Interest on child support arrears by state (2026)
Unpaid child support builds up as arrears, and many states add interest to it. This table lists, for the 51 jurisdictions this site covers, whether interest is charged on child support arrears, the rate where the law fixes one, whether it is simple or compound, and how it accrues. It also gives each state’s threshold for changing an existing order, because the two questions often come up together when an order stops matching the parents’ circumstances.
Interest rules come from state statutes and agency rules, not from the child support guidelines, so they are researched separately for each state and stored with their official sources. A state where a court must order interest, or where the rate resets on a schedule, is described in words rather than as a single number.
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| Alabama | 7.5% a year | 7.5% | — | In Alabama, child support judgments entered on or after September 1, 2011 accrue interest at 7.5% a year. Older judgments carry the rate in force when they were entered: 12% a year for judgments entered from November 13, 1981 through August 31, 2011, and 6% before that. After 12 months of full payments, a parent can ask the court to rebate the interest if each person owed the interest agrees in writing. The law doesn't say whether the interest is simple or compound. | Code of Alabama § 8-8-10 (Interest on judgments) | More than 10%; A material change in circumstances that is substantial and continuing; the presumption doesn't apply when the current order is a deviation from the guidelines and the circumstances behind it haven't changed | Ala. R. Jud. Admin. 32(A)(3) (Modification), Child Support Guidelines effective June 1, 2023 |
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| Alaska | 6% a year, simple | 6% | simple | In Alaska, interest on unpaid child support is 6% a year (or a lower maximum rate set by federal law). The Child Support Enforcement Division charges it monthly on the principal arrears owed at the end of the previous month, less payments received that month, starting on the last day of the month after a payment was due. An obligor whose current support is being withheld from wages, unemployment or disability payments isn't charged interest on late current payments. | AS 25.27.025, Rate of interest | More than 15%; a material change of circumstances is presumed when support calculated under Civil Rule 90.3 (including health insurance payments) is more than 15% greater or less than the current order; an order not modified in the past three years can also be reviewed periodically without that showing | Alaska Rule of Civil Procedure 90.3(h) and Commentary X |
| Arizona | 10% a year, simple | 10% | simple | Arizona law charges simple interest of 10% a year on unpaid support, on the principal only, starting at the end of the month after the month the payment was due. | A.R.S. § 25-510 (arrearages; interest) | 15% | Arizona Child Support Guidelines (Admin. Order 2022-116) |
| Arkansas | 10% a year | 10% | — | In Arkansas, child support that becomes due and remains unpaid accrues interest at 10% a year, unless the person owed the support (or their lawyer) asks before the interest accrues that the judgment not accrue interest (Ark. Code Ann. § 9-14-233). The state child support office says interest can be collected once a court reduces it to a judgment. The law doesn't say whether the interest is simple or compound. | Arkansas Judiciary, Domestic Relations Benchbook (2022), Chapter VIII Child Support: Arrearage (Ark. Code Ann. § 9-14-233) | A substantial change in circumstances (no fixed figure); A change of 20% or more in the paying parent's gross monthly income, or a review after three years; a difference between the order and the guideline amount is a material change unless it falls short of that standard, comes from a deviation whose reasons haven't changed, or is due only to a new chart | Ark. Sup. Ct. Admin. Order No. 10, § II.1 (Modification of Existing Child-Support Obligation), 2022 Ark. 185 |
| California | 10% a year, simple | 10% | simple | California charges 10% simple interest a year on unpaid child support, the legal rate on money judgments. | California DCSS: FAQ (interest on unpaid support) | 20% or $50 a month; for reviews by the child support agency | Cal. Fam. Code § 3651 (modification) |
| Colorado | 10% a year, compounded | 10% | compound | Colorado law allows interest on child support arrears due on or after July 1, 2021 at two percentage points above the 8% statutory rate (10% a year), compounded annually. The parent owed support may waive it, and a court may disallow it for good cause. Arrears due before July 1, 2021 carry 12%, which may be compounded monthly. | C.R.S. § 14-14-106 (interest on child support arrearages), Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 14 (Wayback copy of the official PDF) | 10% | C.R.S. § 14-10-122(1) (modification of child support), Colorado Revised Statutes 2024, Title 14 (Wayback copy of the official PDF) |
