What Happens If You Miss a Credit Card Payment
Miss a payment by a day and you'll usually pay a late fee, and you may lose your interest-free grace period. Your credit report isn't affected until the payment is 30 days late. At 60 days your issuer can raise the rate on your existing balance. At about 180 days the account is usually charged off.
If you've just missed a payment, pay at least the minimum now. Most of the damage can still be avoided.
The timeline
| Days late | What happens |
| 1 | Late fee. You may lose the grace period on new purchases |
| 30 | The issuer can report the late payment to the credit bureaus |
| 60 | The issuer can apply a penalty APR to your existing balance |
| 90–150 | More late marks each month, with collection calls and possibly a closed account |
| ~180 | The account is usually charged off and often sold to a collector. You still owe the debt |
The late fee
The fee is allowed from the day after the due date. By law it can't be more than your minimum payment. Large issuers have generally charged about $30 for a first late payment and about $41 for a repeat. In 2024 the CFPB finalized an $8 cap for large issuers, but a court blocked the rule and vacated it in 2025, so it never took effect. Your cardholder agreement lists your card's fee.
Payments count as on time if they arrive by 5 p.m. on the due date. Your issuer can't set an earlier cutoff.
The 30-day line is the one that matters
A payment that's 30 or more days late can go on your credit report and stay there for seven years. Payment history is the largest part of your score, so a single 30-day late mark can cost more than any fee.
If you're 10 or 20 days late, paying the minimum before day 30 keeps it off your report.
Penalty APR at 60 days
If a minimum payment is more than 60 days late, the issuer can raise the rate on your existing balance, often to 29.99% or more. The law requires it to lower the rate again after six on-time payments in a row. See how card interest is calculated for what that costs.
What to do now
- Pay at least the minimum today.
- Call and ask them to waive the fee. Issuers often waive a first late fee.
- Set up autopay for the minimum payment, so it can't happen again. You can still pay more by hand.
- Move your due date to just after payday. Most issuers let you.
- If you can't pay, call before the payment is 30 days late and ask about a hardship plan. See also alternatives to payday loans.
FAQ
Can a 30-day late mark be removed? If it's accurate, the bureaus don't have to remove it. You can ask the issuer for a "goodwill" removal, but they don't have to agree. If it's wrong, dispute it.
Does paying late but within the month hurt my score? Not if it's under 30 days late. You'll still pay the fee.
Does a charge-off mean I don't owe it? No. Charging off is an accounting step for the issuer. The debt still exists and can be collected.
Figures and rules in this article are checked against the official sources below. Where they disagree with us, they win.
- Regulation Z 12 CFR 1026.10 (5 p.m. cutoff), 1026.52(b) (penalty fees), 1026.55(b)(4) (60-day penalty rate, restored after 6 on-time payments)
- CFPB penalty fees final rule page (2024 $8 rule stayed by litigation)
- Federal Register 2024-05011 (charge-off typically after 180 days)
- FCRA 7-year reporting
