SupportDecode

Reviewed for current 2026 law

South Carolina Child Support Arrears Calculator

South Carolina applies its judgment interest rate to unpaid child support from each payment’s due date. For January 15, 2026 through January 14, 2027, that rate is 10.75 percent, compounded annually.

Reviewed by SupportDecode Editorial Team Page content reviewed Sources Methodology Update log

arrears calculator

Arrears owed

The unpaid support amount itself, before any interest.

Accrual period
How do you want to enter the period?

Estimated arrears with interest: $5,537.50

Interest of $537.50 at 10.75% compound per year (S.C. Code § 34-31-20(B); Edwards v. Campbell, Op. No. 26194 (S.C. 2006); 2026 Supreme Court interest order).

How this estimate was computed
Line itemAmount
Arrears principalS.C. Code § 34-31-20, legal rate of interest on money decrees and judgments (South Carolina General Assembly)$5,000.00
Interest at 10.75% per year, compounded annually, for 12 month(s) (S.C. Code § 34-31-20(B); Edwards v. Campbell, Op. No. 26194 (S.C. 2006); 2026 Supreme Court interest order)This projection uses the 10.75% rate confirmed for money decrees and judgments from January 15, 2026 through January 14, 2027. Edwards v. Campbell applies that post-judgment rate to child support from each installment due date. The rate is reset each year and compounds annually for judgments entered on or after July 1, 2005, and a decree can provide otherwise.S.C. Code § 34-31-20, legal rate of interest on money decrees and judgments (South Carolina General Assembly)$537.50
Arrears principal plus interestS.C. Code § 34-31-20, legal rate of interest on money decrees and judgments (South Carolina General Assembly)$5,537.50

Assumptions

  • Accrual period expressed as 12 month(s); partial months prorate.
  • Compounding applied annually at 10.75% per period. A partial compounding period prorates through a fractional exponent, which slightly understates the balance versus compounding each completed period and adding simple interest for the remainder; the tool never overstates.

Estimate only. The court or state agency calculation controls.

South Carolina arrears interest under S.C. Code § 34-31-20(B); Edwards v. Campbell, Op. No. 26194 (S.C. 2006); 2026 Supreme Court interest order; rules last reviewed 2026-09-25.

The 2026 judgment rate is 10.75%

S.C. Code § 34-31-20(B) sets the legal rate for money decrees and judgments at the prime rate in the first Wall Street Journal edition of the year, plus four percentage points, compounded annually. The Supreme Court of South Carolina confirms the rate by order each January.

The prime rate listed on January 2, 2026 was 6.75 percent, so the rate for January 15, 2026 through January 14, 2027 is 10.75 percent. The period before it, January 15, 2025 through January 14, 2026, carried 11.50 percent.

In Edwards v. Campbell (2006), the Supreme Court of South Carolina held that this post-judgment interest statute applies to child support, with interest running from the date each payment came due. A family court decree can set a different rule, but when the decree says nothing, the statutory rate applies.

Older judgments carry fixed rates: 14 percent if entered before January 1, 2001, and 12 percent if entered from January 1, 2001 through June 30, 2005. For installments under the statute as it read before July 2005, the court allowed simple interest only, because the words on annual compounding were added in 2005.

2026 rate
10.75%, January 15, 2026 to January 14, 2027source
Rate rule
Prime plus 4 points, compounded annuallysource
Applies to support
Edwards v. Campbell (2006)source
Accrual
From each payment’s due datesource
Prior period
11.50% (2025 order)source
Lien
Unpaid support of $1,000 or moresource

Separate balances by applicable year

The calculator applies 10.75 percent, compounded annually, to the balance and months you enter. That fits a balance building up during the current rate period. Each installment draws interest from its own due date, and earlier periods used other rates, so a balance that spans several years needs a ledger.

No official source we found says whether an existing judgment moves to each new year’s rate or keeps its first rate. Ask the court or the state child support division how your ledger applies rates.

Check the decree too. A family court can set a different interest rule, and the statutory rate applies only where the decree says nothing.

What this estimate includes

  • Current annual compound projection
  • Rate periods for 2025 and 2026
  • Enforcement thresholds

What it leaves out

  • Historical-rate segmentation
  • Payment ledger
  • Court credits

South Carolina arrears calculator FAQs

What is the South Carolina child support interest rate for 2026?

10.75 percent a year, compounded annually, for January 15, 2026 through January 14, 2027. It is the 6.75 percent prime rate plus four points, as confirmed by the Supreme Court of South Carolina’s order of January 7, 2026.

Does interest apply to unpaid child support?

Yes. In Edwards v. Campbell (2006), the Supreme Court of South Carolina held that post-judgment interest applies to child support from the date each payment came due, computed installment by installment.

Does it compound?

Yes, annually, for judgments entered on or after July 1, 2005. For installments governed by the older statute, the court allowed simple interest only.

Will the rate change?

Yes. The rate is reset each year from the prime rate in the first Wall Street Journal edition of the year, and the Supreme Court confirms it by order by January 15. The next period starts January 15, 2027.

Can a family court change or deny interest?

Yes. The decree can set a different rate or deny interest on future payments. Without a contrary provision, the statutory rate applies.

Can past-due support be reduced?

A modification cannot reach installments that came due before the modification action was filed and served (S.C. Code § 63-17-310). The family court may hold an arrearage in abeyance. On review of a lien decision, a court can correct factual mistakes but cannot reduce or retroactively modify arrears.

What happens when support goes unpaid?

Unpaid support of $1,000 or more becomes a lien, and the state can levy on property, including bank deposits. Arrears of $1,000 or more in agency cases are reported to credit bureaus monthly. The agency says federal tax refunds can be taken at $500 in arrears plus three months of delinquency, or $150 when the family receives TANF, and state refunds at $100 plus three months.

Can I lose my license or passport?

Yes. The agency says state licenses can be suspended or revoked once arrears reach at least $500 with no payment in 60 days. After notice, the statute gives 45 days to pay or sign a payment agreement, and the agency must negotiate a schedule on request. Parents referred for federal tax offset with at least $2,500 in arrears are referred for passport denial.

Can I be jailed for not paying?

A family court can jail a parent who refuses to obey a support order until the parent complies. Contempt of a family court order can bring up to one year in jail, a $1,500 fine, up to 300 hours of public works, or a combination.

Is this an official payoff?

No. Only the court or agency ledger shows the official balance. This page projects interest at the current rate.

Good to know in South Carolina

  • Retroactive support in a contested paternity case accrues interest at the annual money-decree rate from conception until it is brought current or paid in full (S.C. Code § 63-17-325(C)).
  • A child support lien lasts six years and can be renewed. Its expiration does not end the underlying support order or judgment (S.C. Code § 63-17-2730).
  • For the license program, a parent is in compliance when arrears are no more than $500 and the full support was paid for the last two months in a row (S.C. Code § 63-17-1020).
  • Tax refund intercepts do not need a separate court judgment for the past-due amount (S.C. Code § 63-17-730).

Official sources

Official sources last verified: .

Changelog: page reviewed . Material changes appear in the update log.