Child Support Arrears Interest by State (2026)
Past-due child support does not just sit still — in most states it accrues statutory interest that can add thousands of dollars over time. This page lists every state’s rate with its citation, explains when interest starts, and lets you estimate the accrued amount from your state’s rate. Retrieved 2026-08-08.
Arrears interest estimator
Enter your state, the past-due principal, and how long it has been overdue. The tool applies the statutory rate from the matrix below. For benchmark-tied states, type in the rate your agency uses.
Child support arrears interest estimator
Estimates accrued interest on past-due support using the selected state’s statutory rate. Simple-interest assumption except where the state compounds by statute (noted on the result).
How child-support arrears interest works
Under the federal Bradley Amendment (42 U.S.C. § 666(a)(9)), each unpaid installment becomes a final judgment by operation of law on its due date, and courts may not retroactively forgive it. Many states add interest on top of that principal. Three structural facts drive the number you eventually owe:
- Rate: fixed by statute in most states (4%–12%), benchmark-tied in a few (FL, MI, NE, NV, ND, OH), or absent in CT/DE/DC.
- Trigger: automatic in most states; Maryland waits for a formal money judgment; some states begin only after 30 days (GA, VA) or once arrears reach one month’s obligation (WI).
- Compounding: simple interest is the norm; Colorado compounds annually and Wisconsin charges 0.5% per month. Because each installment has its own start date, multi-year balances are tallied payment by payment.
Sources: National Conference of State Legislatures, “Interest on Child Support Arrears” (roundup of state statutes); individual state codes cited per row in the matrix. Rates change — always confirm against the statute or your state child-support agency.
The 50-state + D.C. matrix
“Benchmark / judgment rate” means the state does not set a single fixed percent; the rate follows a market index or the state’s general post-judgment interest statute. Enter that figure in the calculator above, or confirm it with the agency. “No interest” states do not authorize interest on arrears at all.
| State | Rate | How it applies | Authority |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 7.5% / yr | Tied to the general judgment-interest statute; applied to the unpaid principal balance. | Ala. Code § 8-8-10 (7.5% on unpaid principal at each month’s end, post-2011) |
| Alaska | 6% / yr | 6% per year; a lower rate applies if federal law caps it. | Alaska Stat. § 25.27.025 |
| Arizona | 10% / yr | 10% per year on the principal balance. | Ariz. Rev. Stat. § 25-510 |
| Arkansas | 10% / yr | 10% per year, simple. | Ark. Code Ann. § 9-14-233 |
| California | 10% / yr | 10% per year, simple, on the judgment. | Cal. Code Civ. Proc. § 685.010 |
| Colorado | 10% / yr | 10% compounded annually for payments due on/after 7/1/2021; 12% compounded monthly before that date. | Colo. Rev. Stat. § 14-14-106 |
| Connecticut | No interest | Connecticut does not charge interest on child-support arrears. | NCSL — no interest authorized |
| Delaware | No interest | Delaware does not charge interest on child-support arrears. | NCSL — no interest authorized |
| District of Columbia | No interest | D.C. does not charge interest on child-support arrears. | NCSL — no interest authorized |
| Florida | Benchmark / judgment rate | Judgment rate, reset quarterly against the federal short-term rate plus a spread (≈4.75% in 2023). Enter the current rate. | Fla. Stat. § 55.03 |
| Georgia | 7% / yr | 7% per year, simple, beginning 30 days after each payment is due. | O.C.G.A. § 7-4-12.1 |
| Hawaii | Benchmark / judgment rate | Tied to the state judgment-interest statute; confirm the current rate with the agency. | NCSL — judgment-rate tied |
| Idaho | Benchmark / judgment rate | Tied to the state judgment-interest statute; confirm the current rate with the agency. | NCSL — judgment-rate tied |
| Illinois | 9% / yr | 9% per year, simple. | 735 ILCS 5/12-109 |
| Indiana | Benchmark / judgment rate | Tied to the state judgment-interest rate; confirm the current figure with the agency. | Ind. Code § 24-4.6 (judgment rate) |
| Iowa | 10% / yr | 10% per year. | NCSL — 10% per annum |
| Kansas | Benchmark / judgment rate | Tied to the state judgment-interest statute; confirm the current rate with the agency. | NCSL — judgment-rate tied |
| Kentucky | 12% / yr | 12% per year. | NCSL — 12% per annum |
| Louisiana | 7.5% / yr | 7.5% in 2026, set annually by the Commissioner of Financial Institutions. | La. R.S. § 13:4202 |
| Maine | 6% / yr | 6% per year. | NCSL — 6% per annum |
| Maryland | 10% / yr | 10% per year, but only after a court reduces the arrears to a money judgment. | Md. Code Fam. Law § 10-119.1 |
| Massachusetts | 6% / yr | 0.5% per month (6% per year) on arrears owed on/after 7/1/2010; interest is not charged on top of interest. | 830 CMR 119A.6.1 |
| Michigan | Benchmark / judgment rate | Tied to a benchmark rate that fluctuates; confirm the current rate with the agency. | NCSL — market-tied |
| Minnesota | 4% / yr | 4% per year (legislatively set judgment rate, effective 1/1/2008). | Minn. Stat. § 549.09 |
| Mississippi | Benchmark / judgment rate | Tied to the state judgment-interest statute; confirm the current rate with the agency. | NCSL — judgment-rate tied |
| Missouri | Benchmark / judgment rate | Tied to the state judgment-interest rate; confirm the current figure with the agency. | Mo. Rev. Stat. (judgment rate) |
