California post-judgment interest rate
United States California’s 10% default, 5% qualifying-debt branches, and public-entity exceptions.
→ All California judgment & prejudgment interest rates
Statutory branches
2026 California post-judgment interest at a glance
- Headline branch
- 10% per year (branch shown)
- Effective date
- January 1, 1983
- Controlling authority
- Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §§685.010–685.030
- Rate basis
- Statutory branches
- Source checked
- August 21, 2026
- Recorded history
- 1 data point
California’s ordinary state-court money-judgment rate is 10% per year on unpaid principal. A 5% branch applies to qualifying judgments against natural persons entered on or after January 1, 2023—or renewed by an application filed on or after that date—when unsatisfied principal is under $200,000 for medical-expense claims or under $50,000 for personal debt. Tort, fraud, and specified employee claims are excluded. State and local public-entity judgments generally use 7%, but special timing and rate rules govern several public branches. This page is a legal-rate reference, not a payoff calculator.
How California post-judgment interest works
Which rate applies
The 10% headline is California’s default state-court money-judgment rate. The 5% branch requires a natural-person debtor, a qualifying medical-expense or personal-debt claim, the statutory entry-or-renewal date, and unsatisfied principal strictly below the applicable threshold. Tort, fraud, and employee-wage, damages, or penalty judgments do not qualify. Public entities and special statutes require separate treatment.
When interest accrues
Ordinary interest begins on judgment entry. Unless the judgment provides otherwise, an installment begins accruing when that installment becomes due. Interest stops on the satisfied portion at the statutory receipt, tender, deposit, performance, levy, or collection date. State judgments and settlements, local public-entity judgments, and public tax-or-fee claims have separate finality, enforceability, and accrual rules.
Compounding and rate lock
Ordinary interest is calculated daily at the annual rate divided by 365 on unsatisfied principal. It is simple between capitalization events, but allowed enforcement costs become principal and renewal adds unpaid accrued interest to renewed principal. For ordinary non-support judgments, payments generally apply to accrued interest before principal after specified officer and court costs. Because rounding and all exceptions are not modeled, the calculator remains disabled.
Official history coverage
California’s default rate changed from 7% to 10% effective January 1, 1983, including interest accruing after that date on earlier judgments. The qualifying 5% branches began January 1, 2023. The January 1, 2024 amendment was nonsubstantive code maintenance and is not a rate-history change. The earlier 7% rate is disclosed without inventing an unsupported start date.
→ Calculate interest at this rate
→ See California’s prejudgment interest rate (interest before judgment — different rules)
Current recorded observation
| Effective date | Rate | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| January 1, 1983 | 10% | Statute |
Source & provenance
Observation recorded August 21, 2026 (00:00 UTC) from the cited source (California Legislative Information and Attorney General (official)):
https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/codes_displaySection.xhtml?lawCode=CCP§ionNum=685.010
Cite this page
StatuteRates. “California Post-Judgment Interest Rate.” StatuteRates.com. Accessed today. https://statuterates.com/rates/california-judgment-rate/ Rate recorded under Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §§685.010–685.030, effective January 1, 1983.