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Language Foundation

past due

Past due is the status of a payment obligation that remains unpaid after the date by which it was required to be paid.

In plain English

It means an amount that should have been paid is late. The required payment date has already passed, and the amount is still unpaid.

In context

Here, "past due" warns that the bill is still unpaid even though its due date has already passed.

Situation
Understanding invoices, billing statements, balances, due dates, credits, and receipts
What it communicates
warns that the bill remains unpaid after the due date

Meaning limits

By itself, the term does not say how long the payment has been overdue or what happens next.

Examples

“His rent was past due because he had not paid it by the first of the month.”

Core meaning

“The bill warns that the balance is past due and remains unpaid.”

In context

  • overdue Near Synonym

    For a bill or payment, it refers to the same state in this context.

  • unpaid Broader Term

    A payment can be unpaid without being past due, such as before the due date.