| Connecticut | Only if a court orders it | — | — | Connecticut's child support statutes and guidelines set no interest rate on arrears. A court may decide to add interest of up to 10% a year under a general statute (C.G.S. § 37-3a) as damages when it finds the support was wrongfully withheld, and it decides the date interest starts. | Connecticut General Statutes chapter 673, § 37-3a (interest as damages for detention of money) | 15%; Or a substantial change in either parent's circumstances | Connecticut General Statutes § 46b-86(a) (modification of support orders) |
| Delaware | No interest | — | — | Delaware doesn't add interest to unpaid child support. Delaware's child support agency (DCSS) reports that no Delaware statute addresses interest on arrears, that it doesn't calculate interest on arrears, and that Delaware doesn't charge interest on retroactive support. Each unpaid installment has the force of a Family Court judgment; past-due support is usually repaid at 20% of current support each month, and at least $20. | HHS Office of Child Support Services, Intergovernmental Reference Guide (IRG), Delaware profile, 4. Support Order Details, questions 3-5 (select Delaware; certified 09/11/2026) | More than 10%; Applies within two and a half years of the last support order; after that, neither the 10% test nor a showing of a substantial change is required | Delaware Family Court Civil Rule 508, Modification |
| District of Columbia | No interest | — | — | The District of Columbia doesn't add interest to unpaid child support. The District's child support agency reports that it doesn't use interest to discourage missed payments, that it doesn't calculate interest on arrears or on retroactive support, and that it relies on other civil and criminal enforcement tools instead. Each unpaid payment still becomes a money judgment when it is due. | HHS Office of Child Support Services, Intergovernmental Reference Guide (IRG), District of Columbia profile, 4. Support Order Details, questions 3-5 (select District of Columbia; certified 09/28/2026) | 15%; The presumption doesn't apply within one year of an order that departed from the guideline; it can be rebutted by special circumstances or substantial reliance on an older order | D.C. Code § 16-916.01(r) (modification of support orders) |
| Florida | A rate the state resets periodically | — | simple | Florida charges interest on support judgments at the rate the Chief Financial Officer sets every quarter. Enter the rate in force for the period; the rate from July 1, 2026 was 8.06% a year. | Florida Statutes ch. 61 (2026) | 15% and $50 a month | Florida Statutes ch. 61 (2026) |
| Georgia | 7% a year | 7% | — | Georgia law sets interest of 7% a year on child support, starting 30 days after each payment is due (a court can change the start date). The person owed support doesn't need a separate judgment to collect it, and a court can apply, reduce or waive past-due interest after weighing factors such as good cause for nonpayment and hardship. Georgia's Division of Child Support Services says it calculates interest at 7% once a parent is 30 days behind, on arrears due from January 1, 2007. We didn't locate an official source that says whether the interest is simple or compound. | Georgia HB 347 (2015, Act 16), as passed: O.C.G.A. § 7-4-12.1 (interest on child support) | A substantial change in circumstances (no fixed figure) | O.C.G.A. § 19-6-15 (current through the 2025 session) |
| Hawaii | Only if a court orders it (10% a year) | 10% | simple | Hawaii's child support statutes and guidelines don't add interest to missed payments; we found no provision that does. A child support arrearage reduced to a court judgment can carry post-judgment interest at Hawaii's judgment rate of 10% a year (HRS § 478-3, whose case notes cite an appeals decision awarding interest on a child support arrearage). | HRS § 478-3 On judgment (interest at ten per cent a year) | 10%; Either parent may ask for a review every three years without showing a change in circumstances; within three years a substantial and material change must be shown | HRS § 576D-7 Guidelines in establishing amount of child support (subsections (d) and (e)) |
