(a) Pre-judgment interest. — Any pre-judgment interest awarded by a jury or by a court sitting without a jury shall be separately stated in the verdict or decision and included in the judgment.
Rule 2-604.Interest
Circuit Court · Not amended since adoption on record · Last verified July 13, 2026
In one sentenceRule 2-604 requires pre-judgment interest to be spelled out separately in the verdict and folded into the judgment, and sets post-judgment interest running automatically from the entry date.
Full Text of Rule 2-604
(b) Post-judgment interest. — A money judgment shall bear interest at the rate prescribed by law from the date of entry.
Committee Note & Source
Source. This Rule is new.
Plain-English Summary
When a jury or a judge sitting without a jury awards interest that accrued before judgment — compensation for the time a plaintiff went without money it was owed — that interest amount can't be buried inside a single lump-sum figure. The verdict or decision has to state the pre-judgment interest separately, and the judgment then includes it as part of the total award. That separation matters for anyone later trying to figure out how much of a judgment reflects the underlying claim and how much reflects interest.
Once judgment enters, post-judgment interest kicks in automatically. A money judgment bears interest at the rate the law prescribes, running from the date of entry, without any party needing to ask the court for it. That ongoing interest gives a judgment debtor a reason to pay promptly and makes sure a judgment creditor isn't shortchanged for the time it takes to collect.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does pre-judgment interest have to be listed separately from the rest of the award?
Yes. Any pre-judgment interest awarded by a jury or the court must be separately stated in the verdict or decision, then included in the judgment.
When does post-judgment interest start running?
Automatically, from the date the judgment is entered. A money judgment bears interest at the legal rate from that date forward.
Do I need to file a motion to get post-judgment interest?
No. It applies to a money judgment by operation of the rule, without a separate request.
Source & verification. Rule text, Committee Note, Source note, and
amendment history are reproduced verbatim from the Maryland Rules, adopted by the
Supreme Court of Maryland. Last verified July 13, 2026. ·
Official source
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