Post-judgment interest by state · Tennessee
Tennessee · after judgment
Post-judgment interest in Tennessee
An unpaid Tennessee money judgment earns 8.75% a year unless the judgment or a contract says otherwise. On a $5,000.00 judgment that is $437.50 in the first year, about $1.20 a day.
How the rate is set
Two percent below the formula rate published by the Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions, set for judgments entered in each half-year beginning January 1 and July 1. The rate does not change once a judgment is entered.
- Statute or rule
- Tenn. Code Ann. §47-14-121
- Checked by hand
- 2026-10-22 (the publisher's page refuses automated requests)
- Statute re-checked
- by hand (page is not machine-readable)
- Changes
- judgments entered July 1 to December 31, 2026
Work out your own judgment
Tennessee is prefilled at 8.75%. Enter the amount and the date the judgment was entered. The calculator uses simple interest; that is how this rate accrues.
How Tennessee'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 8.75%: $5,000.00 × 0.08750 × 365 ÷ 365 = $437.50 after one year, and $1.20 for each further day.
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.
- Nothing about older judgments: Tennessee fixes the rate when the judgment is entered, so a judgment from an earlier period keeps that period's rate, not the one shown.
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.
Frequently asked questions
What is the post-judgment interest rate in Tennessee right now?
8.75% a year for an ordinary money judgment, for judgments entered July 1 to December 31, 2026, under Tenn. Code Ann. §47-14-121.
How is the Tennessee rate set?
Two percent below the formula rate published by the Tennessee Department of Financial Institutions, set for judgments entered in each half-year beginning January 1 and July 1. The rate does not change once a judgment is entered.
Is it simple or compound interest?
The statute does not say. Courts generally treat an unstated judgment rate as simple interest, calculated on the principal only.
Can my Tennessee judgment carry a different rate?
Yes, if the judgment itself states a rate or a contract sets one; the judgment's own terms control. Check the rate written on your judgment before using the default.
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 →