| Idaho | A rate the state resets periodically | 8.88% | — | Idaho's child support agency reports that Idaho law applies the legal rate of interest to child support arrears. The rate on a court judgment is 5% plus a one-year Treasury base rate that the State Treasurer sets each July 1, fixed when the judgment is entered and calculated on a 365-day year. It is 8.875% for judgments entered from July 1, 2026 to June 30, 2027. The agency says it calculates interest on arrears only when an order provides for it and says the debt will be paid through Idaho Child Support receipting. | HHS Office of Child Support Services, Intergovernmental Reference Guide (IRG), Idaho profile, 4. Support Order Details, questions 3-4 (select Idaho; certified 10/07/2026) | A substantial change in circumstances (no fixed figure); a substantial and material change of circumstances; Idaho Child Support Services reviews an order after three years, or sooner after a substantial change maintained for at least six months | Idaho Code § 32-709, Modification of provisions for maintenance and support |
| Illinois | 9% a year, simple | 9% | simple | Illinois law sets simple interest of 9% a year on unpaid support, applied monthly to the unpaid balance. The state child support agency only enforces interest a court has ordered. | 750 ILCS 5/505 | 20% and $10 a month; agency cases, at least 36 months after the order | 750 ILCS 5/510 (modification) |
| Indiana | Only if a court orders it (18% a year) | 18% | — | Indiana courts may order interest on late child support only when the person or agency entitled to the support asks. The rate can be at most 1.5% a month (18% a year). The statute doesn't say whether the interest is simple or compound. | Indiana Code 2026, Title 31: IC 31-16-12-2 (delinquent child support; interest charges) | More than 20%; the order was issued at least 12 months before the petition to modify was filed | Indiana Code 2026, Title 31: IC 31-16-8-1 (modification or revocation of child support orders) |
| Iowa | 10% a year | 10% | — | Interest on unpaid child, spousal or medical support payments starts 30 days after a payment is due and accrues at 10% a year (Iowa Code § 535.3(2)). It doesn't accrue on amounts paid through income withholding that are late only because of the employer's pay cycle. The statute doesn't say whether the interest compounds. | Iowa Code 2026, section 535.3 (interest on judgments; periodic support payments) | 10%; Or another substantial change in circumstances; Child Support Services' administrative modification requires a change of 50% or more in a parent's income lasting at least three months | Iowa Code 2026, section 598.21C (modification of child, spousal, or medical support orders) |
| Kansas | 10% a year | 10% | — | In Kansas each unpaid support payment becomes a judgment when it is due. Kansas law presumes that applying interest at 10% a year gives the correct total of interest on support judgments; a person who disputes that total has to prove a different amount. The statute doesn't say whether the interest is simple or compound. | K.S.A. 16-204(e)(3) (interest on judgments; support judgments) | 10%; A move into a higher age group (a child's 6th or 12th birthday) also counts as a material change | Kansas Child Support Guidelines effective July 1, 2025, Section I.E (Material Change in Circumstances) |
| Kentucky | 12% a year, compounded | 12% | compound | In Kentucky, a judgment for unpaid child support bears 12% interest a year, compounded annually, from the date the judgment is entered (for judgments entered on or after June 29, 2017). Interest runs on the judgment for the arrears; the statute doesn't make interest start automatically on each missed payment. | KRS 360.040 Interest on judgments (Kentucky Legislative Research Commission) | 15%; A guideline amount that differs from the current order by 15% or more is presumed to be a material change in circumstances; a change applies only to payments due after the motion is filed | KRS 403.213 Criteria for modification of support (Kentucky Legislative Research Commission) |
| Louisiana | Only if a court orders it | — | — | Louisiana doesn't add interest to past-due child support automatically. The state's child support agency (DCFS Child Support Enforcement) doesn't calculate interest on delinquent payments and reports that no Louisiana statute addresses interest on support arrears. Each past-due payment is a judgment by operation of law, and if a parent gets a court judgment for interest owed, DCFS can enforce it. | Louisiana DCFS, Form CSE 101 (Rev. 11/25), Application or Documentation for Child Support Services, Your Rights and Responsibilities, item 12 | 25%; The 25% presumption applies in cases where the state child support program (DCFS) provides services; otherwise a substantial and continuing material change in circumstances must be shown | La. R.S. 9:311, Modification of support |
