Georgia post-judgment interest is not a fixed number. Under O.C.G.A. § 7-4-12, the rate on a money judgment equals the Federal Reserve's prime rate on the day the judgment is entered, plus 3 percentage points. That means two judgments entered in different months can carry different interest rates — and both rates stay fixed for the life of each judgment.
As of July 2026, with the Federal Reserve prime rate at approximately 7.50%, a new Georgia judgment would accrue interest at roughly 10.50% per year. A judgment entered two years earlier, when prime was higher, would carry a different rate.
Georgia law is also clear that this is simple interest — not compound. Under O.C.G.A. § 9-12-10, interest accrues only on the principal amount of the judgment, not on accumulated interest. Use the calculator above to estimate interest once you know the prime rate that applied on your judgment date.
How Georgia Sets Its Judgment Interest Rate: Prime + 3%
O.C.G.A. § 7-4-12 is Georgia's post-judgment interest statute for money judgments. Unlike Illinois (fixed 9%) or Ohio (fixed 7%), Georgia does not publish one permanent percentage for every civil judgment. Instead, the statute keys the rate to a publicly observable market benchmark: the Federal Reserve prime rate on the day of judgment entry, then adds three percentage points.
The formula in plain English: 1) Find the Federal Reserve prime rate in effect on the date the judgment was entered. 2) Add exactly 3.00%. 3) That sum is the annual post-judgment interest rate for that judgment.
Where prime comes from: The Federal Reserve publishes the prime rate in its H.15 Selected Interest Rates statistical release (federalreserve.gov). Banks and courts treat that published prime as the reference. When people say "Georgia judgment interest is about 10.50% in mid-2026," they mean roughly 7.50% prime + 3% = 10.50%.
Why the rate is judgment-specific: Because prime moves over time, a judgment entered in July 2024 (when prime was higher) can carry a permanently higher Georgia rate than a judgment entered in July 2026. The rate locks to the entry-date prime; it does not float month to month after judgment.
Critical differential #1: Do not recalculate a 2022 Georgia judgment using today's prime. Use the prime that applied on the 2022 judgment date for the entire life of that judgment's post-judgment interest (unless a written contract rate controls under § 7-4-12(b)).
Critical differential #2: Written instruments can override the default. If the underlying obligation specified a contractual interest rate, O.C.G.A. § 7-4-12(b) may require using that rate instead of prime + 3%. Applying prime + 3% to every Georgia file is a common modeling error.
Official orientation: — O.C.G.A. § 7-4-12 (interest on judgments) — O.C.G.A. § 9-12-10 (interest on principal only) — Federal Reserve H.15: https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/h15/ — Georgia courts: https://georgiacourts.gov
TheLegalCalc Georgia Judgment Interest Calculator at /judgment-interest-calculator/georgia is a planning tool. Confirm the entry-date prime and whether a contract rate applies before relying on any payoff figure.
The 2026 Rate: How to Find It for Your Specific Judgment
There is no single "2026 Georgia judgment interest rate" that applies to every unpaid judgment in the state. There is only: (prime on your judgment date) + 3%.
For a new judgment entered around July 2026: Approximate Federal Reserve prime: 7.50% Georgia statutory add-on: +3.00% Approximate Georgia rate: 10.50% per year
That 10.50% figure is a planning snapshot for mid-2026 entries. It is not the rate for every older judgment still accruing interest in 2026.
How to find the correct rate for your file: 1) Locate the judgment entry date on the docket or the signed judgment. 2) Look up the Federal Reserve prime rate in effect on that date (H.15 release / historical prime tables). 3) Add 3 percentage points. 4) Apply that annual rate as simple interest on principal under § 9-12-10. 5) If a written contract specified a different rate, evaluate § 7-4-12(b) before using prime + 3%.
Historical contrast (teaching numbers): July 2024 approximate prime: 8.50% Georgia rate for a July 2024 judgment: 8.50% + 3% = 11.50% $25,000 × 11.50% × 2 years = $5,750
July 2026 approximate prime: 7.50% Georgia rate for a July 2026 judgment: 7.50% + 3% = 10.50% $25,000 × 10.50% × 2 years = $5,250
Same principal, same two-year span, different locked rates — $500 difference — solely because prime on the judgment date differed.
Always verify the exact prime for your entry date at federalreserve.gov rather than relying on a blog's rounded "about 7.5%" figure when the dollars are large.
Simple Interest Only: What O.C.G.A. § 9-12-10 Means
O.C.G.A. § 9-12-10 states that no part of the judgment shall bear interest except the principal. In calculation terms: Georgia post-judgment interest is simple interest on the unpaid principal, not compound interest that charges interest on prior interest accruals.
What that means mechanically: Interest for a period = Principal × Annual Rate × (Days ÷ 365) Or for whole years: Principal × Annual Rate × Years
What it does not mean: You do not take Year-1 interest, add it to principal, and then charge Year-2 interest on that larger sum (unless some other order or agreement expressly creates a different structure — the statutory default is principal-only).
