Post-judgment interest by state · Michigan
Michigan · after judgment
Post-judgment interest in Michigan
An unpaid Michigan money judgment earns 4.959% a year unless the judgment or a contract says otherwise. On a $5,000.00 judgment that is $247.95 in the first year, about $0.68 a day.
How the rate is set
1% plus the average yield at auctions of 5-year Treasury notes during the six months before January 1 and July 1, as certified by the State Treasurer, compounded annually. The rate is recomputed at six-month intervals for the life of the judgment, and interest runs from the filing of the complaint. Treasury posts the Treasury-note average; the 1% is added here.
- Statute or rule
- MCL 600.6013(8)
- Figure read on 2026-10-23
- 5-year note average 3.959% + 1
- Statute re-checked
- 2026-10-23
- Changes
- 6-month period beginning 7/1/2026
When a different rate applies
- A written instrument with a stated rate carries that rate, capped at 13% compounded annually.
- No interest accrues on future damages between filing and judgment.
Work out your own judgment
Michigan is prefilled at 4.959%. Enter the amount and the date the judgment was entered. The calculator uses simple interest; Michigan compounds annually, so a judgment older than a year has earned a little more than this shows.
How Michigan's rate is set, and where it comes from
Uses simple interest at the rate you enter — pre-filled with each state's standard statutory rate, editable since some states publish a new rate quarterly or annually. Some states apply a different rate to specific debt types (noted above where it applies) or when a contract specifies its own rate. Informational only, not legal advice; confirm the current rate and any exceptions with your court clerk before relying on this figure.
The formula, worked
Last reviewed: October 2026
Interest = principal × rate × days ÷ 365. For $5,000.00 at 4.959%: $5,000.00 × 0.04959 × 365 ÷ 365 = $247.95 after one year, and $0.68 for each further day. Because Michigan compounds annually, year two accrues on $5,247.95: $260.25.
What this page does not know
- The rate written on your judgment. If the court stated a rate, that one applies, whatever the default is today.
- Partial payments. Interest accrues only on what is still unpaid.
- Whether a change has already applied to your judgment: Michigan re-rates existing judgments on its schedule, so an older judgment has carried more than one rate.
Informational only, not legal advice. Every figure is cited to the statute or the office that publishes it; confirm the current rate with the court clerk before relying on it.
Also for Michigan: what it costs to sue in Michigan small claims court.
Frequently asked questions
What is the post-judgment interest rate in Michigan right now?
4.959% a year for an ordinary money judgment, for 6-month period beginning 7/1/2026, under MCL 600.6013(8).
How is the Michigan rate set?
1% plus the average yield at auctions of 5-year Treasury notes during the six months before January 1 and July 1, as certified by the State Treasurer, compounded annually. The rate is recomputed at six-month intervals for the life of the judgment, and interest runs from the filing of the complaint. Treasury posts the Treasury-note average; the 1% is added here.
Is it simple or compound interest?
Compound, added to the balance once a year, so the second year's interest is calculated on principal plus the first year's interest.
Can my Michigan judgment carry a different rate?
Yes. A written instrument with a stated rate carries that rate, capped at 13% compounded annually. No interest accrues on future damages between filing and judgment. The judgment itself may also state a rate, and that controls.
Related tools
See how much interest has accrued on an unpaid small claims judgment, using each state's statutory postjudgment interest rate.
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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.
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