Judgment Interest Calculator - Georgia

Under O.C.G.A. § 7-4-12(a), post-judgment interest is the Federal Reserve prime rate plus three percent (3%), fixed on the judgment date. In May 2026, with prime at seven point five percent (7.50%), the rate is ten point five percent (10.50%) per year simple interest under § 7-4-12(c). If your contract expressly provides a rate, O.C.G.A. § 7-4-12(b) may apply that rate instead. Without a contract, the general legal rate is seven percent (7%) under § 7-4-2. Verify prime on your judgment date from Federal Reserve H.15 before quoting a payoff figure.

Use simple interest per O.C.G.A. § 9-12-10: Interest equals principal times annual rate times years. At ten point five percent (10.50%), fifty thousand dollars for two years equals ten thousand five hundred dollars ($50,000 × 0.105 × 2). Use the prime rate on your judgment date plus three percent—do not use current prime for an old judgment. TheLegalCalc multiplies your inputs. Partial payments reduce principal prospectively. Document principal, rate category, payment chronology, and governing statute on every demand letter or payoff quote. Partial payments reduce the principal base prospectively under the applicable interest formula. This calculator provides educational estimates only and does not replace advice from a licensed attorney familiar with your court, claim type, and docket. Verify official statute text and court rules before filing, settling, or enforcing.

Post-judgment interest under O.C.G.A. § 7-4-12 begins on the date of the judgment on unpaid principal, with the rate fixed at that date. Pre-judgment tort interest under O.C.G.A. § 51-12-14 begins thirty days after a demand letter at prime plus three percent—a different trigger. Confirm judgment entry on the docket and preserve demand letters for prejudgment claims. Document principal, rate category, payment chronology, and governing statute on every demand letter or payoff quote. Partial payments reduce the principal base prospectively under the applicable interest formula. This calculator provides educational estimates only and does not replace advice from a licensed attorney familiar with your court, claim type, and docket. Verify official statute text and court rules before filing, settling, or enforcing.

O.C.G.A. § 9-12-10 provides that interest is simple, not compounded, in routine post-judgment accrual. The prime-plus-three rate under § 7-4-12 applies to principal only. This calculator models simple interest. Michigan compound annual interest under MCL 600.6013 is a different system—do not assume Georgia compounds. Document principal, rate category, payment chronology, and governing statute on every demand letter or payoff quote. Partial payments reduce the principal base prospectively under the applicable interest formula. This calculator provides educational estimates only and does not replace advice from a licensed attorney familiar with your court, claim type, and docket. Verify official statute text and court rules before filing, settling, or enforcing.

O.C.G.A. § 7-4-12(a) prime plus three percent—ten point five percent (10.50%) in May 2026—applies to judgments automatically under § 7-4-12(c). O.C.G.A. § 7-4-2 provides seven percent (7%) as the general legal rate when no contract or judgment formula applies. Judgment creditors on § 7-4-12 judgments typically collect at the higher prime-based rate fixed at entry, not the seven percent fallback. Document principal, rate category, payment chronology, and governing statute on every demand letter or payoff quote. Partial payments reduce the principal base prospectively under the applicable interest formula. This calculator provides educational estimates only and does not replace advice from a licensed attorney familiar with your court, claim type, and docket. Verify official statute text and court rules before filing, settling, or enforcing.

Parties may settle and waive post-judgment interest subject to authority and bankruptcy rules. Specify whether O.C.G.A. § 7-4-12 accrual stops on payment and whether a contract rate under § 7-4-12(b) governed prejudgment. Consult Georgia counsel before satisfaction. Document principal, rate category, payment chronology, and governing statute on every demand letter or payoff quote. Partial payments reduce the principal base prospectively under the applicable interest formula. This calculator provides educational estimates only and does not replace advice from a licensed attorney familiar with your court, claim type, and docket. Verify official statute text and court rules before filing, settling, or enforcing.