| Maine | Only if a court orders it (6% a year) | 6% | — | Maine law lets the DHHS commissioner collect interest of 6% a year on support debt owed to the department (19-A M.R.S. § 2354), such as support assigned while a family received public assistance. We didn't locate an official source that adds interest automatically to support owed directly to a parent; the court judgment interest statute (14 M.R.S. § 1602-C) sets the rate for civil judgments generally. | 19-A M.R.S. § 2354, Interest of debt due | More than 15%; Within 3 years of the last order the 15% variance is a substantial change and the order is modified; after 3 years the order is reviewed without proof of a change and modified if it differs from the guideline amount at all. A 15% variance doesn't count for an order set as a deviation. | 19-A M.R.S. § 2009, Modification of existing support orders |
| Maryland | Only if a court orders it (10% a year) | 10% | — | We found no Maryland child support statute that adds interest to missed payments; interest on past-due support is up to the court. In a 2025 reported decision (Pellet v. Pellet), the Appellate Court of Maryland upheld a trial court's discretionary award of pre-judgment interest on child support arrears. Once a court enters a money judgment for the arrears, the judgment carries Maryland's legal rate of 10% a year on the amount of the judgment. | Appellate Court of Maryland, Pellet v. Pellet, No. 1439, Sept. Term 2024 (reported; filed November 21, 2025), Part II, Pre-Judgment Interest on child support arrears | A substantial change in circumstances (no fixed figure); A material change of circumstance, shown after a motion to modify is filed; a new version of the guidelines is not by itself a material change | Md. Code Ann., Family Law § 12-104 (Modification of child support award) |
| Massachusetts | 6% a year, simple | 6% | simple | In cases the Department of Revenue enforces, interest of 0.5% a month (6% a year) and a separate penalty of 0.5% a month are charged on the total past-due support at the end of each month, once it exceeds $500. Neither is charged on interest or penalties, or for a month in which the current support due was paid. | 830 CMR 119A.6.1, Assessment of Interest and Penalties on Past-Due Child Support | A substantial change in circumstances (no fixed figure) | Massachusetts Child Support Guidelines (2025), § III.A |
| Michigan | Only if a court orders it | — | simple | Michigan adds no automatic interest. A court may order a surcharge on arrears only after finding the nonpayment willful; it is assessed twice a year at a rate tied to five-year Treasury notes and doesn't compound. | MCL 552.603a (surcharge on arrears) | 10% and $50 a month; after a Friend of the Court review | 2025 Michigan Child Support Formula Manual |
| Minnesota | No interest | — | — | Since August 1, 2022, interest no longer accrues on past, current or future child support judgments in Minnesota. Interest that accrued before then can still be owed. | Minn. Stat. § 548.091 subd. 1a (no interest on child support judgments beginning August 1, 2022) | 20% and $75 a month; If the current order is less than $75 a month, a change of at least 20% is enough | Minn. Stat. § 518A.39 subd. 2 (Modification; presumptions of a substantial change) |
| Mississippi | Only if a court orders it (8% a year) | 8% | simple | In Mississippi, interest on past-due child support is collected when a court adjudicates it, with the principal and the interest stated separately in the order. The state child support agency (MDHS) asks for 8% simple interest unless the underlying judgment set a different rate. | MDHS Child Support Policy Manual (Miss. Admin. Code Title 18, Part 3), 4003: Adjudicated Arrearage which Includes Interest | 25%; in MDHS reviews; an order reviewed on the three-year cycle needs no proof of a substantial change in circumstances, and a review within three years needs one, such as a 25% change in either parent's adjusted gross income | MDHS Child Support Policy Manual (Miss. Admin. Code Title 18, Part 3), 3340–3342: Review and Modification of Support Orders |
| Missouri | 12% a year, simple | 12% | simple | Missouri law charges simple interest of 1% a month on delinquent support under orders entered on or after September 1, 1982. Interest accrues at the end of each month on the arrearage, less that month's installment. To collect it, the person owed support files a sworn payment-history affidavit with the circuit clerk. | § 454.520 RSMo (delinquent support; interest) | 20%; The existing amount was based on the presumed guideline amount | § 452.370 RSMo (modification of support) |
