Florida Judgment Interest 2026: 8.25% Rate and How to Calculate

How Florida Post-Judgment Interest Works

Florida Statute § 55.03 governs post-judgment interest on money judgments entered in Florida state courts. The statute is mandatory — parties cannot waive post-judgment interest by contract once a judgment is entered, and the court has no discretion to deny it. If a money judgment exists, interest runs.

Simple interest, not compound: Florida post-judgment interest is calculated on the principal amount of the judgment only. Interest does not accrue on previously accumulated interest. This means the calculation is straightforward: principal × annual rate × (days elapsed ÷ 365).

The life of a Florida judgment is 20 years from the date of entry under Fla. Stat. § 55.10. During that entire 20-year period, interest continues to accrue on any unpaid portion. A creditor can also renew the judgment before it expires, restarting the clock and locking in whatever rate applies at renewal.

What counts as the judgment date: Interest begins accruing from the date the court signs the final judgment, not from the date of the underlying debt, the date of the lawsuit, or the date the clerk enters the judgment in the docket. If there is a dispute about the exact start date, the signed final judgment document controls.

Partial payments reduce the principal: When a debtor makes a partial payment, it reduces the outstanding principal on which future interest accrues. Courts typically apply payments to interest first (under the oldest-debt-first rule in Florida common law), then to principal — which means partial payments reduce the principal balance more slowly than debtors sometimes expect.

The 2026 Rate: 8.25% and How It Is Set

The Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) sets the post-judgment interest rate quarterly by adding approximately 400 basis points to the Federal Reserve's discount rate as of a reference period near the end of the prior quarter. The formula is defined by statute; the CFO does not have discretion in the calculation, only in publishing the resulting number.

For Q2 2026 (April 1 through June 30, 2026), the CFO announced a rate of 8.25% per year. This rate was established based on the Federal Reserve discount rate prevailing as of the late-March 2026 reference period. The CFO publishes rates on the Florida Department of Financial Services website (myfloridacfo.com) — the official source for verifying current and historical rates.

Historical context: The rate has moved meaningfully in recent years. Q1 2024 was approximately 9.50%. Q2 2025 was approximately 8.44%. Q2 2026 is 8.25%. The trend reflects modest softening in the Fed's benchmark rate compared to 2023 peaks, though Florida's rate remains historically elevated relative to pre-2022 levels.

How the quarterly announcement works: The CFO publishes the new rate before the start of each calendar quarter. For a judgment entered on May 15, 2026, the applicable rate through June 30, 2026 is 8.25%. If the judgment remains unpaid into Q3 2026, the Q3 rate (published by the CFO by July 1) applies to that period — and so on, year by year, as long as the judgment is unpaid.

Important distinction — post-2011 rule: For judgments entered after July 1, 2011, the rate adjusts annually on January 1, not quarterly. The quarterly CFO announcement sets a new potential rate, but a judgment entered in Q2 2026 at 8.25% continues at 8.25% through December 31, 2026. Starting January 1, 2027, the rate applicable to that judgment switches to whatever the CFO announces for calendar year 2027. This is a common source of confusion — the rate is published quarterly but applied annually to existing judgments.

Federal vs State: The Calculation Mistake That Costs Creditors Money

The federal post-judgment interest rate is set under 28 U.S.C. § 1961 and is tied to the weekly average 1-year constant maturity Treasury yield. In March 2026, that rate was approximately 3.70% per year — less than half of Florida's 8.25% state rate.

When does each rate apply? Federal judgments entered in U.S. District Court in Florida use the federal rate under 28 U.S.C. § 1961. State court judgments entered in Florida circuit or county courts use Florida's rate under Fla. Stat. § 55.03. Diversity jurisdiction cases (state law claims decided in federal court) may trigger a choice-of-law analysis — Florida courts have generally held that Florida's substantive interest rate applies to state law claims even when litigated in federal court, but this area has case-specific nuances.

