diff --git a/lib/rules/max-lines-per-function.js b/lib/rules/max-lines-per-function.js
index b2130ca260b4..f792dec94d1b 100644
--- a/lib/rules/max-lines-per-function.js
+++ b/lib/rules/max-lines-per-function.js
@@ -79,7 +79,7 @@ module.exports = {
             OPTIONS_OR_INTEGER_SCHEMA
         ],
         messages: {
-            exceed: "{{name}} has too many lines ({{lineCount}}). Maximum allowed is {{maxLines}}."
+            exceed: "{{name}} has exceeded the line limit by ({{linesExceed}}). Maximum allowed is {{maxLines}}."
         }
     },
 
@@ -190,11 +190,12 @@ module.exports = {
 
             if (lineCount > maxLines) {
                 const name = upperCaseFirst(astUtils.getFunctionNameWithKind(funcNode));
+                const linesExceed = lineCount - maxLines;
 
                 context.report({
                     node,
                     messageId: "exceed",
-                    data: { name, lineCount, maxLines }
+                    data: { name, linesExceed, maxLines }
                 });
             }
         }
diff --git a/tests/lib/rules/max-lines-per-function.js b/tests/lib/rules/max-lines-per-function.js
index ba01206f4a35..bee372d8dce1 100644
--- a/tests/lib/rules/max-lines-per-function.js
+++ b/tests/lib/rules/max-lines-per-function.js
@@ -199,7 +199,7 @@ if ( x === y ) {
             code: "function name() {\n}",
             options: [1],
             errors: [
-                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Function 'name'", lineCount: 2, maxLines: 1 } }
+                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Function 'name'", linesExceed: 1, maxLines: 1 } }
             ]
         },
 
@@ -208,7 +208,7 @@ if ( x === y ) {
             code: "var func = function() {\n}",
             options: [1],
             errors: [
-                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Function", lineCount: 2, maxLines: 1 } }
+                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Function", linesExceed: 1, maxLines: 1 } }
             ]
         },
 
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ if ( x === y ) {
             code: "const bar = () => {\nconst x = 2 + 1;\nreturn x;\n}",
             options: [3],
             errors: [
-                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Arrow function", lineCount: 4, maxLines: 3 } }
+                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Arrow function", linesExceed: 1, maxLines: 3 } }
             ]
         },
 
@@ -226,7 +226,7 @@ if ( x === y ) {
             code: "const bar = () =>\n 2",
             options: [1],
             errors: [
-                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Arrow function", lineCount: 2, maxLines: 1 } }
+                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Arrow function", linesExceed: 1, maxLines: 1 } }
             ]
         },
 
@@ -235,7 +235,7 @@ if ( x === y ) {
             code: `() => {${"foo\n".repeat(60)}}`,
             options: [{}],
             errors: [
-                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Arrow function", lineCount: 61, maxLines: 50 } }
+                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Arrow function", linesExceed: 11, maxLines: 50 } }
             ]
         },
 
@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@ if ( x === y ) {
             code: "function name() {\nvar x = 5;\n\t\n \n\nvar x = 2;\n}",
             options: [{ max: 6, skipComments: false, skipBlankLines: false }],
             errors: [
-                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Function 'name'", lineCount: 7, maxLines: 6 } }
+                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Function 'name'", linesExceed: 1, maxLines: 6 } }
             ]
         },
 
@@ -253,7 +253,7 @@ if ( x === y ) {
             code: "function name() {\r\nvar x = 5;\r\n\t\r\n \r\n\r\nvar x = 2;\r\n}",
             options: [{ max: 6, skipComments: true, skipBlankLines: false }],
             errors: [
-                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Function 'name'", lineCount: 7, maxLines: 6 } }
+                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Function 'name'", linesExceed: 1, maxLines: 6 } }
             ]
         },
 
@@ -262,7 +262,7 @@ if ( x === y ) {
             code: "function name() {\nvar x = 5;\n\t\n \n\nvar x = 2;\n}",
             options: [{ max: 2, skipComments: true, skipBlankLines: true }],
             errors: [
-                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Function 'name'", lineCount: 4, maxLines: 2 } }
+                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Function 'name'", linesExceed: 2, maxLines: 2 } }
             ]
         },
 
@@ -271,7 +271,7 @@ if ( x === y ) {
             code: "function name() {\r\nvar x = 5;\r\n\t\r\n \r\n\r\nvar x = 2;\r\n}",
             options: [{ max: 2, skipComments: true, skipBlankLines: true }],
             errors: [
-                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Function 'name'", lineCount: 4, maxLines: 2 } }
+                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Function 'name'", linesExceed: 2, maxLines: 2 } }
             ]
         },
 
@@ -280,7 +280,7 @@ if ( x === y ) {
             code: "function name() { // end of line comment\nvar x = 5; /* mid line comment */\n\t// single line comment taking up whole line\n\t\n \n\nvar x = 2;\n}",
             options: [{ max: 6, skipComments: true, skipBlankLines: false }],
             errors: [
-                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Function 'name'", lineCount: 7, maxLines: 6 } }
+                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Function 'name'", linesExceed: 1, maxLines: 6 } }
             ]
         },
 