| Montana | Only if a court orders it | — | simple | Montana's child support agency (CSSD) does not calculate or add interest to unpaid child support. It collects interest only after the unpaid interest has been reduced to a lump-sum judgment by an order. Montana judgments carry simple interest at the bank prime rate on the day of judgment plus 3%, with the prime rate reset each January 1. | Montana DPHHS Child Support Services Division, Terms and Conditions for Services | 15%; CSSD review: at least 36 months since the order was entered or last reviewed, or a substantial change in circumstances such as a change of at least 30% in a parent's income; a court may modify only on changed circumstances so substantial and continuing as to make the terms unconscionable, by written consent, or on a CSSD application, and not within 12 months of the last order | Admin. R. Mont. 37.62.2103, Availability of review |
| Nebraska | A rate the state resets periodically | 5.97% | simple | In Nebraska, delinquent child support draws simple interest at the judgment interest rate (Neb. Rev. Stat. § 45-103) in effect on the date of the most recent support order or decree. A payment becomes delinquent the day after it is due, and interest doesn't accrue until 30 days after that. The State Court Administrator publishes the rate; from July 16, 2026 it is 5.970% a year. The Title IV-D Division of DHHS computes the interest on payments made through the State Disbursement Unit. | Neb. Rev. Stat. § 42-358.02 Delinquent child support payments; interest; rate (Nebraska Legislature) | 10% and $25 a month; The change in financial circumstances has lasted 3 months and can reasonably be expected to last at least 6 more months | Neb. Ct. R. § 4-217 Modification; §§ 4-219 and 4-220 (Nebraska Child Support Guidelines, Nebraska Judicial Branch) |
| Nevada | A rate the state resets periodically | 8.75% | — | When a court sets the amount of child support arrears in Nevada, it includes interest on each unpaid payment from the date it was due, unless paying it would be an undue hardship. The rate is the prime rate at the largest bank in Nevada on January 1 or July 1, as set by the Commissioner of Financial Institutions, plus 2%, and it is adjusted every January 1 and July 1 (8.75% from July 1, 2026: a 6.75% prime rate plus 2%). Interest keeps accruing until the amount is paid. We didn't locate an official source that says whether the interest is simple or compound. | NRS 125B.140, Enforcement of order for support (interest on arrearages) | A substantial change in circumstances (no fixed figure); A change in circumstances; a change of 20% or more in a parent's gross monthly income counts as one. Either parent may also ask for a review every three years. | NRS 125B.145, Review and modification of order for support (and 125B.140(1)(b)) |
| New Hampshire | A rate the state resets periodically | 5.7% | simple | In New Hampshire each child support payment becomes a judgment when it is due, and the New Hampshire Supreme Court has held that unpaid payments accrue interest at the judgment rate from the date each one falls due. The judgment rate is an annual simple rate the State Treasurer sets for each calendar year (5.7% for 2026). For support owed to the state, DHHS may waive interest if that helps collect the debt. | N.H. RSA 461-A:14, VI (support payments deemed judgments when due and payable) | A substantial change in circumstances (no fixed figure); Three years after the last support order no change in circumstances is needed; before then, a substantial change in circumstances | RSA 458-C:7, Modification of Order (as reproduced in the NH DHHS 2026 Child Support Guidelines booklet) |
| New Jersey | A rate the state resets periodically | 4.5% | simple | Unpaid child support is a judgment by operation of law and accrues post-judgment interest like other civil judgments. Probation calculates simple interest when the person owed support asks for it, using the court rule rate in effect for each year the judgment was open. For 2026 the rate is 4.5% for judgments up to the Special Civil Part limit and 6.5% above it; for 2027 it is 4.0% and 6.0%. | New Jersey Administrative Office of the Courts, Directive #24-19, Child Support Enforcement: Calculation of Interest on Child Support Judgments | A substantial change in circumstances (no fixed figure) | Rules of Court Appendix IX-A, Considerations in the Use of Child Support Guidelines, para. 23 |
| New Mexico | 4% a year | 4% | — | In New Mexico, interest of 4% accrues on delinquent child support from the date each payment is delinquent until it is paid, and at 4% on a consolidated judgment for delinquent support. Support is due on the first of the month unless the order says otherwise and is delinquent if not paid by then. Payments go first to current support, then to delinquent support, and only then to interest. The statute doesn't say whether the interest is simple or compounded. | NMSA 1978, § 40-4-7.3 Accrual of interest; delinquent child and spousal support (New Mexico Compilation Commission, NMOneSource) | More than 20%; The petition must be filed more than one year after the existing order was filed for the presumption to apply | NMSA 1978, § 40-4-11.4 Modification of child support orders; exchange of financial information (New Mexico Compilation Commission, NMOneSource) |
