What is the California judgment interest rate?

10% a year on the unpaid principal, under Code of Civil Procedure 685.010.

When does the 5% rate apply?

To a natural person's judgment for medical expenses under $200,000 or personal debt under $50,000, entered or renewed from 1 January 2023.

What rate applies against a public entity?

7% a year on judgments against the state or a local public entity.

Is California judgment interest compounded?

No. It is simple interest on the principal that remains unpaid.

Does the 5% rate apply to every consumer judgment?

No. Only to medical-expense and personal-debt judgments under the thresholds against a natural person; tort, fraud and wage judgments stay at 10%.

How much is 10% interest per day on a judgment?

The principal times 10% divided by 365. On $50,000 that is $13.70 a day.

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California judgment interest calculator

Code of Civil Procedure 685.010 sets 10% a year, 5% on some consumer debts and 7% against public entities. Choose the rate, enter the judgment and the dates.

California judgment interest

Amount ($)Rate (%)

Judgment date

Paid on

Rate

Interest

Interest for 364 days

$4,986.30

Per day$13.70

Judgment plus interest$54,986.30

California: 10%, Cal. Code Civ. Proc. 685.010. Source: Statute at leginfo.legislature.ca.gov; courts.ca.gov self-help (as of 9 November 2026). Interest is counted on a 365-day year. Not legal advice: confirm the rate in the judgment.

California judgment interest rates

The rates under Code of Civil Procedure 685.010 and when each applies. Choose one to use it in the calculator.

California judgment interest rates
Applies to	Rate	Source
	10%	CCP 685.010(a), leginfo.legislature.ca.gov
	5%	CCP 685.010, added by SB 1200; courts.ca.gov self-help
	7%	courts.ca.gov self-help, judgment interest

The California rates

Interest accrues at 10% a year on the principal of a money judgment that remains unsatisfied (CCP 685.010). It is simple: it runs on the principal, not on interest already accrued, and it starts on the day of entry. Against a state or local public entity the rate is 7%.

Since 1 January 2023, a natural person who owes a judgment for medical expenses under $200,000, or for personal debt under $50,000, pays 5% on judgments entered or renewed from that date. Torts, fraud and unpaid wages are excluded.

A worked example

A $30,000 judgment at 10% earns $8.22 a day. Unpaid for 400 days it carries $3,287.67 of interest. Interest is charged on the unpaid principal only, so payments are credited first to accrued interest and costs and then to principal, and the daily figure falls as the principal does. The Judicial Council's form MC-013-INFO walks through the same arithmetic.

Prejudgment interest in California

Prejudgment interest is a separate question under Civil Code 3287 and 3289: 10% on a contract claim from breach where the contract sets no rate, and 7% under the constitution in other cases. Enter the day it starts as the judgment date to estimate it. Other states are in the judgment interest calculator for every state.