What is the difference between actual balance and available balance?

Asked by: Darren Lubowitz  |  Last update: February 16, 2025
Score: 4.4/5 (62 votes)

Your actual balance, or sometimes just called balance, is the total of all the transactions on your account including any pending transactions. Available balance is what is available for you to use out of this actual balance – typically this is your actual balance minus any pending transactions.

Can I withdraw my actual balance?

In a checking account, the available balance is the amount of money that the account holder can withdraw immediately. The current balance, by contrast, includes any pending transactions that have not yet been cleared. The bank will honor any withdrawal or payment you make up to the available balance amount.

Can I spend my actual balance?

Can I spend my current balance? You can, but you have to be mindful about other financial transactions you have made. Your current balance reflects all your money, in addition to funds that are being held or are in transit, such as checks.

Why are my balance and available balance different?

Your available balance is the total amount of money in your account that you can use for purchases and withdrawals, as it excludes pending transactions and check holds from your account balance. However, the available balance will not show checks that haven't been cashed or deposits which haven't posted.

What does actual balance mean in a bank?

Actual balance (or ledger balance) is the amount of money that is actually in your account at any given time. It reflects transactions posted to your account, but not transactions that are pending.

Why is my available balance and current balance different?

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Why is my actual balance less than my available balance?

The current balance listed in your account includes any transactions that are pending but have not yet cleared. As such, the current balance might be listed as higher than the available balance — in other words, the current balance can be an amount that's greater than what you're able to withdraw from the account.

What is the meaning of actual amount?

The accounting definition of actuals is just that: the amount of money that was actually received from a customer or paid for something purchased by a business.

What does it mean when your bank says balance and available balance?

The available balance is the amount of funds you currently have available to use. While a transaction is pending, the amount is deducted from your available funds. The account balance is the total amount you have in your account that includes any pending transactions or other amounts yet to clear (e.g. cheques).

Can I withdraw an effective available balance?

The available balance can be utilized by the bank account holder in the following ways: Cash withdrawal: The available balance can be taken out of the account in cash at an ATM or with a bank teller. Expenditure via debit card: The debit card transfers money from the money in the checking account.

Why is my total balance more than my available balance?

The current balance on your bank account is the total amount of money in the account. But that doesn't mean it's all available to spend. Some of the funds included in your current balance may be from deposits you made or checks you wrote that haven't cleared yet, in which case they're not available for you to use.

What is the difference between clear balance and actual balance?

The only difference between the cleared balance and the actual balance figures is that the actual balance takes into account pending transactions that you know about but the bank does not.

What is actual cash balance?

Actual Cash Balance means the amount (if any) of the Company and its Subsidiaries cash in hand or in the bank accounts on the Closing Date, in excess of the reserves that the Company is required to maintain under the GMAC Loan Agreement on the Closing Date.

Can someone check my bank account balance with my account number?

Scammers can't access your bank account with just your bank account number; however, they can set up direct debits or transfers via EFTs.

Should I go by current balance or available balance?

Current and available balances both give you a snapshot of the money you have in your bank account. However, only your available balance includes pending transactions. While the current balance can be useful for monthly budgeting, the available balance is often better for monitoring daily spending.

Can bank tellers see your balance when withdrawing money?

Yes, if say you are making a deposit or a withdrawal, they have to access your accounts. Of course they will see your balance.

Why are my closing balance and available balance different?

The available balance for your account may differ from the current balance because of pending transactions that have been presented against the account, but have not yet been processed. Once processed, the transactions are reflected in the current balance and show in the account history.

Can you spend money that is pending?

A pending transaction can place a hold on your account balance and count toward your credit limit until it is processed. That doesn't necessarily mean you can't use your credit card or bank account. But it can affect your available balance—or the funds you're able to access.

Is available balance the same as overdraft?

If you have overdraft protection on your account, your available balance will be higher than your bank account balance. However, you don't need to spend your overdraft. A better money management strategy is to work towards saving some money in a separate bank account.

What is the difference between available balance and present balance?

What is the difference between available balance and present balance? Your present balance, more often referred to as your current balance, only includes transactions that have fully cleared, while your available balance shows debits and credits that are still being processed.

What's the difference between balance and available credit?

The primary difference between the current balance and available credit is that the current balance reflects the amount you currently owe, while the available credit represents how much credit you have left to use on your card.

Why did my account go negative after I deposited a check?

A negative float is a net deficit resulting from checks that have been deposited but have not cleared bank records. Traditionally, a check writer keeps a register to be able to balance the account and avoid being confused by an account balance that may show funds that are pending withdrawal to cover checks written.

What is the difference between booked balance and available balance?

Available Balance: The amount of funds the customer is able to withdraw from the account, not including any overdraft facility that may be available. Typically this will be the booked balance, minus any pending card transactions and minus any uncleared cheques.

What does actual balance mean in bank account?

Actual - The amount of funds showing in your account without considering incoming or outgoing funds that might be in transit. Available - The funds that are not already allocated to an expense, have settled into your account and can be spent.

What does it mean when they say actual?

/ˈæktʃuəl/ If you describe something as actual, it really exists or is true. You might excitedly tell your friends that you saw an actual bald eagle land on your mailbox. Use the adjective actual when you want to emphasize that something is certain or confirmed, especially when it's different from what you expected.

What is the actual payment amount?

Actual Payment Amount: It is the amount you have paid the lender if it is different from the EMI amount. The actual payment amount can be higher or lower than the EMI amount.