| New York | Only if a court orders it (9% a year) | 9% | — | New York charges interest on arrears only when a court finds the default willful, at the 9% judgment rate, from each payment's due date. | N.Y. Family Court Act § 460 (interest on arrears) | A substantial change in circumstances (no fixed figure) | N.Y. Family Court Act § 451 (modification) |
| North Carolina | No interest | — | — | North Carolina's child support agency doesn't charge interest on arrears. | NC DHHS Dear County Director Letter CSS-21-09 (interest on arrears) | 15%; the order is at least three years old | North Carolina Child Support Guidelines, AOC-A-162 (Rev. 1/23) |
| North Dakota | A rate the state resets periodically | 10% | simple | In North Dakota, past-due child support ordered by a North Dakota court accrues simple interest at the judgment rate, which the State Court Administrator sets each December as the Wall Street Journal prime rate plus 3 points, rounded up to the next half point. The rate is 10% for 2026 (11% in 2025). Support is past due once it is unpaid in a month before the current month, and interest may not be compounded. Child Support may suspend or waive interest under a payment plan. | N.D. Cent. Code § 28-20-34, Interest rate on judgments (chapter 28-20) | More than 15%; in reviews by the child support agency; a court amends an order at least one year old to the guideline amount without proof of a material change in circumstances | N.D. Cent. Code § 14-09-08.4, Periodic review of child support orders (chapter 14-09) |
| Ohio | Only if a court orders it | — | — | Ohio charges interest on arrears only if a court finds the default willful; it then uses the statutory judgment rate set each year by the Tax Commissioner. Enter the rate the court ordered. | Ohio Rev. Code § 3123.17 (interest on arrearage) | More than 10% | Ohio Rev. Code § 3119.79 (modification) |
| Oklahoma | 2% a year, simple | 2% | simple | In Oklahoma, court-ordered past-due child support draws interest at 2% a year. Payments that fall due after the current order is set draw interest from the date they become delinquent; a lump-sum judgment draws interest from the first day of the month after it is entered. Oklahoma Human Services calculates simple interest, starting the month after the arrears exceed one month's current support, and charges no interest on unpaid cash medical support. | 43 O.S. § 114, Oklahoma Statutes Title 43 as compiled by the Oklahoma Legislature | 20% and $30 a month; in Oklahoma Human Services child support reviews; a court may modify on any material change in circumstances | 43 O.S. § 118I, Oklahoma Statutes Title 43 as compiled by the Oklahoma Legislature |
| Oregon | 9% a year, simple | 9% | simple | Oregon's legal rate of interest on money judgments is 9% a year, simple interest (ORS 82.010(2)). The support statutes refer to interest accruing under that section on support payments, separately from when a payment counts as delinquent (ORS 25.166(4)). The Child Support Program's website doesn't explain when it charges this interest on a particular case. | ORS 82.010 Legal rate of interest (ORS chapter 82) | More than 15% or $50 a month; Administrative change-of-circumstance review (at least 60 days after the order was entered); any order more than 35 months old can be reviewed without this test | OAR 137-055-3430 Substantial Change in Circumstance Modification of Child Support Order Amounts |
| Pennsylvania | No interest | — | — | Pennsylvania's support law doesn't charge interest on arrears. A court may add a penalty of up to 10% on arrears 30 days or more overdue if it finds the nonpayment was willful. | 23 Pa.C.S. § 4352 (continuing jurisdiction) | A substantial change in circumstances (no fixed figure) | Pa.R.Civ.P. 1910.19 (modification; termination) |
| Rhode Island | 12% a year | 12% | — | Rhode Island law assesses interest at 12% a year on any child or spousal support debt that is due and owing, unless the Family Court relieves the responsible parent of it for good cause. The statute doesn't say whether the interest is simple or compound. | R.I. Gen. Laws § 15-5-16.5, Interest on arrearages | 10%; Applies to a request within three years of the last order; every three years either party or the State may ask for a review and adjustment to the guidelines without showing a change in circumstances | R.I. Family Court Administrative Order 2012-05, Part I § V (Modification) |
