Inputs you will need

To run Delaware prejudgment or post-judgment interest in DocketMath’s interest calculator, you’ll need a small, consistent set of facts. Think of this as the “minimum viable record” for a defensible calculation.

Here’s the core checklist, tailored to Delaware (US‑DE):

• Jurisdiction: Delaware (US‑DE)
• Interest type:

  • Prejudgment interest
  • Post-judgment interest
  • Or both (as separate runs)
• Principal amount: the dollar amount that earns interest
• Start date for interest: date interest begins to accrue

  • Often: breach date, invoice due date, or date of loss (for prejudgment)
  • Or: date of judgment (for post-judgment)
• End date for interest: date through which you want interest calculated

  • Often: date of judgment, payoff date, or a projected date
• Judgment date (if applicable): when the court entered judgment
• Delaware legal rate / contract rate:

  • Contract interest rate (if a valid agreement controls), or
  • Delaware legal rate if no contract rate applies
• Simple vs. compound interest: how interest should accrue over time
• Compounding frequency (if compound): annual, monthly, etc.
• Partial payments (optional but powerful): dates and amounts of any payments or credits
• Fee/Cost components (if separated): which amounts are principal vs. fees vs. costs
• Rounding/precision preferences: cents vs. whole dollars, per‑period rounding, etc.
• Labels / matter metadata (optional): case name, docket number, internal ID

Where to find each input

Below is a practical map of where these inputs usually come from in a Delaware matter, and how they affect the output.

Jurisdiction: Delaware (US‑DE)

Where it comes from

• The forum court (e.g., Delaware Superior Court, Court of Chancery, District of Delaware)
• The governing law clause in a contract, if relevant

Why it matters

• Tells DocketMath to apply Delaware‑specific defaults where available (e.g., default legal rate structure, day‑count assumptions if configured).
• Keeps your calculation consistent with your chosen jurisdiction for documentation and review.

Interest type (prejudgment vs. post‑judgment)

Where it comes from

• The posture of the case:

  • Before judgment entered → prejudgment
  • After judgment entered → post‑judgment
• Delaware case law or the judgment order may distinguish the two.

Why it matters

• Prejudgment interest often starts on a breach or loss date and may use a rate tied to Delaware’s legal rate or contract rate.
• Post‑judgment interest typically starts on the judgment date and may follow a statutory or contract rate until paid.

You can run separate calculations in DocketMath for:

• Prejudgment interest: from breach/trigger date → judgment date
• Post‑judgment interest: from judgment date → payoff date

Principal amount

Where it comes from

• Complaint or statement of claim
• Judgment order or verdict sheet
• Contract balance, invoice ledger, or damages schedule

Why it matters

• This is the base on which interest is calculated.
• Changing principal has a linear effect: double the principal, roughly double the interest (all else equal).

Tips

• Separate:

  • Principal
  • Attorney’s fees
  • Court costs
  • Pre‑accrued interest
• Then decide which categories should themselves earn interest under Delaware law or the controlling documents.

Start date for interest

Where it comes from

• Contract terms (e.g., “interest accrues on unpaid amounts 30 days after invoice”)
• Pleadings or damages analysis (e.g., date of breach, date of loss)
• Court order specifying an accrual date

Why it matters

• The earlier the start date, the more interest accrues.
• In DocketMath, this is the “from” date for the calculation period.

Common patterns in Delaware matters

• Contract disputes: invoice due date, or specific “default” date
• Tort or other damages: date of loss or earliest ascertainable date of damages
• Equity/Chancery matters: sometimes a court‑selected accrual date

End date for interest

Where it comes from

• Judgment date (for prejudgment interest)
• Projected payoff date (for settlement modeling)
• Actual payment date (for final payoff calculations)

Why it matters

• This is the “through” date in DocketMath.
• Extending the end date increases interest, sometimes significantly for long‑running Delaware cases.

Practical use cases

• Scenario planning: run multiple what‑if end dates for negotiation ranges.
• Payoff letters: use the expected receipt date of funds as the end date.

Judgment date (if applicable)

Where it comes from

• Docket entry or signed judgment order
• Electronic filing system (e.g., File & ServeXpress, federal CM/ECF for D. Del.)

