Cost / Budget / Finance · Excel template
Free Owner-Operator Escrow Refund Tracker
An escrow ledger per leased owner-operator: deposits in, permitted deductions out, interest paid, and the 45-day return clock 49 CFR 376.12(k)(6) sets.
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What you get
- One row per lessor showing the escrow amount the lease specifies and the running balance against it
- Separate deposits-to-date and deductions-to-date columns, so a disputed deduction can be traced to a settlement
- An interest-paid-through column, because interest on the fund is due at least quarterly while the carrier holds it
- A Return Due column computed as termination date plus 45 days — the only date that matters once a lease ends
- A worked example with an active lease, a terminated lease inside the window, and one about to breach it
How to use it
- 1
Open a row the moment a lease with an escrow or performance-bond requirement is signed, and enter the amount the lease specifies.
- 2
Post every deposit and every deduction as it hits a settlement, so this balance and the settlement sheets never disagree.
- 3
Record the date interest was last paid through; the obligation is at least quarterly, not annual.
- 4
On termination, enter the termination date and let the sheet compute Return Due as that date plus 45 days.
- 5
Send the final accounting of every deduction taken at return, and only mark the row closed once the balance has actually gone back.
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Owner-Operator Escrow Refund Tracker
Return Due = termination date + 45 days. 49 CFR 376.12(k)(6) provides that in no event shall the escrow fund be returned later than 45 days from the date of termination, and that the carrier shall give the lessor a final accounting of all final deductions made to the fund. The clock runs from termination, not from the last settlement.
| Lessor / Unit # | Lease Start | Escrow Specified ($) | Deposits to Date ($) | Deductions to Date ($) | Current Balance ($) | Interest Paid Through | Lease Terminated | Return Due (Term + 45d) | Final Accounting / Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| R. Okonkwo / T-204 | 2025-03-10 | 1,500.00 | 1,500.00 | 310.00 | 1,190.00 | 2026-09-30 | — active | — | Active — Q3 interest posted |
| D. Whitfield / T-117 | 2024-08-01 | 2,000.00 | 2,000.00 | 645.00 | 1,355.00 | 2026-09-12 | 2026-09-12 | 2026-10-27 | Final accounting sent 09/26 — payment scheduled |
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Frequently asked questions
Quick answers to the questions buyers usually ask once the category, software, or rollout details start getting more specific.
Where escrow funds are required, the lease has to specify the amount of the escrow fund or performance bond, the specific items the fund can be applied to, how the carrier accounts for transactions involving it, the lessor's right to demand an accounting at any time, that interest is paid on at least a quarterly basis, and the conditions the lessor must fulfil to get the fund returned. Read the current section text and have counsel confirm your lease; this tracker is a record of what you did, not legal advice.
There are two permitted routes under 376.12(k)(3). Either the individual settlement sheets clearly indicate the amount and description of every deduction or addition made to the escrow fund, or the carrier provides a separate accounting of escrow transactions to the lessor, which that paragraph requires to be done monthly. Independently of either route, 376.12(k)(4) gives the lessor the right to demand an accounting at any time.
Under 376.12(k)(5) the carrier pays interest on at least a quarterly basis while the fund is under its control. The rate is established on the date the interest period begins and must be at least equal to the average yield or equivalent coupon issue yield on 91-day, 13-week Treasury bills as established in the weekly auction by the Department of the Treasury. In computing the balance interest is owed on, the carrier may deduct a sum equal to the average advance made to that lessor over the period.
No later than 45 days from the date of termination, with a final accounting of every deduction taken at return. That is why Return Due is its own column: the lease end date and the date of the last settlement are both easy to reach for, and neither is the date the 45 days run from.
Sources
Every figure, section number and deadline on this page was read at a primary source on the date shown. Regulations are amended — check the source before you rely on it.
- 49 CFR 376.12 — Lease requirements (eCFR, current) — read 2026-10-08
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