The practical dollar difference: On a $500,000 judgment, one year of interest at 3.70% is $18,500. One year at 8.25% is $41,250. The difference is $22,750 per year. Over 5 years with no payment, the federal-rate creditor collects roughly $92,500 in interest while the Florida-rate creditor collects $206,250. That is a $113,750 difference — material by any standard.

The error in practice: Attorneys and insurance adjusters sometimes pull the wrong rate — particularly in cases where a federal court issues a judgment applying Florida law. Using 3.70% instead of 8.25% on a state-law claim decided in federal court could be an error if Florida's substantive rate should apply. Always confirm which court issued the judgment and which law governs interest before calculating a payoff amount.

Step-by-Step: Calculating Florida Judgment Interest in 2026

The daily interest formula for a Florida judgment is: Principal × (Annual Rate ÷ 365) × Days Elapsed.

Daily interest rate for Q2 2026: 8.25% ÷ 365 = 0.02260273% per day, or approximately $0.000226027 per dollar of principal per day.

Example 1 — $200,000 judgment, 180 days elapsed at 8.25%: Daily interest: $200,000 × 0.000226027 = $45.21/day Total interest for 180 days: $45.21 × 180 = $8,137.60

Example 2 — $500,000 judgment, full year at 8.25%: Annual interest: $500,000 × 8.25% = $41,250.00 Daily equivalent: $41,250 ÷ 365 = $113.01/day

Example 3 — $100,000 judgment as a benchmark: Daily interest at 8.25%: $100,000 × 0.000226027 = $22.60/day Per year: $8,250. Over 20 years (assuming rate stays constant): $165,000 — more than the judgment itself.

Multi-year calculation when the rate changes: If a $300,000 judgment is entered on June 1, 2026 (Q2 rate 8.25%) and remains unpaid through December 31, 2027, you must calculate two segments separately: Segment 1: June 1, 2026 to December 31, 2026 (214 days at 8.25%): $300,000 × 0.000226027 × 214 = $14,503 Segment 2: January 1, 2027 to December 31, 2027 (365 days at the 2027 annual rate, which must be sourced from the CFO announcement): use whatever rate the CFO sets for calendar year 2027. Add the two segments to get total accrued interest.

The Annual Adjustment After 2011

Florida amended its post-judgment interest statute in 2011 to shift from annual adjustments to quarterly CFO announcements for new rate-setting — but judgments entered after July 1, 2011 have their rate adjusted only once per year, on January 1. This created an important distinction from the way rates were applied before the amendment.

Pre-2011 judgments: Judgments entered before July 1, 2011 may carry a fixed rate established at the time of entry, depending on the specific version of the statute that applied when the judgment was entered. If you are calculating interest on a very old Florida judgment, confirm the applicable rule with a Florida attorney or the clerk's office.

Post-2011 judgments: The rate changes annually on January 1 of each calendar year. Whatever rate the CFO announces for a given calendar year applies to all existing judgments during that calendar year, regardless of when those judgments were originally entered. This means a judgment entered in 2018 could have a different rate in 2026 than it had in 2025.

Practical implication for old judgments: A $100,000 judgment entered in 2020 accrued interest at whatever rates applied in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, and 2026 — each year at that year's CFO-announced rate. To calculate total accrued interest through mid-2026, you need each year's rate, the number of days in each rate period, and the compounding base (simple, not compound). The CFO publishes historical rate tables at myfloridacfo.com.

Pre-Judgment vs Post-Judgment Interest

Florida law distinguishes sharply between pre-judgment interest (interest on a claim before the court enters a final judgment) and post-judgment interest (interest from the date of the final judgment forward). The two follow different legal frameworks and different rates.

Post-judgment interest: Governed entirely by Fla. Stat. § 55.03 and mandatory once a judgment is entered. The rate is the CFO-announced quarterly rate applied annually. This is what the 8.25% figure for Q2 2026 represents.

