Account Balance shows how much money you have in your account at the start of the business day. This does not include pending transactions.
Overdraft Limit is is your arranged overdraft limit (if you have one).
Balance including pending transactions shows your own money with pending transactions deducted. This is one part of what was previously called your ‘available balance'.
Overdraft Remaining is the remaining amount of your arranged overdraft (if you have one). This is the other part of what was previously called your 'available balance'.
Your balances for all other accounts, such as savings, loans and mortgages are unchanged.
Pending Transaction
Pending transactions are transactions you have made with your debit card which are waiting to be deducted from your account. The merchant normally tells us about your transaction as soon as it happens and we set aside those funds by taking them off your balance to make sure you don’t spend the money again.
However, this process can occasionally be delayed if the merchant takes longer to notify us. This is what is called a ‘pending transaction’ and you will see this reflected in your ‘Balance Including Pending Transactions’. The transaction normally completes in full a day or two later when it will then also be reflected in your ‘Account Balance’.
Occasionally you won’t see a debit card payment as a pending transaction. This can be down to timing or where the merchant has not been able to contact us immediately because you have made an ‘offline’ transaction. These are usually on planes, boats, trains or for parking or tolls so it’s important you always ensure you have enough funds in your account before making a transaction.
Examples of current account balances with an Arranged Overdraft
Example of an account in credit
| Account balance | Balance including pending transactions | Overdraft limit | Overdraft remaining |
|---|---|---|---|
| £100 | £75 | £500 | £500 |
The account is in credit and has £25 pending transactions and an overdraft limit of £500. The customer can spend another £75 without going into their overdraft and paying interest.
Example of overdrawn account
| Account balance | Balance including pending transactions | Overdraft limit | Overdraft remaining |
|---|---|---|---|
| £100 | -£150 | £500 | £350 |
The account is overdrawn and has £250 pending transactions. The customer now has £350 remaining of their £500 Arranged Overdraft limit remaining (use of Arranged Overdraft will include paying interest).
My balance at the weekend
Your balance might not be what you were expecting over the weekend and bank holidays.
When payments go into and come out of your account(s) at the weekend
Payments into your account at the weekend (like your salary, pension or other regular income)
Any payments due into your account on a Monday will only be available to you from the Monday and not the Saturday as before.
Payments out of your account at the weekend (like direct debits and standing orders)
Any payments due out of your account on a Monday will leave your account on the Monday, meaning this money will be still available to you over the weekend.
An uncleared/cleared cheque example
Before cheque clearing
| Account balance | Balance including pending transactions | Overdraft limit | Overdraft remaining |
|---|---|---|---|
| £400 | -£350 | £500 | £500 |
After cheque clearing
| Account balance | Balance including pending transactions | Overdraft limit | Overdraft remaining |
|---|---|---|---|
| £400 | -£400 | £500 | £500 |