Updated for 2026 guidelines
New York Child Support Arrears Calculator 2026
In New York, unpaid support does not quietly collect interest on its own. Interest attaches when arrears are turned into a money judgment, and then it runs at 9 percent a year.
Reviewed by SupportDecode Editorial Team Page content reviewed Sources Methodology Update log
Estimate a New York judgment balance
Estimated arrears with interest: $5,450.00
Interest of $450.00 at 9% simple per year (N.Y. CPLR 5004).
| Line item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Arrears principalCPLR 5004 (9% judgment interest) (NY Senate) | $5,000.00 |
| Simple interest at 9% per year for 12 month(s) (N.Y. CPLR 5004)The 9% judgment rate applies to arrears reduced to a money judgment (FCA 460 / DRL 244; interest mandatory where the default was willful). Accumulating arrears not reduced to judgment do not automatically bear interest. Willfulness prerequisite wording official-confirmation-required for calculator copy.CPLR 5004 (9% judgment interest) (NY Senate) | $450.00 |
| Arrears principal plus interestCPLR 5004 (9% judgment interest) (NY Senate) | $5,450.00 |
Assumptions
- Accrual period expressed as 12 month(s); partial months prorate.
Estimate only. The court or state agency calculation controls.
New York arrears interest under N.Y. CPLR 5004; rules last reviewed 2026-08-06.
How arrears and interest work in New York
Arrears are support payments that came due and were never paid. New York treats each missed payment as owed from its due date, and the balance follows the paying parent until it is paid or the court rules on it.
Interest works differently here than in many states. A pile of missed payments does not automatically grow at an interest rate while it sits with the support collection unit. The rate attaches when a court reduces the arrears to a money judgment under Family Court Act § 460 or Domestic Relations Law § 244.
Once there is a judgment, the rate is 9 percent per year under CPLR § 5004, the same rate New York applies to most civil money judgments. Where the court finds the default was willful, FCA § 460 directs that interest be computed from the date each payment was due, not just from the judgment date.
A 2022 amendment to CPLR § 5004 lowered the rate to 2 percent, but only for judgments on consumer debt. Support judgments were not part of that change and stay at 9 percent.
- Interest rate
- 9% per year on support money judgmentssource
- Rate statute
- N.Y. CPLR § 5004source
- Judgment statutes
- FCA § 460 (Family Court) and DRL § 244 (matrimonial cases)source
- Willful default
- Interest runs from each due date when the default was willfulsource
- 2022 rate change
- The 2% rate applies to consumer debt judgments only, not supportsource
How to use this estimate
Enter the arrears principal as one amount, then the period, either as a number of months or as a start and end month. The tool applies 9 percent simple interest to that principal over that period and shows principal plus interest.
Use it for the judgment scenario: arrears that have been, or are about to be, reduced to a money judgment. For arrears sitting with the support collection unit that no court has entered judgment on, the honest answer is that no interest rate is running yet.
Whether interest counts from each missed due date or from the judgment date depends on a willfulness finding, and that is the judge’s call. If you want the from-due-date picture, run the tool from the date the oldest payment was missed; for the from-judgment picture, run it from the judgment date.
The support collection unit ledger and the court record control the real balance. Partial payments, credits, and enforcement collections all change it in ways this single-amount estimate cannot see.
What this estimate includes
- 9 percent simple interest under CPLR § 5004
- One principal amount over one accrual period
- A period entered as a month count or a start and end month
What it leaves out
- Arrears that no court has reduced to a money judgment
- The willfulness finding that decides when interest starts
- Partial payments, credits, and collection-unit adjustments
- Enforcement tools like license suspension, tax refund offsets, and undertakings
New York arrears FAQs
Do New York child support arrears earn interest automatically?
Not by themselves. Arrears are owed from each due date, but the 9 percent rate attaches when a court enters a money judgment for them under FCA § 460 or DRL § 244. Until then, the balance grows only by the missed payments themselves.
What interest rate applies once there is a judgment?
9 percent per year under CPLR § 5004. That is New York’s general judgment rate, and it has applied to support judgments for decades.
I read that New York cut judgment interest to 2 percent. Does that cover support?
No. The 2022 amendment to CPLR § 5004 set a 2 percent rate for judgments against consumer debtors on consumer debt. Child support was not included, so support judgments keep the 9 percent rate.
When does interest start counting, the due date or the judgment date?
It depends on willfulness. FCA § 460 directs the court to compute interest from the date of each missed payment when the failure to pay was willful. Without that finding, interest runs on the judgment from entry. The finding belongs to the judge, not to any calculator.
Who turns arrears into a money judgment?
The parent who is owed support, or the support collection unit acting on the case, asks the court to enter judgment for the unpaid amount. Family Court does this under FCA § 460; in a divorce case, Supreme Court does it under DRL § 244. The judgment fixes the amount and starts the 9 percent rate.
Is the 9 percent simple or compounding?
Simple. The rate applies to the judgment amount itself; interest does not get added back to the base to earn more interest. A $10,000 support judgment grows by about $900 a year until paid.
Official sources
Official sources last verified: .
- CPLR 5004 (9% judgment interest)
NY Senate Last checked
- FCA 460 (entry of money judgment for support arrears; interest from due date if default willful)
NY Senate Last checked
- DRL 244 (judgment for arrears in matrimonial actions; interest on willful default from due date at judgment rate)
NY Senate Last checked
Reviewed by SupportDecode Editorial Team Page content reviewed Sources Methodology Update log
Changelog: page first published with the 9 percent judgment rate and the money judgment prerequisite. Material changes are dated in the update log.