How much does your client owe for paying late?
Enter the debt, due date and payment date — get statutory interest or the contractual penalty broken down by period, ready to attach to a demand letter.
The debt
Partial payments
A payment first settles accrued interest or penalty, then the principal (Civil Code art. 875(6)), unless the creditor applies it differently. From the next day, interest runs on the remaining principal.
Enter the amount and dates to see the calculation.
If the contract has a penalty clause, the creditor chooses either statutory interest or the penalty — not both (art. 942(4) Civil Code).
Indicative calculation based on base rates published by the NBM (checked on 10/23/2026). Not a substitute for legal advice.
Statutory interest or a contractual penalty
Late-payment interest (art. 942 Civil Code)
Due automatically on any sum of money not paid on time, even if the contract says nothing about late payment.
- rate = National Bank of Moldova base rate + 9 percentage points per year when the debtor is not a consumer (a business, a professional, or an individual owing money to another individual)
- rate = National Bank of Moldova base rate + 5 percentage points per year when the debtor is a consumer
- the base rate is fixed per half-year: the rate in force on 1 January for January–June and the rate in force on 1 July for July–December (art. 874(2))
- runs from the day after the due date up to and including the payment date
- if the debt carried contractual interest, the creditor may use that rate instead of the base rate
- if non-payment on the due date is justified, only the base rate is owed, and a consumer owes no late-payment interest (art. 942(5))
- between professionals, the creditor may also claim minimum compensation of the MDL equivalent of 40 euro for recovery costs (art. 945)
Contractual penalty (penalty clause)
Applies only if the parties agreed it in the contract — usually a percentage per day of delay, sometimes with a cap.
- the creditor chooses either the penalty or statutory interest — not both for the same delay (art. 942(4))
- the Civil Code sets no cap, but in exceptional cases and at the debtor's request a court may reduce a disproportionately high penalty (art. 953)
- a penalty cannot be reduced if its rate does not exceed the statutory late-payment rate (art. 953(3))
- a penalty paid voluntarily cannot be reduced afterwards (art. 953(2))
- once you accept payment of the debt, you can claim the penalty only if you expressly reserved that right when accepting it (art. 949(3))
- against consumers, a non-negotiated disproportionate penalty may be struck down as an unfair term
Rates used in the calculation
The National Bank of Moldova base rate that applies in each half-year and the resulting late-payment interest rate.
| Half-year | NBM base rate | Businesses (+9 pp) | Consumers (+5 pp) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 · Jul–Dec | 7.00% | 16.00% | 12.00% |
| 2026 · Jan–Jun | 5.00% | 14.00% | 10.00% |
| 2025 · Jul–Dec | 6.50% | 15.50% | 11.50% |
| 2025 · Jan–Jun | 3.60% | 12.60% | 8.60% |
| 2024 · Jul–Dec | 3.60% | 12.60% | 8.60% |
| 2024 · Jan–Jun | 4.75% | 13.75% | 9.75% |
| 2023 · Jul–Dec | 6.00% | 15.00% | 11.00% |
| 2023 · Jan–Jun | 20.00% | 29.00% | 25.00% |
| 2022 · Jul–Dec | 18.50% | 27.50% | 23.50% |
| 2022 · Jan–Jun | 6.50% | 15.50% | 11.50% |
| 2021 · Jul–Dec | 2.65% | 11.65% | 7.65% |
| 2021 · Jan–Jun | 2.65% | 11.65% | 7.65% |
| 2020 · Jul–Dec | 3.25% | 12.25% | 8.25% |
| 2020 · Jan–Jun | 5.50% | 14.50% | 10.50% |
Source: base rate history published on bnm.md, checked on October 23, 2026. The calculation uses a 365-day year.
Limitation period
The general limitation period is 3 years (art. 391). Limitation applies only if the debtor raises it, and once the principal is time-barred so is the interest on it (art. 408). Interest for the period more than 3 years before the claim is filed risks being held time-barred. Don't wait too long.
Using the calculation in a demand letter
- 1
Separate the debt from the interest
In the demand letter, state the principal, the period of delay, the interest or penalty and its basis — the Civil Code article or the contract clause — separately.
- 2
Attach the calculation
Save the table as a PDF and attach it with copies of the contract, invoices and delivery or acceptance records.
- 3
Set a payment deadline
Give the debtor a reasonable deadline and state that interest keeps accruing until actual payment.
- 4
Keep proof of delivery
Send the letter by registered mail with acknowledgement of receipt, or hand it over against signature. If you go to court, update the calculation to the filing date.
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