Small claims court · after judgment
Post-judgment interest rate by state
Pick your state to see the interest an unpaid judgment earns there today, how the rate is set, and the statute behind it. 30 of these 51 jurisdictions reset the rate on a schedule; the table is rebuilt from their own publications monthly.
Snapshot built 2026-10-23 · Last reviewed: October 2026
| Jurisdiction | Rate | How it is set | Period | Interest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 7.5% | Fixed by statute | Until amended | Simple |
| Alaska | 6.75% | Set from an index | judgments entered in 2026 | Simple |
| Arizona | 8% | Set from an index | judgments entered now (prime as of 2026-10-21) | Simple |
| Arkansas | 6% | Set from an index | judgments entered now (primary credit rate 4.0%) | Simple |
| California | 10% | Fixed by statute | Until amended | Simple |
| Colorado | 8% | Fixed by statute | Until amended | Compound (annual) |
| Connecticut | 10% | Judge sets, up to the ceiling shown | until the legislature changes the statute | Simple |
| Delaware | 9% | Set from an index | judgments entered now (discount rate 4.0%) | Simple |
| District of Columbia | 5% | Set from an index | Q4 2026 (70% of the IRS underpayment rate 7%) | Simple |
| Florida | 7.87% | Set from an index | Q4 2026 (quarter beginning October 1, 2026) | Simple |
| Georgia figure not machine-verified | 10% | Set from an index | judgments entered now (prime as of 2026-10-21) | Not stated |
| Hawaii | 10% | Fixed by statute | Until amended | Simple |
| Idaho | 8.875% | Set from an index | FY2027 (July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027) | Simple |
| Illinois | 9% | Fixed by statute | Until amended | Simple |
| Indiana figure not machine-verified | 8% | Fixed by statute | Until amended | Simple |
| Iowa | 6.47% | Set from an index | judgments entered since the 10/07/2026 auction | Simple |
| Kansas small claims 12% | 7.75% | Set from an index | July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027 (general rate) | Simple |
| Kentucky | 6% | Fixed by statute | Until amended | Compound (annual) |
| Louisiana | 7.5% | Set from an index | calendar 2026 | Simple |
| Maine | 9.51% | Set from an index | judgments entered in 2026 | Simple |
| Maryland | 10% | Fixed by statute | Until amended | Simple |
| Massachusetts | 12% | Fixed by statute | Until amended | Simple |
| Michigan | 4.959% | Set from an index | 6-month period beginning 7/1/2026 | Compound (annual) |
| Minnesota | 4% | Set from an index | calendar 2026, judgments of $50,000 or less | Simple |
| Missouri | 9% | Fixed by statute | Until amended | Simple |
| Montana | 9.75% | Set from an index | calendar 2026 | Simple |
| Nebraska | 6.441% | Set from an index | judgments entered on or after October 15, 2026 | Simple |
| Nevada | 8.75% | Set from an index | July 1 to December 31, 2026 | Simple |
| New Hampshire figure not machine-verified | 5.7% | Set from an index | calendar 2026 | Simple |
| New Jersey | 4.5% | Set from an index | calendar 2026 (judgments up to the Special Civil Part limit of $20,000) | Simple |
| New Mexico | 8.75% | Fixed by statute | Until amended | Simple |
| New York | 9% | Fixed by statute | Until amended | Simple |
| North Carolina | 8% | Fixed by statute | Until amended | Simple |
| North Dakota | 10% | Set from an index | judgments entered in 2026 | Simple |
| Ohio | 7% | Set from an index | calendar 2026 | Simple |
| Oklahoma figure not machine-verified | 8.75% | Set from an index | calendar 2026 | Compound (annual) |
| Oregon | 9% | Fixed by statute | Until amended | Simple |
| Pennsylvania | 6% | Fixed by statute | Until amended | Simple |
| Rhode Island | 12% | Fixed by statute | Until amended | Simple |
| South Carolina | 10.75% | Set from an index | January 15, 2026 to January 14, 2027 | Compound (annual) |
| South Dakota | 10% | Fixed by statute | Until amended | Not stated |
| Tennessee figure not machine-verified | 8.75% | Set from an index | judgments entered July 1 to December 31, 2026 | Not stated |
| Texas | 6.75% | Set from an index | judgments rendered in October 2026 | Compound (annual) |
| Utah small claims 13.51% | 5.51% | Set from an index | judgments entered in calendar 2026 | Not stated |
| Vermont | 12% | Fixed by statute | Until amended | Simple |
| Virginia | 6% | Fixed by statute | Until amended | Simple |
| Washington | 12% | Set from an index | higher of 12% or 6-month bill 4.21% + 4 (as of 2026-10-21) | Simple |
| West Virginia | 6.25% | Set from an index | judgments entered in 2026 | Simple |
| Wisconsin | 7.75% | Set from an index | judgments entered July 1 to December 31, 2026 | Not stated |
| Wyoming | 10% | Fixed by statute | Until amended | Not stated |
| Federal courts | 4.49% | Set from an index | judgments entered the week after the week ending 2026-10-16 | Compound (annual) |
Mississippi is not listed: Miss. Code §75-17-7 leaves the rate to the judge in each case, so there is no default number to show.
