Section 34-31-20 - Legal rate of interest(A) In all cases of accounts stated and in all cases wherein any sum or sums of money shall be ascertained and, being due, shall draw interest according to law, the legal interest shall be at the rate of eight and three-fourths percent per annum.(B) A money decree or judgment of a court enrolled or entered must draw interest according to law. The legal rate of interest is equal to the prime rate as listed in the first edition of the Wall Street Journal published for each calendar year for which the damages are awarded, plus four percentage points, compounded annually. The South Carolina Supreme Court shall issue an order by January 15 of each year confirming the annual prime rate. This section applies to all judgments entered on or after July 1, 2005. For judgments entered between July 1, 2005, and January 14, 2006, the legal rate of interest shall be the first prime rate as published in the first edition of the Wall Street Journal after January 1, 2005, plus four percentage points.2005 Act No. 27, Section 7, eff 3/21/2005; 2000 Act No. 344, Section 1, eff 1/1/2001; 1982 Act No. 445; 1979 Act No. 159 Section 1; 1938 (40) 1534; 1866 (13) 463; R. S. 1392; R. S. 1289; G. S. 1289; Civ. C. '02 Section 1660; Civ. C. '12 Section 2516; Civ. C. '22 Section 3636; 1932 Code Section 6736; 1942 Code Section 6736; 1952 Code Section 8-2; 1962 Code Section 8-2.Code Commissioner's Note
Based on the effective dates of the applicable acts, judgments to which this section apply entered before January 1, 2001, draw interest at the rate of fourteen percent a year (see Act 445 of 1982). Judgments entered January l, 2001, through June 30, 2005, draw interest at the rate of twelve percent a year (see Act 344 of 2000).