2026 California judgment & prejudgment interest rates
Current 2026 snapshot: California’s recorded headline post-judgment branch is 10% per year; the recorded prejudgment reference is 7% / 10% per year.
Everything California charges in interest on a money judgment or an overdue debt, in one place — the rate after judgment and the rate before it, each recorded with a cited source and linked to its full page with observations, scope, and known carve-outs.
| Metric | Rate or rule | Effective / reference date | Authority | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Post-judgment interest | 10% | January 1, 1983 | Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §§685.010–685.030 | Statutory branches |
| Prejudgment interest | 7% / 10% | July 9, 2026 | Cal. Const. art. XV §1 (7% tort/general); Cal. Civ. Code §3289(b) (10% contract) | Fixed by statute |
Post-judgment interest
California's recorded headline post-judgment branch is 10% per year; another branch may control. 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.
→ Full California post-judgment page — Cal. Code Civ. Proc. §§685.010–685.030, effective-date history, scope, and official source.
Prejudgment interest
California's prejudgment interest rate is 7% / 10% per year (fixed by statute). California prejudgment interest is not one universal tort-versus-contract rate. Civil Code §3287 addresses certainty, vesting, and discretionary contract awards; §3288 permits a discretionary award in specified noncontract cases; and §3289(b) supplies 10% after breach for a contract with no stipulated legal rate. The constitutional 7% legal rate can be relevant to another qualifying branch, but eligibility and calculation must be established first.
→ Full California prejudgment page — Cal. Const. art. XV §1 (7% tort/general); Cal. Civ. Code §3289(b) (10% contract), when it applies, accrual, compounding, and carve-outs.
Frequently asked
What is the post-judgment interest rate in California?
California uses multiple post-judgment branches. The recorded headline branch is 10% per year, but another branch may control. California’s 10% default, 5% qualifying-debt branches, and public-entity exceptions.
What is the prejudgment interest rate in California?
California's prejudgment interest rate is 7% / 10% per year (fixed by statute). Prejudgment interest is NOT automatic on all claims.
Is California judgment interest simple or compound, and when does it start?
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. 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.
Cite this page
StatuteRates. “California Judgment & Prejudgment Interest Rates.” StatuteRates.com. Accessed today. https://statuterates.com/states/california/ Each rate includes a cited source and an effective or recorded-reference date; confirm the controlling authority before use.
Compare every state on the state interest-rate index and the prejudgment interest index, or enter a confirmed rate in the judgment interest and per-diem calculator. Reference data only — not legal advice.