The past-due amount is how much of what you owe was late as of the date the creditor last reported. It is usually smaller than the total balance. A paid, settled, sold, or discharged account generally should not show a past-due amount.
Also called: past due, amount past due, past due balance, amount delinquent
What it means
Experian describes the past-due amount as the amount currently past due, as reported by the creditor. If your monthly payment is $200 and you missed two payments, the past-due amount might be $400 plus fees, even though the full balance is much larger.
A past-due amount tells lenders the account is behind right now. That is different from a past late payment in your payment history, which stays on the report even after you catch up.
Where it comes from
Creditors update it with their regular reports. The CFPB’s 2012 report notes that monthly updates generally include whether payments were received and the account’s status, such as 30 or 60 days late. The figure is accurate only as of the date reported.
What happens when you catch up
Bringing the account current should drop the past-due amount to zero at the next update. Equifax notes that late payments remain in your history for up to seven years from the original delinquency date even after you pay, but the account should no longer show money currently past due.
Common errors
- A past-due amount that stays the same after you paid it.
- A past-due amount on an account that was paid in full, settled, or discharged in bankruptcy.
- A past-due amount on an account the creditor sold. Once it no longer owns the debt, nothing is past due to that creditor. Our guide on charged-off balances explains when a charged-off account can still show money owed.
- A past-due amount larger than the total balance.
- A payment that was posted to the wrong account, which the CFPB lists among common furnisher errors.
How to dispute it
Show what you paid and when: bank records, receipts, or a statement showing the account current. For sold, settled, or discharged accounts, include the sale notice, settlement letter, or discharge order. Dispute in writing with each bureau that shows the wrong amount.
When it can be an FCRA violation
Furnishers that learn their information is inaccurate must correct it (15 U.S.C. § 1681s-2(a)(2)) and must investigate disputes the bureaus forward (§ 1681s-2(b)). A past-due amount that makes an account look currently delinquent when it is not, and that survives a dispute, can support a claim.
If a wrong past-due amount stays on your report after you dispute it, FCRA Attorneys offers a free case review, and you pay no fee unless we win.
Related
- Balance
- Late payment (30, 60, 90 days)
- Date reported / date of account information
- Charge-off
- Date of first delinquency
- Payment rating and payment history grid
- How to Remove a Late Payment From Your Credit Report, and When You Can't
- Charged-Off Account Still Showing a Balance? When It's Accurate and When It's Not
- How to Dispute Credit Report Errors With Equifax, Experian and TransUnion
- How to Write a Credit Report Dispute Letter That Gets Investigated
Sources
- Experian, Understanding Your Experian Credit Report
- CFPB, Key Dimensions and Processes in the U.S. Credit Reporting System (2012)
- 15 U.S.C. § 1681s-2, responsibilities of furnishers (Cornell LII)
- Equifax, How Long Does Information Stay on My Credit Report?
Updated November 2026. This glossary is written by FCRA Attorneys from public sources. It is general information, not legal advice, and is not affiliated with any credit bureau or industry association.