Inputs you will need

To run prejudgment or post‑judgment interest for Florida in DocketMath’s interest calculator, you’ll need to gather a small, repeatable set of inputs. Think of this as your Florida interest “starter pack.”

Use this checklist as you assemble a file:

Core case inputs

Florida‑specific rate details

Florida interest can change over time, especially for post‑judgment interest:

(e.g., multi‑year judgments where Florida’s quarterly rate updates)

Event and allocation details (optional but powerful)

DocketMath can handle more complex Florida scenarios if you supply more structure:

• e.g., interest on fees starts on a later order date

Where to find each input

Here’s how to quickly locate each input in a typical Florida civil case file.

Jurisdiction and interest type

Jurisdiction: Florida (US‑FL)

• Usually obvious from the caption:

  • “IN THE CIRCUIT COURT OF THE ___ JUDICIAL CIRCUIT, IN AND FOR ___ COUNTY, FLORIDA”
  • Or “IN THE DISTRICT COURT OF APPEAL OF FLORIDA…”
• In DocketMath, select Florida (US‑FL) to make sure the calculator uses Florida‑specific settings.

Interest type (prejudgment vs. post‑judgment)

• Check:

  • The final judgment or verdict form for language about interest from a specific date.
  • Any order on prejudgment interest.
• If the order says:

  • “Prejudgment interest from [date]” → that’s your prejudgment period.
  • “Shall bear interest at the statutory rate” → that’s usually post‑judgment interest.

Principal amount

Look at:

• Final judgment: Often lists:

  • Principal damages
  • Costs
  • Attorney’s fees
  • Sometimes each with its own date and interest rule
• Amended judgments: If the court later adjusts the dollar amount, use the latest controlling figure.
• Stipulations or settlement agreements: For settlements that still accrue interest until payment.

You can:

• Enter a single total principal if all items share the same rate and start date, or
• Break it into multiple components in DocketMath if each item accrues differently.

Start and end dates

Start date

Common sources:

• Prejudgment interest

  • Florida case law sometimes ties this to the date the loss occurred, not just the judgment date.
  • You’ll often see: “Prejudgment interest from [mm/dd/yyyy].”
• Post‑judgment interest

  • Typically the date of the final judgment.
  • If there is an amended judgment that restarts or modifies interest, use that date as directed.

If the order is ambiguous, you may want to model alternate scenarios in DocketMath (e.g., start on date of loss vs. date of judgment) and compare the outputs.

End date (through date)

You choose this based on what you need to show:

• Through today: To see current interest owed.
• Through a projected payment date: For settlement or payoff discussions.
• Through a historical date: For audit or reconciliation.

In DocketMath, this is usually the “through date” or “calculation end date” field.

Simple vs. compound interest

Florida interest is often treated as simple interest unless a contract, statute, or order says otherwise. Look for:

• Contract or loan documents:

  • “Interest shall be compounded monthly/annually…” → compound.
• Judgment or order:

  • If silent on compounding, many practitioners model it as simple interest.
  • If it specifies compounding, use the stated frequency.

Rate source and rate changes

Florida statutory rate

For post‑judgment interest, Florida’s statutory rate has changed over time and may adjust quarterly for newer judgments. You’ll want:

Common sources:

• Florida Chief Financial Officer (CFO) website: Publishes the official judgment interest rates by date.
• Final judgment or order: Sometimes explicitly states “the statutory rate in effect on [date].”
• Case notes or internal memos: Where someone already pulled the applicable Florida rates.

You can either:

• Enter a single rate if your period is short and the rate hasn’t changed, or
• Enter multiple rate periods into DocketMath so it switches rates automatically as dates cross each threshold.

Contract or judgment‑specific rate

If a contract or judgment sets a different rate:

• Look for phrases like:

  • “Interest at the rate of 12% per annum until paid.”
  • “Interest at the highest rate allowed by law.”
• Confirm:

  • Whether it’s fixed or variable.
  • Whether it survives into the judgment or converts to the Florida statutory rate.

You’ll then enter that specific rate into DocketMath instead of the statutory rate.

Partial payments and application rules

For realistic payoff or settlement modeling, you may need to include payments.

Gather:

• Does the court order or agreement say:

  • “Payments shall be applied first to accrued interest, then to principal”?
  • Or a different method?

In DocketMath, you can add each payment as an event and choose or simulate how it’s applied.

Run it

Once you have your Florida inputs ready, you can run them through DocketMath’s interest calculator for US‑FL.

1. Open the tool
   Go to the Florida interest calculator: /tools/interest

2. Set jurisdiction and basics

   • Select Jurisdiction: Florida (US‑FL).
   • Choose Interest type:

     • Prejudgment, post‑judgment, or run them separately and label each output.
   • Enter:

     • Principal amount
     • Start date
     • End/through date
     • Simple vs. compound

3. Configure Florida rate behavior

   • If using the Florida statutory rate:

     • Enter the applicable rate(s) and their effective dates.
     • For long spans, add each quarter or period where the statutory rate changed.
   • If using a contract/judgment rate:

     • Enter that rate and confirm the compounding setting.

4. **Add components and events (optional but recommended)

   • Break out:

     • Damages
     • Costs
     • Fees
   • Assign:

     • Specific start dates
     • Specific rates (if they differ)
   • Add payments with:

     • Date
     • Amount
     • Allocation method (or model the method you want to illustrate)

5. Review the outputs
   DocketMath will typically show:

   • Total interest for the period
   • Total amount due (principal + interest, if modeled that way)
   • Timeline of accrual, including:

     • How much interest accrued in each period
     • Effects of rate changes and payments

6. Use Explain++ for transparency (if available)
   If you enable Explain++ in DocketMath, you’ll see a **step‑by‑step breakdown of:

   • Daily or periodic interest calculations
   • When Florida rate changes kick in
   • How each payment affected principal vs. interest

This is especially useful when you need to:

• Reconcile against the other side’s spreadsheet
• Prepare a supporting calculation exhibit
• Test “what‑if” Florida interest

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.

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

When rules change, rerun the calculation with updated inputs and store the revision in the matter record.

Related reading

• Interest rule lens: Maine

• Inputs you need for deadlines in Australia

• Common interest mistakes in Rhode Island

• Why we started the DocketMath blog