| South Carolina | A rate the state resets periodically | 10.75% | compound | In South Carolina, the South Carolina Supreme Court has held that a family court order for periodic child support is a judgment and that each unpaid payment draws post-judgment interest from the date it was due, unless the court's order provides otherwise. For judgments entered on or after July 1, 2005, the rate is the prime rate in the Wall Street Journal's first edition of the year plus 4 points, compounded annually, as confirmed by the Supreme Court each January: 10.75% from January 15, 2026, through January 14, 2027. Interest under the earlier law is simple. Retroactive support back to the date of conception also accrues interest at this rate. | S.C. Supreme Court, Edwards v. Campbell, Opinion No. 26194 (2006) (post-judgment interest on past-due child support) | A substantial change in circumstances (no fixed figure); A change in circumstances; in cases handled by the state child support program, either parent may ask for a review every three years | S.C. Code of Laws Title 63 Chapter 17 (§ 63-17-470(B)–(C), § 63-17-830(C)) |
| South Dakota | 12% a year, simple | 12% | simple | In South Dakota, each unpaid support payment becomes a judgment by operation of law once it is due. The Department of Social Services or the parent owed support may collect interest on the unpaid principal balance at the Category D rate, which is 1% a month or fraction of a month (12% a year). Collecting it is optional: the law says the department or the parent "may" collect it. | SDCL § 25-7A-14 Interest on support debt or judgment (South Dakota Legislature) | A substantial change in circumstances (no fixed figure); Within three years of the order, a substantial change in circumstances; after three years, no change in circumstances is needed. Orders entered before July 1, 2026 may be modified under the current guidelines without showing a change | SDCL § 25-7A-22 Petition for modification of child support (South Dakota Legislature) |
| Tennessee | 6% a year | 6% | — | Unpaid child support becomes a judgment. Since July 1, 2018, arrears in cases not handled by the state child support program (non-Title IV-D) accrue interest at 6% a year, and a court may lower that rate or set no interest. In state child support program (Title IV-D) cases, interest accrues only if a court makes a written finding, at no more than 6% a year. The law doesn't say whether the interest is simple or compound. | Tennessee Public Chapter No. 1049 (2018), amending T.C.A. § 36-5-101(f)(1) | 15%; Compared with the current order without any deviation amount; a child's health care needs can justify a change on their own | Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. 1240-02-04-.05 (Modification), Child Support Guidelines (October 2021 revision) |
| Texas | 6% a year, simple | 6% | simple | Texas charges 6% simple interest a year on support that is more than 30 days late (counted on the amount above one monthly payment), until it is paid. | Tex. Fam. Code ch. 157 (enforcement; interest) | 20% or $100 a month; at least three years since the order was made or last modified | Tex. Fam. Code ch. 156 (modification) |
| Utah | A rate the state resets periodically | 5.51% | — | Utah's Office of Recovery Services says interest may accrue on a child support debt by law under the judgment interest statute, but it does not calculate or collect interest unless the interest has been reduced to a specific amount in a court order or judgment. Judgments bear the federal post-judgment rate as of January 1 plus 2% (5.51% for judgments entered in 2026), and the rate in effect when the judgment is entered stays the same for the life of the judgment. We didn't locate an official source that says whether the interest is simple or compound. | Utah Code § 15-1-4, Interest on judgments (effective 3/13/2026) | 15%; After a substantial change in circumstances; if the order hasn't been issued or modified in the past three years, a 10% difference is enough without a substantial change | Utah Code § 81-6-212, Modification of child support order (effective 9/1/2024) |
| Vermont | 6% a year, simple | 6% | simple | Vermont charges no interest on unpaid child support. Instead, a surcharge of one-half percent a month (6% a year), not compounded, is assessed monthly on past-due support since January 1, 2012 (12% a year from July 2004 to 2011). Each payment becomes a judgment when it is due, and payments go first to current support, then to arrears, then to the surcharge. A court can discharge surcharge for a period when the paying parent could not comply. | 15 V.S.A. § 606 (Action to recover maintenance, child support, and suit money; child support surcharge) | More than 10%; Otherwise a real, substantial and unanticipated change of circumstances; the court may waive that showing when the order has not been modified for at least three years. | 15 V.S.A. § 660 (Modification) |
