Massachusetts post-judgment interest branches

United States Massachusetts postjudgment interest follows the prejudgment rate used in the award.

→ All Massachusetts judgment & prejudgment interest rates

Headline statutory branch

12% per year — headline statutory branch; another branch may control
Statutory branches

2026 Massachusetts post-judgment interest branches at a glance

Headline branch: 12% per year (branch shown)
Recorded reference date: July 8, 2026
Controlling authority: M.G.L. c. 235 §8
Rate basis: Statutory branches
Source checked: July 8, 2026
Recorded history: 1 data point

M.G.L. c.235 §8 makes a Massachusetts money judgment bear interest from entry at the same rate used for prejudgment interest in that award. The displayed 12% is the common covered branch under c.231 §§6B, 6C, and 6H—not a universal postjudgment rate. A contract rate can control under §6C, and Commonwealth awards instead use the Treasury-linked §6I branch, capped at 10%.

How Massachusetts post-judgment interest works

Which rate applies

Section 235-8 points back to the prejudgment rate used in the award. Covered tort, contract-default, catch-all, contract-rate, and Commonwealth awards can therefore reach different postjudgment results.

When interest accrues

Postjudgment interest runs from entry of the judgment under c.235 §8. The earlier prejudgment start date depends on the controlling c.231 branch and the facts of the award.

Compounding and rate lock

Rule 54(f) treats accrued prejudgment interest as part of the judgment total for postjudgment interest. The cited authorities therefore do not support a blanket statement that every Massachusetts award uses one universal simple-interest calculation.

Official history coverage

The recorded 12% observation is preserved as the common covered branch. It is a reference value, not a claim that every Massachusetts judgment uses 12%.

→ Open the manual arithmetic-only tool — independently verify every legal input first

→ See Massachusetts’s prejudgment interest rate (interest before judgment — different rules)

Statutory basis & carve-outs. 12% per annum under both M.G.L. c.231 §6B (tort; from commencement of the action) and §6C (contract; from breach/demand, or commencement if not established). Applied as simple interest in MA practice. Carve-outs: an established contract rate displaces the §6C default; judgments against the commonwealth bear interest per §6I (weekly-average 1-yr Treasury CMT, capped at 10%). The official statute pages show no amendment history; the 12% figure has been stable since the early 1980s. Date shown is when the current text was verified (2026-07-08). Verify against the statute; not legal advice.

Current recorded observation

One current observation is on record; this page does not claim complete historical coverage. All recorded observations are in the JSON API.
Recorded reference date	Rate	Basis
July 8, 2026	12%	Statute

Source & provenance

Observation recorded July 8, 2026 (00:00 UTC) from the cited source (Massachusetts Legislature (official)):
https://malegislature.gov/Laws/GeneralLaws/PartIII/TitleII/Chapter231/Section6B

Cite this page

StatuteRates. “Massachusetts Judgment Interest Rate.” StatuteRates.com. Accessed today. https://statuterates.com/rates/massachusetts-judgment-rate/ Rate recorded under M.G.L. c. 235 §8; current-code reference checked for July 8, 2026.

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