Example — $100,000 at 10.50% for two full years (simple): Year 1 interest: $100,000 × 0.1050 = $10,500 Year 2 interest: $100,000 × 0.1050 = $10,500 Total interest: $21,000 (Not a compound pyramid that would charge Year 2 on $110,500.)
Daily rate at 10.50% on $100,000: $100,000 × 0.1050 ÷ 365 ≈ $28.77 per day
Partial payments: When principal is reduced by a credit, later interest runs on the remaining principal. Keep a dated ledger of payments.
Why this matters versus Michigan: Michigan's MCL § 600.6013 framework discusses annual compounding for certain money judgments. Georgia's § 9-12-10 points modelers toward principal-only simple interest. Importing Michigan compounding habits into a Georgia file overstates interest.
Why this matters versus national widgets: Some generic "judgment interest" tools silently compound. For Georgia, verify the tool uses simple interest on principal at the locked prime + 3% rate.
Step-by-Step Calculation
Use this sequence for every Georgia money-judgment interest estimate.
Step 1 — Confirm the judgment is a Georgia money judgment governed by O.C.G.A. § 7-4-12 (and not controlled solely by a different statutory scheme).
Step 2 — Find the judgment entry date.
Step 3 — Look up Federal Reserve prime on that date (H.15).
Step 4 — Compute Georgia rate = Prime + 3% (unless a written contract rate applies under § 7-4-12(b)).
Step 5 — Confirm principal (unpaid judgment amount after credits).
Step 6 — Count days (or years) from the correct start date — typically judgment entry for post-judgment interest — to the proposed payoff date.
Step 7 — Apply simple interest: Interest = Principal × Rate × (Days ÷ 365)
Worked examples at a mid-2026 planning rate of 10.50%:
A) $25,000 × 10.50% × 2 years = $5,250 Total with principal: $30,250
B) $100,000 for 365 days: Annual interest = $10,500 Daily interest ≈ $28.77
C) $100,000 for 180 days: $100,000 × 0.1050 × (180 ÷ 365) ≈ $5,178.08
D) Historical July 2024 judgment at 11.50%: $25,000 × 0.1150 × 2 = $5,750
Step 8 — Sanity-check contract documents. If the note or contract set a rate, do not force prime + 3% without reading § 7-4-12(b).
Step 9 — Model in /judgment-interest-calculator/georgia, then verify prime and principal against the docket.
Document the prime source and date checked. Variable-entry-date rates need a citation trail.
Written Contracts: When a Different Rate Applies
O.C.G.A. § 7-4-12(b) addresses situations where the parties' written agreement specifies an interest rate. In those cases, the contractual rate — not automatically prime + 3% — can control the post-judgment interest analysis, subject to Georgia's other limits and the judgment's terms.
Why this is a critical differential: National calculators and quick online charts often assume every Georgia judgment uses the current prime + 3%. That assumption fails when: — A promissory note set 12% interest — A commercial contract set a default rate — The judgment expressly carries forward a contractual rate
Modeling error example: True contract rate: 12% Mistakenly applied mid-2026 prime + 3%: 10.50% On $100,000 for one year, the understatement is $1,500
Or the reverse: a contract rate of 8% mistakenly replaced with 10.50% overstates by $2,500 per year on $100,000.
Practice sequence: 1) Read the judgment for any rate stated on its face. 2) Read the underlying note/contract if the claim arose from a written instrument. 3) Apply § 7-4-12(b) analysis before defaulting to prime + 3%. 4) Only then lock the annual percentage for the simple-interest formula.
This page's teaching examples use prime + 3% because that is Georgia's common statutory default for money judgments without a controlling written rate. Always check whether your file is in the default lane or the contract lane.
Georgia vs Other States: How the Variable Rate Compares
Georgia's design is entry-date variable, then locked. That is different from several neighbor and national models.
Illinois: Fixed 9% post-judgment standard under 735 ILCS 5/2-1303 (with consumer/government exceptions). No need to look up prime for the ordinary commercial judgment.
Ohio: Fixed 7% under ORC § 1343.03 for many judgment-interest contexts.
South Carolina: Fixed 8.75% under S.C. Code Ann. § 34-31-20(B) — predictable, no prime lookup.
Michigan: Floating rate certified twice yearly (5-year T-note average + 1%), 4.725% for 2026 planning under MCL § 600.6013 — and often filing-date timing.
Federal: 28 U.S.C. § 1961 weekly Treasury-based rate (about 4.02% in mid-2026 discussions) for federal judgments.
Georgia mid-2026 planning snapshot (~10.50%) sits well above federal (~4.02%) and above Ohio's 7%, near or above South Carolina's 8.75%, and can exceed or trail Illinois 9% depending on where prime sits when judgment is entered.
On $100,000 for one year (approximate teaching rates): Georgia ~10.50%: $10,500 Illinois 9%: $9,000 South Carolina 8.75%: $8,750 Ohio 7%: $7,000 Federal ~4.02%: $4,020
The point of the comparison is not to pick a "best" state — it is to stop importing another state's fixed rate into a Georgia file, and to stop treating Georgia as if it had one permanent percentage for every judgment year.
