Applicable Federal Rates

The IRS publishes applicable federal rates (AFRs) every month. You may have even seen them on the IRS website. Most recently, the IRS posted Revenue Ruling 2026-17, which notes that, for September 2026, the annual rates are 4.18% for short-term obligations, 4.49% for mid-term obligations, and 5.12% for long-term obligations. But what exactly are AFRs—and…