under the lease, unless a statute or the lease gives a grace period. Some states set one before a late fee applies:
Yes in Alaska: a landlord who has given written notice under that subsection may accept a partial payment of the rent due and extend the date for the eviction accordingly (Alaska Stat. § 34.03.220). Elsewhere, read the lease and the local rule before you take part of the rent, and put any new deadline in writing.
Only where the law allows it. In Mississippi, if the tenant has agreed in writing to be notified by email or text message, the nonpayment notice may go that way instead of on paper (Miss. Code Ann. § 89-8-13).
General information, not legal or tax advice.