How Long Does a Georgia Judgment Earn Interest?
Post-judgment interest generally runs from judgment entry until the judgment is satisfied (paid or validly tendered according to applicable procedure). The locked prime + 3% rate continues to apply throughout that period for the default statutory lane.
Appeals and stays: Filing an appeal does not automatically erase interest. Whether a supersedeas bond or stay pauses collection is a procedural question separate from the statutory rate. Read the stay order before assuming the clock stopped.
Dormancy and renewal: Judgments can become dormant or require renewal under Georgia procedure if left unenforced for long periods. Interest modeling for very old judgments should confirm the judgment remains enforceable and that the correct locked rate still applies.
Partial payments: Each payment reduces principal (and may be allocated between principal and interest depending on the parties' agreement or court order). Recalculate remaining interest on the unpaid principal after each credit.
Practical payoff checklist: 1) Judgment entry date 2) Locked rate (prime on entry + 3%, or contract rate) 3) Current unpaid principal 4) Day count to proposed payoff 5) Simple interest only on principal (§ 9-12-10) 6) Credits and costs as ordered
For long-running judgments, the expensive mistake is updating the rate every time prime changes. Georgia's default design locks the entry-date rate; later prime moves do not rewrite old judgments.
Federal Reserve H.15, Georgia Courts, and the Calculator
Georgia judgment interest is a two-input problem: the correct prime on the judgment date, plus the statutory 3% add-on — unless a written contract rate controls.
Official sources: — Federal Reserve H.15 Selected Interest Rates: https://www.federalreserve.gov/releases/h15/ — O.C.G.A. § 7-4-12 and § 9-12-10 (Georgia General Assembly / statute text) — Georgia Courts: https://georgiacourts.gov
Free planning calculator: /judgment-interest-calculator/georgia
How to use this page with the calculator: 1) Confirm judgment entry date. 2) Confirm prime on that date via H.15. 3) Add 3% (or use the contract rate if § 7-4-12(b) applies). 4) Enter principal and time. 5) Treat the output as a planning estimate — then verify against the judgment and counsel.
Remember the three differentials: entry-date prime + 3% (not a forever-fixed state rate), simple interest on principal only under § 9-12-10, and written-contract overrides under § 7-4-12(b).
Georgia post-judgment interest is governed by O.C.G.A. § 7-4-12 and § 9-12-10. The rate equals the Federal Reserve prime rate on the date of judgment entry plus 3%. Verify the exact prime rate at federalreserve.gov (H.15 release). This is a planning estimate — not legal advice.
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Frequently asked questions
Georgia does not use one permanent rate for every judgment. Under O.C.G.A. § 7-4-12, the rate equals the Federal Reserve prime rate on the day the judgment is entered, plus 3%. For a judgment entered around July 2026, with prime near 7.50%, the Georgia rate is about 10.50% per year. A judgment entered earlier, when prime was higher, keeps that earlier locked rate. Verify the exact prime for your entry date in the Federal Reserve H.15 release.
Find prime on the judgment date, add 3%, then apply simple interest: Interest = Principal × Rate × (Days ÷ 365). Example at 10.50%: $25,000 × 10.50% × 2 years = $5,250. Daily interest on $100,000 at 10.50% is about $28.77. Do not compound unless a specific order or agreement requires a different structure — O.C.G.A. § 9-12-10 points to interest on principal only.
No — the statutory default is simple interest on the principal. O.C.G.A. § 9-12-10 provides that no part of the judgment shall bear interest except the principal. That means Year-2 interest is calculated on unpaid principal, not on Year-1 interest already accrued. Partial payments reduce the principal base for later accrual.
Use the Federal Reserve prime rate from the judgment's entry date, plus 3%, not today's prime. A July 2024 judgment when prime was about 8.50% would lock at about 11.50% for its post-judgment life under the default statutory formula. Recalculating an old judgment at the mid-2026 ~10.50% snapshot understates or overstates interest depending on where prime stood at entry.
It can. O.C.G.A. § 7-4-12(b) addresses written agreements that specify an interest rate. If the underlying contract sets a rate, that rate may control instead of prime + 3%. Always read the judgment and the written instrument before assuming the default statutory formula applies.
Related reading
- Ohio Late Fee Laws 2026: Rent Rules and Judgment Interest
Ohio: no statutory late-fee cap; courts test reasonableness. Judgment interest 7% (ORC § 1343.03); contract to 8%. Free OH calc.
- Judgment Interest by State 2026: Rates and How to Calculate
CA 10% (CCP § 685.010). NY 9% (CPLR § 5004). IL 9% (735 ILCS 5/2-1303). Federal ~4.02% (28 U.S.C. § 1961). Free calc.
- Michigan Late Fee Laws 2026: What Landlords Can Charge
Michigan has no statutory late fee cap — but courts apply a reasonableness standard. Judgment interest rate 4.725% in 2026 (MCL § 600.6013). Free calculator.