@@ -289,7 +289,7 @@ if ( x === y ) {
             code: "function name() { // end of line comment\nvar x = 5; /* mid line comment */\n\t// single line comment taking up whole line\n\t\n \n\nvar x = 2;\n}",
             options: [{ max: 1, skipComments: true, skipBlankLines: true }],
             errors: [
-                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Function 'name'", lineCount: 4, maxLines: 1 } }
+                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Function 'name'", linesExceed: 3, maxLines: 1 } }
             ]
         },
 
@@ -298,7 +298,7 @@ if ( x === y ) {
             code: "function name() { // end of line comment\nvar x = 5; /* mid line comment */\n\t// single line comment taking up whole line\n\t\n \n\nvar x = 2;\n}",
             options: [{ max: 1, skipComments: false, skipBlankLines: true }],
             errors: [
-                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Function 'name'", lineCount: 5, maxLines: 1 } }
+                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Function 'name'", linesExceed: 4, maxLines: 1 } }
             ]
         },
 
@@ -313,7 +313,7 @@ if ( x === y ) {
 }`,
             options: [{ max: 2, skipComments: true, skipBlankLines: false }],
             errors: [
-                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Function 'foo'", lineCount: 7, maxLines: 2 } }
+                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Function 'foo'", linesExceed: 5, maxLines: 2 } }
             ]
         },
 
@@ -328,7 +328,7 @@ function
 ()`,
             options: [{ max: 2, skipComments: true, skipBlankLines: false, IIFEs: true }],
             errors: [
-                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Function", lineCount: 4, maxLines: 2 } }
+                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Function", linesExceed: 2, maxLines: 2 } }
             ]
         },
 
@@ -346,7 +346,7 @@ if ( x === y ) {
 }`,
             options: [{ max: 9, skipComments: true, skipBlankLines: false }],
             errors: [
-                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Function 'parent'", lineCount: 10, maxLines: 9 } }
+                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Function 'parent'", linesExceed: 1, maxLines: 9 } }
             ]
         },
 
@@ -364,8 +364,8 @@ if ( x === y ) {
 }`,
             options: [{ max: 2, skipComments: true, skipBlankLines: false }],
             errors: [
-                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Function 'parent'", lineCount: 10, maxLines: 2 } },
-                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Function 'nested'", lineCount: 4, maxLines: 2 } }
+                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Function 'parent'", linesExceed: 8, maxLines: 2 } },
+                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Function 'nested'", linesExceed: 2, maxLines: 2 } }
             ]
         },
 
@@ -380,7 +380,7 @@ if ( x === y ) {
 }`,
             options: [{ max: 2, skipComments: true, skipBlankLines: false }],
             errors: [
-                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Method 'method'", lineCount: 5, maxLines: 2 } }
+                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Method 'method'", linesExceed: 3, maxLines: 2 } }
             ]
         },
 
@@ -395,7 +395,7 @@ if ( x === y ) {
 }`,
             options: [{ max: 2, skipComments: true, skipBlankLines: false }],
             errors: [
-                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Static method 'foo'", lineCount: 5, maxLines: 2 } }
+                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Static method 'foo'", linesExceed: 3, maxLines: 2 } }
             ]
         },
 
@@ -410,7 +410,7 @@ if ( x === y ) {
 }`,
             options: [{ max: 2, skipComments: true, skipBlankLines: false }],
             errors: [
-                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Getter 'foo'", lineCount: 5, maxLines: 2 } }
+                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Getter 'foo'", linesExceed: 3, maxLines: 2 } }
             ]
         },
 
@@ -425,7 +425,7 @@ if ( x === y ) {
 }`,
             options: [{ max: 2, skipComments: true, skipBlankLines: false }],
             errors: [
-                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Setter 'foo'", lineCount: 5, maxLines: 2 } }
+                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Setter 'foo'", linesExceed: 3, maxLines: 2 } }
             ]
         },
 
@@ -443,7 +443,7 @@ if ( x === y ) {
 }`,
             options: [{ max: 2, skipComments: true, skipBlankLines: false }],
             errors: [
-                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Static method", lineCount: 8, maxLines: 2 } }
+                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Static method", linesExceed: 6, maxLines: 2 } }
             ]
         },
 
@@ -458,7 +458,7 @@ if ( x === y ) {
 }());`,
             options: [{ max: 2, skipComments: true, skipBlankLines: false, IIFEs: true }],
             errors: [
-                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Function", lineCount: 7, maxLines: 2 } }
+                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Function", linesExceed: 5, maxLines: 2 } }
             ]
         },
 
@@ -473,7 +473,7 @@ if ( x === y ) {
 })();`,
             options: [{ max: 2, skipComments: true, skipBlankLines: false, IIFEs: true }],
             errors: [
-                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Arrow function", lineCount: 7, maxLines: 2 } }
+                { messageId: "exceed", data: { name: "Arrow function", linesExceed: 5, maxLines: 2 } }
             ]
         }
     ]