An outstanding balance on a credit card is the total amount of money you owe at the time you check your account. It includes all charges on your account that you have not paid for, including recent purchases, cash advances, balance transfers, issuer fees, and interest that have accrued (if applicable). The outstanding balance is essentially the same as the current balance. If you log in to your online credit card account or your credit card company’s mobile app and either one says you currently owe $1,000 on your credit card, that amount is your outstanding balance and current balance.

It is important to note that the outstanding balance and statement balance are not the same thing. The statement balance indicates only how much you owe since the close of your last billing cycle, usually a period of around 30 days. Your monthly credit card statement will typically list both your outstanding (aka current) balance and your statement balance. Paying the outstanding balance guarantees that your credit card’s balance resets to zero, which isn’t always the case when you pay the statement balance.

To find out your outstanding balance, you can access your credit card account online or through a mobile app, or call the card issuers customer service phone line.