Alaska Post-Judgment Interest Rate: How to Calculate What You Are Owed
Every unpaid Alaska judgment accrues interest from the date it is entered until the day it is paid in full. For judgments entered in 2026, the rate is 6.75% per year — and that interest is not optional. The debtor owes it on top of the original judgment amount, and you are legally entitled to collect it.
How the Rate Is Set
Under AS 09.30.070, Alaska's post-judgment interest rate is calculated annually using a formula: the 12th Federal Reserve District discount rate on January 2 of the current year, plus 3 percentage points. For 2026, the discount rate was 3.75%, making the post-judgment rate 6.75%.
The rate that applies to your judgment is locked on the date the judgment is entered. If your judgment was entered in 2025, you use the 2025 rate for the life of that judgment — even if the 2026 rate is different. The rate never changes mid-judgment.
Calculating Daily Interest
Post-judgment interest in Alaska accrues as simple daily interest on the unpaid principal balance. It does not compound. The formula:
Daily interest = (Unpaid principal balance x Annual interest rate) / 365
For a $5,000 judgment at 6.75%:
- Daily interest = ($5,000 x 0.0675) / 365 = $0.924 per day
- After 90 days with no payment: $83.22 in accrued interest
- After one year: $337.50
Post-judgment interest starts on the date the judge signs the judgment, not the date you file for enforcement.
How Partial Payments Are Applied
When you receive money — whether from a voluntary payment, wage garnishment, or bank sweep — Alaska law requires a specific allocation order:
- Recoverable execution costs first — writ fees ($25 each), process server charges, certified mail, recording fees
- Accrued interest second — all interest that has built up since the last payment
- Principal balance last — whatever remains reduces the original judgment amount
This order matters because interest continues to accrue on the unreduced principal. A $500 payment on a $5,000 judgment with $90 in costs and $83 in accrued interest reduces the principal by only $327 ($500 - $90 - $83). Interest the next day is calculated on $4,673, not on $4,500.
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Practical Example
| Date | Transaction | Costs | Interest | Principal | Total Owed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jan 1 | Judgment entered | $0 | $0 | $5,000 | $5,000 |
| Feb 1 | Writ fee paid | $25 | $28.66 | $5,000 | $5,053.66 |
| Feb 15 | Process server | $65 | $12.95 | $5,000 | $5,131.61 |
| Mar 1 | Bank sweep: $1,000 | — | $12.94 | — | $4,144.55 |
In the March 1 row, the $1,000 payment is applied: $90 to costs, $54.55 to interest, $855.45 to principal. The new principal is $4,144.55 and interest accrues on that amount going forward.
Adding Interest to Your Writ
When you file for a writ of execution, Form CIV-505 (Creditor's Affidavit) asks for the current total owed, including accrued interest. Calculate interest through the date you expect the writ to be served, and include a per-diem amount so the executing officer knows how much additional interest accrues each day.
The Alaska Judgment Collection Guide includes a payment-and-interest ledger worksheet that tracks the allocation math automatically across multiple partial payments and enforcement actions.
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