How to use the late penalty grade calculator
- Enter the points earned and the points possible.
- Enter the days late and any grace days that carry no penalty.
- Choose how your policy works: a percent of the earned score, points off the score, or a percent of the points possible. Then enter the penalty for each late day.
- Optionally enter the largest total penalty, and read the final score, the final percent and the points lost.
Formula
Penalized days = days late - grace days (never below 0)
Total penalty = penalized days x penalty per day, stopped at the cap if there is one
Percent of the earned score: points lost = earned x penalty / 100; points off: lost = penalty; percent of possible: lost = possible x penalty / 100
Final score = earned - points lost, and never below 0
These are the three common ways a late policy is written. Which one applies is up to your course, so enter the policy you were given.
Three ways to apply a late policy
A score of 85 out of 100, handed in 3 days late with 1 grace day and a penalty of 10 percent of the score per day, has 2 penalized days and a penalty of 20 percent. The points lost are 85 x 0.20 = 17, so the final score is 68 out of 100.
A score of 42 out of 50, 4 days late with 2 points off per day, loses 8 points and finishes at 34 out of 50, which is 68 percent. A score of 88 out of 100, 6 days late with 5 percent of the points possible per day, would lose 30, but a cap of 20 stops the penalty at 20 points and the final score is 68. A penalty never takes the score below zero.
Reading a late policy
Policies are written in many ways. "10 percent per day" can mean 10 percent of the score you earned, or 10 percentage points of the total available, and the two give different grades. The first example above uses the first meaning and the third uses the second. If your syllabus is not clear, ask your instructor which one it means.
To adjust a whole set of scores use the curve score calculator, and to find an overall grade see the grade calculator. The drop lowest score grade calculator helps when your course drops a score.
Grace days and caps
Grace days are late days that carry no penalty, and they are taken off the days late before any penalty is counted. A cap is the largest total penalty a policy allows. Both are common, and both are optional here. Enter whatever your policy says and leave the cap empty if there is none.
Assumptions and limits
- The days late can include parts of a day if your policy counts them.
- The penalty is the same for each late day and is not compounded.
- A percent penalty is capped at 100 percent, and the final score is never below zero.
- The page does only the arithmetic. It does not know any course policy.
Frequently asked questions
How do I calculate a late penalty?
Take the days late, subtract any grace days, and multiply by the penalty for each day. Apply it as a percent of the score, as points, or as a percent of the points possible, as your policy says.
What is a grace day?
It is a late day that your policy does not penalize. With 3 days late and 1 grace day, 2 days are penalized.
Is 10 percent per day taken from the score or the total?
It depends on the policy. The page offers both: a percent of the earned score, and a percent of the points possible.
Can the final score be negative?
No. The penalty stops when the score reaches zero.