Credit glossary
Past-due amount
The part of an account's balance that was due but hasn't been paid, reported separately from the total balance.
A loan can carry a large balance and a $0 past-due amount, which is normal, or a small balance that's entirely past due. Furnishers report the amount past due alongside the account status in each monthly update, and the two should agree: an account reported as current shouldn't show money past due. A card's minimum payment due usually includes any past-due amount.
This is the number to clear first when you fall behind. Paying only the new month's payment leaves the past-due amount in place, and the account can keep reporting as 30 days late month after month. After a paid charge-off or a settled collection, the past-due amount should drop to $0. If it doesn't, that's a disputable error.
Guides that go deeper
- 30, 60 and 90 days late: how the damage grows each monthA missed payment can be reported as 30, then 60, then 90 days late. See how lates stack, why one payment may not catch you up, and how to stop the slide.
- How to read your credit report, line by line and field by fieldWhat each section and field on an Equifax, Experian or TransUnion report means, which dates matter most, and how to tell normal entries from real errors.
Sources
- Key Dimensions and Processes in the U.S. Credit Reporting System (December 2012), Consumer Financial Protection Bureau
- Payment History and Your FICO Score, myFICO
- When Do Late Payments Get Reported?, Experian
This is education, not legal or financial advice. Spot an error? Tell us and we'll fix it.