| Virginia | 6% a year | 6% | — | Virginia charges interest on child support arrears at the 6% a year judgment rate unless the parent owed support waives it in writing; the child support agency doesn't collect it from an obligor who is a minor. The statutes don't say whether the interest is simple or compound. | Va. Code § 20-78.2 (attorney fees and interest on support arrearage) | 10% and $25 a month; for reviews by the Division of Child Support Enforcement | Va. Code § 63.2-1921 (authority to initiate reviews) |
| Washington | 12% a year | 12% | — | Washington law sets interest of 12% a year on judgments for unpaid child support under a superior court or administrative order. The Division of Child Support does not charge or collect interest unless it has been reduced to a judgment. The statute doesn't say whether interest is simple or compound or when it starts. | RCW 4.56.110 (interest on judgments) | 15%; The 15% test is the state agency's review standard; a court modifies an order for substantially changed circumstances, and may adjust it for changed incomes or a changed economic table once 24 months have passed. | RCW 26.09.170 (modification of decree for maintenance or support) |
| West Virginia | 5% a year, simple | 5% | simple | In West Virginia, interest under the domestic relations chapter is 5% a year, simple interest only, on the unpaid principal; the Bureau for Child Support Enforcement charges 5% simple interest on past-due support. The parents can agree to a payment plan that clears the arrears within 60 months, and the court can then suspend the interest and later forgive it. | W. Va. Code § 48-1-302 Calculation of interest (West Virginia Legislature) | More than 15%; A new guideline amount more than 15% different from the current order is a substantial change in circumstances; the agency also reviews orders on request every three years | W. Va. Code § 48-11-105 Modification of child support order (West Virginia Legislature) |
| Wisconsin | 6% a year, simple | 6% | simple | Wisconsin charges simple interest of 0.5% a month (6% a year) on past-due support once the amount past due equals or exceeds one month's support. The statute sets 1% a month and lets the Department of Children and Families use 0.5% instead, which is the rate it charges. No interest is charged on unpaid birth costs or fees. | Wis. Stat. § 767.511(6) and (6m) (interest on arrearage) | $50 a month; the child support agency reviews an order on request when it has not been reviewed in three years; a court needs a substantial change in circumstances, which is presumed 33 months after the last order | Wis. Stat. § 767.59 (revision of support) |
| Wyoming | No interest | — | — | In Wyoming, an unpaid child support installment becomes a judgment by operation of law on the date it is due, but it does not bear interest: the 10% judgment interest rate does not apply to child support installments that became judgments on or after July 1, 1990 (W.S. 1-16-102(c)). Instead, an installment not paid within 32 calendar days is subject to a one-time automatic late payment penalty of 10% of the unpaid amount, which the parent owed the support claims by filing a sworn affidavit with the clerk of court (W.S. 1-16-103). | Wyoming Statutes Title 1, W.S. 1-16-102 (Interest on judgments) and 1-16-103 (Penalty assessed on unpaid judgment by operation of law) | 20%; The order was entered, or last adjusted, more than six months before the petition; every three years either parent (or the Department of Family Services when support is assigned) may ask for a review without showing a change in circumstances | Wyoming Statutes Title 20, W.S. 20-2-311 (Adjustment of child support orders) |
How this data was collected
Each row comes from the official sources for that jurisdiction: state statutes and court rules, the state judiciary and child support agency, and official state calculators. We don’t use commercial calculators, law-firm summaries or secondary compilations. Every value is stored with the address of its source and the date it was checked, and a weekly check flags any source page that changes so the row can be reviewed.
Where we could not find a value in an official source, the row says so and links the state’s child support agency instead of guessing; those rows are left out of counts and have empty values in the CSV. Laws and guidelines change, and courts can deviate from the guidelines in individual cases, so treat this table as a research starting point, not legal advice. See the methodology for each state and theeditorial policy.
Cite this data
You may reuse this table and the CSV under theCreative Commons Attribution 4.0license, with a link back to this page.
HowMuchChildSupport. “Interest on child support arrears by state.” October 8, 2026. https://www.howmuchchildsupport.com/data/child-support-interest-rates-by-state/