Massachusetts Rent Receipt Law: Is a Receipt Required?

When a receipt is requiredOnly for money paid at or before the start of a tenancy: a receipt at the time a security deposit or last month's rent in advance is paid, and a second receipt within 30 days after the deposit is received, naming the bank that holds it. There is no general rule for monthly rent.

The lawM.G.L. c. 186, § 15B

Landlord recordsA landlord who takes a security deposit must keep a record of it, including copies of every receipt and statement of condition given to the tenant, for two years after the tenancy ends, and show it to the tenant on request (§ 15B(2)(d)).

What Each Massachusetts Receipt Must Show

Security deposit receipt (at the time of payment, § 15B(2)(b))

Amount of the security deposit
Name of the person receiving it and, for an agent, the name of the landlord for whom it is received
Date it was received
Description of the premises leased or rented
Signature of the person receiving the deposit

Last month's rent paid in advance (at the time of payment, § 15B(2)(a))

Amount of the rent
Date it was received
That it is to be applied as rent for the last month of the tenancy
Name of the person receiving it and, for an agent, the name of the landlord for whom it is received
Description of the rented premises
A statement that the tenant is entitled to interest on it at 5% a year, or the lesser amount the bank paid
A statement that the tenant should give the landlord a forwarding address at the end of the tenancy, for the interest

Bank receipt (within 30 days after the deposit is received, § 15B(3)(a))

Name and location of the bank holding the security deposit
Amount of the deposit
Account number

The deposit receipt generator below has fields for the amount, the date, who received it, the premises and a signature line; add the interest and forwarding-address statements in the notes for last month's rent.

Details

At the start of a tenancy a landlord may collect no more than the first month's rent, the last month's rent, a security deposit of up to one month's rent and the cost of a new lock and key (§ 15B(1)(b)).

A landlord who takes a security deposit must also give the tenant a signed statement of the condition of the premises, at the time of payment or within 10 days after the tenancy starts, whichever is later (§ 15B(2)(c)).

Each year of the tenancy the landlord owes the tenant interest on the security deposit and on last month's rent paid in advance, at 5% or the lesser rate the bank paid (§ 15B(2)(a), (3)(b)).

If the Landlord Doesn't Comply

If the bank receipt is not given within 30 days, the tenant is entitled to the immediate return of the security deposit (§ 15B(3)(a)); the same applies if the landlord wrongly refuses to show the deposit record (§ 15B(2)(d)). A landlord who does not hold the deposit in a separate bank account, or does not return it within 30 days after the tenancy ends, owes three times the deposit plus 5% interest, court costs and attorney's fees (§ 15B(6)–(7)).

Checked against the statute text in October 2026. This is general information, not legal advice; city or county rules and your lease can add to it. Read the statute or ask a local tenant organization or lawyer about your situation.

Massachusetts Rent Receipt FAQ

Does a landlord have to give a rent receipt in Massachusetts?

Massachusetts has no general rule for monthly rent receipts, but a landlord must give a signed receipt for a security deposit, a receipt for last month's rent paid in advance, and a bank receipt within 30 days.

Is there a rule for monthly rent receipts in Massachusetts?

No. The receipt rules in M.G.L. c. 186, § 15B cover only the security deposit and last month's rent paid in advance. A receipt for each monthly payment is still good practice for both sides.

What must a Massachusetts security deposit receipt show?

Under M.G.L. c. 186, § 15B: amount of the security deposit; name of the person receiving it and, for an agent, the name of the landlord for whom it is received; date it was received; description of the premises leased or rented; signature of the person receiving the deposit. Within 30 days the landlord must also give a receipt naming the bank, the amount and the account number.

Does a Massachusetts landlord have to keep copies?

A landlord who takes a security deposit must keep a record of it, including copies of every receipt and statement of condition given to the tenant, for two years after the tenancy ends, and show it to the tenant on request (§ 15B(2)(d)).

Massachusetts Rent Receipt Law