| Montana | Benchmark / judgment rate | Tied to the state judgment-interest statute; confirm the current rate with the agency. | NCSL — judgment-rate tied |
| Nebraska | Benchmark / judgment rate | Tied to a benchmark rate that fluctuates; confirm the current rate with the agency. | NCSL — market-tied |
| Nevada | Benchmark / judgment rate | Tied to a benchmark rate that fluctuates; confirm the current rate with the agency. | NCSL — market-tied |
| New Hampshire | Benchmark / judgment rate | Tied to the state judgment-interest statute; confirm the current rate with the agency. | NCSL — judgment-rate tied |
| New Jersey | Benchmark / judgment rate | Tied to the state judgment-interest statute; confirm the current rate with the agency. | NCSL — judgment-rate tied |
| New Mexico | 4% / yr | 4% per year. | NCSL — 4% per annum |
| New York | 9% / yr | 9% per year, simple. | CPLR § 5004 |
| North Carolina | 8% / yr | 8% per year, the state legal rate; runs from each installment’s due date. | N.C. Gen. Stat. § 24-1 |
| North Dakota | Benchmark / judgment rate | Tied to a benchmark rate that fluctuates; confirm the current rate with the agency. | NCSL — market-tied |
| Ohio | Benchmark / judgment rate | Tied to a benchmark rate that fluctuates; confirm the current rate with the agency. | NCSL — market-tied |
| Oklahoma | Benchmark / judgment rate | Tied to the state judgment-interest rate; confirm the current figure with the agency. | Okla. Stat. (judgment rate) |
| Oregon | 9% / yr | 9% per year. | NCSL — 9% per annum |
| Pennsylvania | 6% / yr | 6% per year, simple. | 41 Pa.C.S. § 202 |
| Rhode Island | Benchmark / judgment rate | Tied to the state judgment-interest rate; confirm the current figure with the agency. | R.I. Gen. Laws (judgment rate) |
| South Carolina | Benchmark / judgment rate | Tied to the state judgment-interest statute; confirm the current rate with the agency. | NCSL — judgment-rate tied |
| South Dakota | Benchmark / judgment rate | Tied to the state judgment-interest rate; confirm the current figure with the agency. | S.D. Codified Laws (judgment rate) |
| Tennessee | 6% / yr | 6% per year. | NCSL — 6% per annum |
| Texas | 6% / yr | 6% on the delinquent portion above the monthly obligation (rate redetermined under Fin. Code § 304.003 from 1/1/2026). | Tex. Fam. Code § 157.265 |
| Utah | Benchmark / judgment rate | Tied to the state judgment-interest statute; confirm the current rate with the agency. | NCSL — judgment-rate tied |
| Vermont | 6% / yr | 6% per year. | NCSL — 6% per annum |
| Virginia | 6% / yr | 6% per year, applied to the balance unpaid after 30 days. | Va. Code § 20-78.2 |
| Washington | 12% / yr | 12% per year. | RCW 4.56.110 |
| West Virginia | Benchmark / judgment rate | Tied to the state judgment-interest rate; confirm the current figure with the agency. | W. Va. Code (judgment rate) |
| Wisconsin | 6% / yr | 0.5% per month (6% per year) administrative rate since 4/1/2014; charged when arrears reach one month’s obligation. | Wis. Stat. § 767.511(6m) |
| Wyoming | 10% / yr | 10% annual judgment interest. | Wyo. Stat. § 20-2-308 |
Frequently Asked Questions
Does child support arrears accrue interest in every state?
No. About 34 states (plus Guam and Puerto Rico) authorize interest on past-due support; Connecticut, Delaware, and the District of Columbia do not. Among the states that do, rates range from 4% to 12% per year, and a handful tie the rate to a fluctuating market benchmark or the state’s general judgment-interest statute.
Is the interest automatic, or does a court have to act first?
It depends on the state. Most states apply interest by operation of law as each payment comes due. A few require a separate step: Maryland, for example, charges 10% only after a court enters a specific money judgment for the arrears. Some states also let a judge waive or reduce interest in limited hardship cases (Georgia is one example), while others — Wisconsin among them — make interest mandatory with no judicial discretion.
How is the interest calculated — simple or compounded?
Most states use simple interest on the principal (or on each missed installment). Exceptions include Colorado, which compounds annually at 10% for recent arrears, and Wisconsin, which charges 0.5% per month (6% per year) on the outstanding balance. Because each missed payment is often its own judgment with its own start date, multi-year arrears are usually computed installment by installment.
Can I reduce or wipe out arrears interest?
Not retroactively on the principal — federal law (the Bradley Amendment, 42 U.S.C. § 666(a)(9)) bars courts from retroactively forgiving accrued arrears. Interest itself may sometimes be waived by the person owed the support (in writing) or, in limited state-compromise programs, by the agency for state-assigned arrears. The reliable levers are a modification petition (stops new arrears going forward) and a payment plan.
Where do I get the binding number for my case?
The figure that controls is the one produced by your state child-support agency or a court’s certified accounting — not an online estimate. This page cites the governing statute for each state so you can verify the rate, but the agency’s recorded balance is what enforcement and contempt proceedings rely on.
- Start with your current obligation using the state calculator, or see how arrears collection windows differ by state.
- Owing or being owed back support? The modification checklist shows how to stop new arrears from accumulating.