Pre-judgment interest: Not governed by § 55.03. Florida courts award pre-judgment interest under equitable principles or specific contract provisions when a plaintiff can establish that the amount of a claim was liquidated (fixed and certain) as of a specific date before judgment. The rate for pre-judgment interest may be the contract rate if a contract exists, the statutory rate under a specific fee-shifting statute, or a rate determined by the court under equitable principles.

Michelis v. Nugent (4th DCA 2025): The Fourth District Court of Appeal reaffirmed that pre-judgment interest entitlement in Florida tort cases depends on when the claim became liquidated — and that the absence of a liquidated claim means no pre-judgment interest, even if the underlying harm was clear. This case is relevant for personal injury and property damage claims where liability was disputed until trial. The court distinguished between the mandatory nature of post-judgment interest (always awarded once judgment enters) and the discretionary, fact-dependent nature of pre-judgment interest in unliquidated claims.

Settlement implications: Because post-judgment interest runs at a mandatory rate while pre-judgment interest may be unavailable in unliquidated cases, timing of settlement negotiations matters. A creditor with a liquidated claim should consider that every day without a judgment is a day without the mandatory 8.25% accrual. A debtor facing a clear obligation has incentive to settle before judgment is entered, particularly if the pre-judgment period might not carry interest.

Using Interest as Settlement Leverage

Post-judgment interest in Florida is not a theoretical number — it is a daily accumulating liability that creates predictable settlement pressure on debtors and collection leverage for creditors. Understanding how to use the daily rate in negotiation is often as important as knowing the legal formula.

For creditors: Present the daily accrual as a concrete dollar figure, not a percentage. "This judgment is earning $113 per day" is more visceral than "interest accrues at 8.25%." A debtor who sees the monthly interest bill ($3,390/month on a $500,000 judgment) is more motivated to resolve the debt than one who only hears an annual rate.

For debtors: The total payoff amount increases every day the judgment is unpaid. If you have any capacity to settle or pay, calculate the cost of delay against your other options. At $45/day on a $200,000 judgment, waiting 90 days to negotiate costs $4,069 in additional interest — plus collection costs the creditor may add to any settlement demand.

Lump-sum settlements vs payment plans: Creditors often prefer a lump sum because it eliminates future interest accrual risk (what if the rate drops next year?) and collection enforcement costs. Debtors often prefer installment plans. The daily interest rate creates a natural discount calculation: a creditor might accept a discounted lump sum today rather than the full principal plus years of accumulated interest, particularly if enforcement prospects are uncertain.

The 20-year judgment life: Florida judgments can be renewed beyond 20 years. A creditor who pursues renewal keeps the interest clock running. Debtors who ignore judgments for decades may find the total payoff far exceeds the original principal. This is less common in large commercial cases (where parties resolve quickly) but frequent in smaller consumer and landlord-tenant judgments.

Using the Calculator and Official Resources

TheLegalCalc's Florida Judgment Interest Calculator at /judgment-interest-calculator/florida applies the § 55.03 formula to any judgment amount. Enter the principal, the judgment date, and the calculation end date, and the calculator returns total accrued interest broken into annual segments with the applicable rate for each year.

The calculator uses the Q2 2026 rate of 8.25% for the 2026 calendar year segment and provides year-by-year breakdowns for multi-year calculations. For historical rates applied to old judgments, source the actual CFO-published rates from myfloridacfo.com to ensure accuracy.

Official sources: — Fla. Stat. § 55.03: Available at leg.state.fl.us (Florida Legislature's online statute database) — Current and historical judgment interest rates: myfloridacfo.com (search "judgment interest rate") — Florida Bar referral service: floridabar.org/public/lfrs for attorney referrals if you need legal representation regarding a specific judgment

Note on calculating payoff amounts in settlement: If you are calculating the amount needed to fully satisfy a judgment (principal + all accrued interest + any costs added by court order), confirm the exact figures with the court clerk or the opposing party's counsel. Payoff calculations for settlement should reflect actual interest through the specific payment date, not an estimated date — because the clock keeps running until payment is received and acknowledged.