# Handling Credit Card Overspending > This article shows what credit card overspending looks like in YNAB. It also explains how to find and cover credit card overspending on web, iOS, or Android. Source: https://support.ynab.com/en_us/credit-card-overspending-an-overview-HkMGpSbJs Last updated: 2026-08-20T23:19:08.252Z Identify credit card overspending by checking for a yellow negative Available amount in your spending category (it may also display as red if the overspending is a blend of credit and cash). Understand that credit overspending disrupts the flow of cash from your spending category to your Credit Card Payment category—it instead increases your credit card balance without setting aside funds for payment. Learn how and when to address overspending to prevent any negative effects in your current month’s plan. #### In This Article [An Overview of Credit Card Spending](#overview) [Effects of Credit Card Overspending and How to Find It](#effects) [How and When to Cover Credit Card Overspending](#cover) [When There's a Shortfall in Your Credit Card Payment Category](#shortfall) * * * ## An Overview of Credit Card Spending **In short:** if you spend more on your credit card than you have Available in that category, the extra amount _doesn't_ move to your Credit Card Payment category — it just increases your card balance. For example, a $150 purchase in a category with only $100 Available creates $50 of credit overspending: your Payment category only gets the $100 that was funded, leaving $50 you'll need to cover separately before you can pay the card in full. When you record a purchase on a credit card, YNAB checks the spending category to determine if there’s enough money Available to cover the transaction. If there is, [YNAB will move the money into the Credit Card Payment category](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/handling-credit-cards-overview-ry7cNub1s) for that card, so you have the cash set aside to pay it off. If you spent **more** than the Available amount in the spending category, the Available amount will become negative—we call this overspending. Credit overspending prevents YNAB from setting aside funds for your purchases. It disrupts the flow of cash from your spending category to your Credit Card Payment category. Your credit card balance increases, but the amount in your Credit Card Payment category stays the same. Overspending on a credit card does **not** roll over [when the month rolls over](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/when-the-month-rolls-over-a-guide-rkyyd6qC9). [Back to Top](#backtotop) * * * ## Effects of Credit Card Overspending and How to Find It A yellow, negative Available amount in a category indicates credit overspending. When there are one or more overspent categories in the month you're viewing, an Overspent Categories filter will be available at the top of your plan in the web app and a banner displaying "Cover Overspending" will appear in the mobile app. You’ll also notice an alert in any Credit Card Payment category affected by credit overspending. #### Overspending Alerts A few additional situations may cause an overspending alert to appear in a credit card register. If you notice an alert with no credit overspending in the current month, [tell the chatbot you need a human or send us an email](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/how-to-get-help-SygqcvtC5) to ensure that your message gets to our Support team! If a category is overspent and there was both cash and credit card spending in that category, the category will show red, cash overspending. Once the cash spending is covered, the yellow credit overspending alert will remain until all overspending has been covered in that category. To find out how much of the overspending is cash and how much is credit, select the category and review the "Available" figure shown in that month's summary in the right sidebar on the web app, or tap on the category and then tap “Details” in the mobile app. When you have credit overspending, it means money couldn’t move from that spending category into the Credit Card Payment category. You’ll have less money in the Credit Card Payment category than you would need to be able to pay back the credit card company for all of your purchases unless you cover the overspending or move funds to the payment category yourself. ### How This Appears in YNAB ### iOS ![There is $50 of credit overspending in the groceries category and there is not enough money in the Credit Card Payment category to pay the full amount due.](https://cdn.bfldr.com/NIEXAZS5/at/5sb96vn85c78h4h8twph9b/CC-Overspending-iOS-Help-Article.png?auto=webp&format=png) ### Android ![There is $50 of credit overspending in the groceries category and there is not enough money in the Credit Card Payment category to pay the full amount due.](https://cdn.bfldr.com/NIEXAZS5/at/8xp8bxqz8wbkpn8k84t5rt/CC-Overspending-Android-Help-Article.png?auto=webp&format=png) ### Web ![A $150 transaction categorized to Groceries creates $50 credit overspending. The available for payment only increases by $100.](https://cdn.bfldr.com/NIEXAZS5/at/4b48gw2hrrmgqfkcxcxr5j3w/CC-Overspending-Web-Help-Article.png?auto=webp&format=png) [Back to Top](#backtotop) * * * ## How and When to Cover Credit Overspending If you pay your credit card balance in full regularly, or you want to avoid going into more debt while paying down a balance over time, you’ll want to make sure all of your current credit spending is backed by cash. You’ll do this by assigning money for your purchases ahead of time, or covering any overspending that occurs. How you cover your credit overspending will depend upon if the overspending is in the current month, or if it was left over from a previous month. ### Overspending in the Current Month If you have any overspent categories in the current month, cover it by [moving money](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/moving-money-in-your-plan-ryyCKbBJi) from other categories into the overspent category. When you add money to a category with credit overspending, [the money will flow automatically](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/handling-credit-cards-overview-ry7cNub1s) to the Credit Card Payment category. After covering this month’s overspending, if the Credit Card Payment category still doesn’t have enough money for your payment, you may have had overspending in a previous month, too. You’ll then need to [move money](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/moving-money-in-your-plan-ryyCKbBJi) directly to the Credit Card Payment category in the current month to make up the rest of the difference. ### Overspending in Previous Months If you have overspent categories in a previous month, your Credit Card Payment category will have an "Underfunded" alert. Don't go back to those past months to make changes or cover that overspending—that can cause some different issues in your plan. Instead, [move money](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/moving-money-in-your-plan-ryyCKbBJi) directly to the Credit Card Payment category **in the current month** to cover any overspending from previous months. ### What if Ready to Assign is negative, too? Covering credit overspending normally means moving money from another category, but if Ready to Assign is also negative, there's no slack to pull from yet. Start with [When Ready to Assign is Negative](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/when-ready-to-assign-is-negative-an-overview-HylZA0zCc) to get Ready to Assign back to zero or above, then come back and cover the credit overspending as mentioned above. [Back to Top](#backtotop) * * * ## When There's a Shortfall in Your Credit Card Payment Category **Any** discrepancy between your Credit Card Payment category and your card’s working balance can be successfully resolved by covering any overspending in the current month and then assigning any more money needed directly to the Credit Card Payment category. We recommend checking the amount in your Credit Card Payment categories before making a credit card payment to make sure you have the right amount set aside. #### Intentional Debt If you can’t cover a purchase right away and want to pay it off over time, [learn how to handle intentional new debt](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/intentional-credit-card-overspending-an-overview-HJrSQbOC9). [Back to Top](#backtotop) * * * ## Help Us Help You! Our Knowledge Base team reviews article feedback responses weekly, and we actively revise these articles to make them as helpful as possible. That's where you come in! Our articles are scored based on the _Yes_ or _No_ ratings received below. We also collect freeform feedback for any _No_ ratings (so our team can focus in on what you were specifically searching for!). **Success**: Found what you were searching for? It would be super helpful if you click _Yes_ below. **Suggestions**: Didn't find what you're searching for and you'd like to share what terms or topics you wanted? Click _No_ below. You'll then be able to submit your feedback about this article. **Please note:** the feedback submissions are anonymous, and we’re not able to respond, so make sure to use the next option if you have a specific scenario or question you would like a response to. **Support**: If you have a question or would like a response to your specific question, [tell the chatbot you need a human or send us an email](https://support.ynab.com/en_us/how-to-get-help-SygqcvtC5) to ensure that your message gets to our Support team!