§ StatuteRates

EU Late Payment Directive Reference Rate

European Union  The EU reference rate for late-payment interest.

Current rate
2.4% per year, effective July 1, 2026
Derived value

Under EU Late Payment Directive 2011/7/EU, the statutory interest rate on overdue commercial debts is a "reference rate" plus at least 8 percentage points. The reference rate is the ECB main refinancing rate in force on the first day of each half-year (1 January / 1 July). This page tracks that semi-annual reference; a member state's actual statutory rate is the reference plus its national margin (the 8-point floor in most states — for example France adds 10 points, Germany 9).

→ Calculate interest at this rate

How this value is derived. Derived: EU Late Payment Directive (2011/7/EU) reference rate = the ECB main refinancing rate in force on the first calendar day of the half-year (2026-07-01: 2.4%). A member state's statutory late-payment rate is this reference + at least 8 percentage points (e.g. 10.4% at the 8pp floor; some states add more — France +10, Germany +9). Reference, not legal advice.

Effective-date history

22 data points on record. Full history in the JSON API.
Effective dateRateBasis
July 1, 2026 2.4% Derived
January 1, 2026 2.15% Derived
July 1, 2025 2.15% Derived
January 1, 2025 3.15% Derived
July 1, 2024 4.25% Derived
January 1, 2024 4.5% Derived
July 1, 2023 4% Derived
January 1, 2023 2.5% Derived
July 1, 2022 0% Derived
January 1, 2022 0% Derived
July 1, 2021 0% Derived
January 1, 2021 0% Derived
July 1, 2020 0% Derived
January 1, 2020 0% Derived
July 1, 2019 0% Derived
January 1, 2019 0% Derived
July 1, 2018 0% Derived
January 1, 2018 0% Derived
July 1, 2017 0% Derived
January 1, 2017 0% Derived
July 1, 2016 0% Derived
January 1, 2016 0.05% Derived

Source & provenance

Latest value retrieved July 11, 2026 (11:51 UTC) from the official source:
https://data-api.ecb.europa.eu/service/data/FM/B.U2.EUR.4F.KR.MRR_FR.LEV?format=csvdata&startPeriod=2015-01-01

Reference data only — not legal, tax, or financial advice. Always confirm the controlling value against the official source and, where applicable, the governing statute or court before relying on it.