How this table is built
Three kinds of rate
Fixed by statute means the number is written in the code and changes only when the legislature acts; each monthly run re-reads the statute page and confirms the rate string is still there. Set from an index means a state office recomputes the rate on a schedule from a published figure, usually a Treasury yield or the prime rate; each run fetches that office's page, or, where the state posts nothing, the Federal Reserve series the statute itself names. Judge sets means the statute gives a ceiling and the court chooses (Connecticut).
What the rate applies to
The default rate for an ordinary money judgment with no contract rate. Many states carve out consumer debt, tort claims, contracts with their own rate, or small-dollar cases; those are listed on the state's page, above the fold where they change the answer for a small claims filer.
Sources and limits
Only statutes, court rules and the publishing office are used, never a law-firm or aggregator table. Five publishers (Louisiana, Utah, Tennessee, New Jersey, New Hampshire) block automated requests, so their figures are checked by hand each month and carry that date. Two states (Georgia, Indiana) publish their code only through a viewer a script cannot read, so their statute text is noted as not machine-verified. The judgment itself may state a different rate, and that controls. This is a reference, not legal advice.
Frequently asked questions
Why do some states show a date range next to the rate?
Because those states set the rate from an index on a schedule: Florida every quarter, Michigan and Nevada every six months, most others once a year, the federal courts every week. The range is the period the figure covers. A state with no range fixes the number in its statute, and it changes only when the legislature acts.
Does the rate on my judgment change when the state's rate changes?
Usually not. In most indexed states the rate in effect when the judgment was entered stays with that judgment for life. District of Columbia, Florida, Kansas, Louisiana, Michigan, Nevada, New Jersey, Oklahoma re-rate existing judgments on their schedule, and each state's page says which rule applies.
Is the rate shown always the one a small claims judgment gets?
Not in every state. Kansas gives limited actions, which include small claims, 12% instead of its general rate, and Utah gives judgments under $10,000 for goods and services the federal rate plus 10%. California, New York, Illinois and Washington cut the rate for consumer or personal debt. Those carve-outs sit at the top of the state's page.
Where does each number come from?
From the statute or court rule, and for indexed states from the office that publishes the figure or the Federal Reserve data the statute names. No law-firm or aggregator tables are used. Each state page links the exact source and shows the date it was last checked.
Related tools
See how much interest has accrued on an unpaid small claims judgment, using each state's statutory postjudgment interest rate.
Open tool →Judgment Renewal CalculatorSee when your small claims judgment expires and what it costs to renew it, by state — cited to each state's own judgment-renewal statute.
Open tool →Judgment Collection Cost CalculatorSee what it costs to have a bank levy served to collect an unpaid small claims judgment, by state — cited to each state's own fee schedule and sheriff/marshal fee statute.
Open tool →Wage Garnishment CalculatorSee how much of a paycheck a small claims judgment creditor can actually garnish, by state — cited to each state's own wage-garnishment statute.
Open tool →Small Claims Court Costs by StateFiling fees, claim limits, and service costs for every covered state, side by side.
Compare states →