What is the judgment interest rate in North Carolina?

The legal rate of 8% a year under G.S. 24-1, unless a contract rate applies.

When does interest start on a North Carolina judgment?

From the date of breach in contract cases, and from the filing of the action for compensatory damages in other cases.

Is North Carolina judgment interest compounded?

No. It is simple interest at the legal rate.

Does a contract rate apply after judgment?

Only if the parties agreed in the contract that it would; otherwise the 8% legal rate applies.

Do punitive damages earn interest from filing?

No. Only the part the fact finder designates as compensatory bears interest from filing; the rest bears interest from judgment.

How much is 8% interest per day?

The amount times 8% divided by 365. On $25,000 that is $5.48 a day.

Built by Unison Labs

North Carolina judgment interest calculator

The legal rate of 8% a year under G.S. 24-1, or the contract rate where the contract says so. Enter the judgment, the start date and the payment date.

North Carolina judgment interest

Amount ($)Rate (%)

Judgment date

Paid on

Rate

Interest

Interest for 364 days

$3,989.04

Per day$10.96

Judgment plus interest$53,989.04

North Carolina: 8%, N.C. Gen. Stat. 24-1, 24-5. Source: Statutes at ncleg.gov (as of 9 November 2026). Interest is counted on a 365-day year. Not legal advice: confirm the rate in the judgment.

North Carolina judgment interest

When interest runs under G.S. 24-5 and at what rate.

North Carolina judgment interest rates
Applies to	Rate	Source
	8%	G.S. 24-1, ncleg.gov
Contract actions: from the date of breach, at the contract rate if the parties agreed it runs after judgment	Contract or 8%	G.S. 24-5(a)
Other actions: compensatory damages from the filing of the action	8%	G.S. 24-5(b)

The legal rate and when it starts

The legal rate in North Carolina is 8% a year (G.S. 24-1), simple. In a contract action the amount awarded bears interest from the date of breach; after judgment the contract rate applies only if the parties agreed it, otherwise the legal rate (G.S. 24-5(a)). In other actions, the compensatory damages bear interest from the day the action was filed until the judgment is paid (G.S. 24-5(b)).

A worked example

A negligence verdict of $60,000 in compensatory damages, in an action filed on 3 March 2025 and paid on 9 November 2026, runs 616 days at 8%: $13.15 a day and $8,100.82 in all. Enter the filing date as the judgment date here, since that is when the interest starts.

Default judgments and the clerk

On a default judgment for a sum certain on a note, bond or signed account, the clerk works out the interest due and includes it in the judgment. The North Carolina courts publish their own judgment calculator; the figures here should match it for a single rate and period. Other states are in the judgment interest calculator for every state.