Judgment Interest Calculator
Reviewed by Hamza Gujjar, Algorithm Architect & Software Developer
Last updated: July 27, 2026Judgment Interest Calculator
Post-judgment interest accrues on an unpaid court judgment from the date it's entered until it's fully paid - this calculator computes accrued interest using simple daily accrual.
Formula
Daily Rate = (Annual Rate% / 100) / 365
Accrued Interest = Judgment Amount x Daily Rate x Days Elapsed
Example
$10,000 judgment, 5% annual rate, 180 days since judgment entered:
Accrued Interest = $246.58 (Total Owed = $10,246.58)
Why Post-Judgment Interest Exists
This interest compensates the judgment creditor (the party who won) for the time value of money they're owed but haven't yet collected - without it, a judgment debtor would have little financial incentive to pay promptly, since delaying payment would cost nothing extra.
Rate Depends on Jurisdiction
The applicable interest rate is typically set by state statute (a fixed rate written into law) or tied to a floating federal benchmark rate, depending on whether the judgment was entered in state or federal court. This calculator uses simple (non-compounding) daily interest - some jurisdictions instead compound judgment interest, which would produce a somewhat larger total than this simple calculation shows.