Why it matters

• Often the cutoff for prejudgment interest.
• Often the start for post‑judgment interest.
• In DocketMath, you may:

  • Use it as the end date for a prejudgment run, and
  • Use it as the start date for a post‑judgment run.

Delaware legal rate or contract rate

Where it comes from

• Contract: interest clause (e.g., “1.5% per month on past due amounts”)
• Statute or case law: Delaware’s legal rate of interest when no contract rate applies
• Judgment order: sometimes the court specifies the rate

Why it matters

• The rate has a non‑linear effect:

  • Increasing the rate from 5% to 10% more than doubles the interest over long periods due to compounding (if used).
• DocketMath allows:

  • A fixed rate (e.g., 6% per year), or
  • (If supported) a rate tied to an external index, input manually as needed.

Tips for Delaware

• Confirm whether:

  • A contract rate governs the period, and
  • Delaware’s legal rate fills any gaps (e.g., where the contract is silent or unenforceable on interest).
• Document the authority you relied on (contract clause, statute, or order) in your notes field.

Simple vs. compound interest and frequency

Where it comes from

• Contract terms (e.g., “interest compounded monthly”)
• Delaware law or court orders (if they specify simple vs. compound)
• Default practice where neither law nor contract speaks clearly

Why it matters

• Simple interest: interest does not earn interest.
• Compound interest: accrued interest is added to the base at each compounding interval, and then itself earns interest.

In DocketMath, you can set:

• Simple (no compounding)
• Compound with a frequency:

  • Annual
  • Quarterly
  • Monthly
  • Daily (if needed and supported)

Effect on outputs

• For short periods, simple vs. annual compounding may be similar.
• For multi‑year Delaware disputes, monthly or daily compounding can materially increase the total.

Partial payments and credits

Where it comes from

• Payment ledgers
• Trust account records
• Settlement or stipulation documents

Why it matters

• Payments reduce the balance on which interest accrues.
• The timing of each payment changes the total interest:

  • Earlier payments → less interest
  • Later payments → more interest

In DocketMath, you can:

• Add each payment with:

  • Date
  • Amount
  • Whether it applies to:

    • Principal
    • Interest
    • Fees/costs

This produces an amortization‑style timeline showing how the balance evolves over time.

Fee and cost components

Where it comes from

• Fee petitions
• Cost bills
• Judgment orders that break out:

  • Principal
  • Prejudgment interest
  • Fees
  • Costs

Why it matters

• Delaware law or the contract may or may not allow interest on fees or costs.
• You can model multiple components in DocketMath by:

  • Running separate calculations (e.g., principal vs. fee component), or
  • Treating a combined amount as principal when that is how the judgment is framed.

Rounding and precision

Where it comes from

• Court or agency practice
• Internal firm policy or client instructions
• Settlement agreements that specify rounding rules

Why it matters

• Rounding can create small differences that matter when:

  • Multiple line items are added together
  • You’re reconciling to a court‑issued figure

In DocketMath, you can typically:

• Choose decimal precision (e.g., 2 decimal places)
• Control whether rounding happens:

  • Only at the final total, or
  • At each period or event, depending on your settings and needs

Run it

Once you’ve gathered the inputs above:

1. Open the [

Inputs you will need

Use this checklist to gather the core inputs before you run the Interest tool.

• principal or judgment amount
• interest type (pre- or post-judgment)
• rate and compounding method
• start date and end/as-of date
• payments or credits that reduce principal
• day-count convention

Where to find each input

Most inputs live in the case file, contracts, or docket entries. Dates usually come from the triggering event notice; rates and caps come from governing documents or statute; and amounts come from the ledger or judgment. Record the source for each value so the run is reproducible.

Run it

Enter the inputs in DocketMath and run the Interest calculation to generate a clean breakdown: Run the calculator.

If an assumption is uncertain, document it alongside the calculation so the result can be re-run later.

Capture the source for each input so another team member can verify the same result quickly.

Related reading

• Interest rule lens: Maine

• How to calculate deadlines in Delaware

• Inputs you need for deadlines in Australia

• Why we started the DocketMath blog