As the name suggests, a current balance on a credit card refers to the total amount owed on the day you check your account. Thus, the current balance may be a more up-to-date reflection of your debt than the statement balance is. The statement balance and current balance can be the same amount — or not.

Unlike your statement balance which represents the purchases and payments on your card during a set period, your current balance reflects all the charges and payment activity on your credit card account up to the date the statement was generated. Your current balance is not fixed the same way as your statement balance.

The current balance on your credit card is the total amount you owe to the credit card. It includes all purchases, cash advances, fees and any interest charges accrued, as well as any other outstanding charges.

If you’re looking at your account online, your current balance is a total of all charges, interest, credits and payments on your account. Think of it as a somewhat real-time view of what you owe. It can change each time your card is used. But pending purchases aren’t reflected in your current balance until they post.