Reviewed for current 2026 law
Nevada Child Support Arrears Interest 2026
Nevada adds interest to unpaid child support from each due date at the state’s legal rate, prime plus 2 percent. The rate resets every January 1 and July 1, and it is 8.75 percent for all of 2026.
Reviewed by SupportDecode Editorial Team Page content reviewed Sources Methodology Update log
arrears interest
Estimated arrears with interest: $5,437.50
Interest of $437.50 at 8.75% simple per year (NRS 125B.140(2)(c); NRS 99.040).
| Line item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Arrears principalNRS Chapter 125B, child-support arrears and interest (Nevada Legislature) | $5,000.00 |
| Simple interest at 8.75% per year for 12 month(s) (NRS 125B.140(2)(c); NRS 99.040)Nevada charges the NRS 99.040 legal rate, prime plus 2 percent, from each installment due date and resets it every January 1 and July 1. This projection uses 8.75 percent, the rate for all of 2026 (prime of 6.75 percent on January 1 and July 1, 2026, plus 2). Earlier periods carried different rates, and a court may omit interest on a finding of undue hardship.NRS Chapter 125B, child-support arrears and interest (Nevada Legislature) | $437.50 |
| Arrears principal plus interestNRS Chapter 125B, child-support arrears and interest (Nevada Legislature) | $5,437.50 |
Assumptions
- Accrual period expressed as 12 month(s); partial months prorate.
Estimate only. The court or state agency calculation controls.
Nevada arrears interest under NRS 125B.140(2)(c); NRS 99.040; rules last reviewed 2026-09-25.
Nevada’s arrears rate resets twice a year
When a court sets the amount of child support arrears, NRS 125B.140 requires it to include interest from the date each payment was due, at the rate set under NRS 99.040. The court can leave interest out only if it finds that paying it would cause the parent undue hardship. Otherwise interest keeps running until the arrears are paid.
NRS 99.040 sets that rate at the prime rate at Nevada’s largest bank, as found by the Commissioner of Financial Institutions on January 1 or July 1, plus 2 percent. The rate is adjusted every January 1 and July 1 until the judgment is paid, so a balance that stays unpaid for years carries different rates over time.
The Commissioner’s prime rate was 6.75 percent on both January 1 and July 1, 2026, so the rate for all of 2026 is 8.75 percent. Recent half-years were higher: 10.5 percent through 2024, 10 percent from January to June 2025, and 9.5 percent from July to December 2025. These rates are our arithmetic from the published prime rates.
Nevada’s child support program charges simple interest, not compound interest. It charges interest automatically only on arrears a court has already set. Each unpaid installment becomes a judgment on its due date and cannot be reduced later, except for payments that come due after the other parent gets notice of a motion to modify.
Use the judgment and installment ledger
The calculator applies the 2026 rate of 8.75 percent as simple interest to the balance and months you enter. That matches interest building up during 2026. Months before 2026 carried different rates, so the estimate for an older balance is only approximate.
Interest runs from each missed payment’s due date, so one balance and one month count cannot reproduce staggered installments. The court or program ledger controls, and a court may leave interest out for undue hardship.
The next reset is January 1, 2027. Check the prime rate the Commissioner of Financial Institutions publishes then.
What this estimate includes
- The 2026 statutory rate
- Simple interest projection
- Recent half-year rates
- Collection and enforcement rules
What it leaves out
- Installment-by-installment ledger
- Rates for periods before 2024
- Undue-hardship findings
- Official payoff amount
Nevada arrears interest FAQs
What is the Nevada child support interest rate for 2026?
8.75 percent a year for all of 2026. Nevada uses the legal rate in NRS 99.040: the prime rate found by the Commissioner of Financial Institutions, 6.75 percent on January 1 and July 1, 2026, plus 2 percent. The next reset is January 1, 2027.
When does interest start?
From the date each support payment was due, under NRS 125B.140. Each unpaid installment becomes a judgment on its due date.
Is the interest simple or compound?
Simple. Nevada’s child support program manual says simple interest is calculated under NRS 99.040 on Nevada controlling orders. The program does not report interest as arrears or collect it through the federal tax refund offset; only principal goes through that offset.
Can a judge waive the interest?
Only on a finding that paying it would cause the parent undue hardship. Otherwise the court must include interest and a reasonable attorney’s fee when it sets the arrears, and more fees are allowed if needed for collection.
Does Nevada still charge a 10 percent late penalty?
No. The 10 percent penalty in former NRS 125B.095 was repealed effective February 1, 2020. Penalties that built up through January 31, 2020 are still owed and enforced.
Do old child support arrears expire in Nevada?
No. Once a court has ordered support, there is no time limit for an action to collect the arrears (NRS 125B.050). Arrears also outlast the child’s emancipation: the parent keeps paying the old monthly amount until the arrears are paid.
Can arrears be reduced?
Not retroactively. A change can reach only payments that come due after the other parent gets notice of a motion to modify, so file promptly. A change of 20 percent or more in a parent’s gross monthly income counts as changed circumstances and requires a review.
What happens if I fall behind?
The debt can be reported to credit bureaus, taken from federal tax refunds, recorded as a lien on property, and collected from bank accounts after notice. Owing more than $1,000 and being at least 2 months behind can lead to suspended driver’s, professional, and recreational licenses. Owing more than $2,500 can block a U.S. passport, and Nevada releases the hold only after the past-due support is paid in full.
How can I stop a license suspension?
Pay all past-due support. If you cannot, pay the overdue amounts a court found for the last 12 months, or enter and follow a repayment plan approved by the enforcing office (NRS 425.560).
Is not paying child support a crime in Nevada?
Knowingly failing to pay court-ordered support is a misdemeanor. It becomes a category C felony when unpaid support reaches $10,000, or $5,000 for a repeat offense (NRS 201.020).
Good to know in Nevada
- Before seizing property to collect a support judgment, the person enforcing it must send a certified-mail notice. The parent then has 20 days to ask for a hearing, which is limited to the amount owed and the court’s jurisdiction (NRS 125B.140).
- A recorded support order becomes a lien on the parent’s property in that county, and the lien lasts until the arrears are paid (NRS 125B.142).
- If either parent has ever received public assistance, a court cannot waive child support arrears until the Division of Social Services has notice and a chance to be heard (NRS 125B.065).
- Child support can be enforced against a deceased parent’s estate, in an amount the court decides (NRS 125B.130).
Official sources
Official sources last verified: .
- NRS Chapter 125B, child-support arrears and interest
Nevada Legislature Last checked
- NRS 99.040, legal interest rate (prime plus 2 percent)
Nevada Legislature Last checked
- Prime Interest Rate (July 1, 2026)
Nevada Financial Institutions Division Last checked
- Child Support Enforcement Manual, Chapter VI
Nevada Division of Social Services Last checked
- NRS Chapter 425, license suspension, bank attachment, and insurance intercepts
Nevada Legislature Last checked
- NRS 201.020, criminal nonsupport of a spouse, former spouse, or child
Nevada Legislature Last checked
- 42 U.S.C. 652(k), passport denial for child support arrears over $2,500
U.S. Congress (GPO govinfo) Last checked
Changelog: page reviewed . Material changes appear in the update log.