Credit Card Default Statistics 2026: Delinquency at 2.9%, Charge-Offs at 3.8%
Credit card delinquency is 2.9% as of 2026-Q1 — down from the 3.2% 2024 peak but still above the 2.6% pre-pandemic level. Charge-offs are running 3.8%, 0.80 percentage points off the 4.6% cycle peak in Q3 2024, but still 0.1 percentage points above the 3.7% pre-pandemic baseline. Banks outside the 100 largest reported 6.4% in 2026-Q1. In the separately matched two-series comparison, the signed outside-top-100 minus top-100 spread was 3.8 percentage points in 2026-Q2. Positive values mean the outside-top-100 rate was higher; negative values mean the top-100 rate was higher. These measures describe loan balances, not customer characteristics.
What Is the Credit Card Delinquency Rate in 2026?
The credit card delinquency rate is 2.9% as of 2026-Q1, according to the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System (series DRCCLACBS data retrieved via FRED). That's down from the 3.2% peak reached during 2024 but still 0.31 percentage points above the 2.6% pre-pandemic baseline.
The charge-off rate is a separate measurement, currently 3.8% in 2026-Q1. Banks outside the top 100 reported a 6.4% delinquency rate in 2026-Q1. The matched outside-top-100 minus top-100 spread was 3.8 percentage points in 2026-Q2. None of these bank-reported balance measures identifies characteristics of individual customers. The American Distress Index tracks the all-commercial-bank delinquency and charge-off series as direct inputs, currently reading 43.8 (Typical). On average, its inputs sit higher than in 44% of their own quarterly histories.
Key Credit Card Default Statistics at a Glance
Credit card delinquency is one of the ADI's Delinquency-domain inputs alongside mortgage delinquency (the domain carries 20.0% of the composite weight). The bank series measures the share of credit-card loan balances that are delinquent or in nonaccrual status; it does not establish a household payment sequence or predict when another debt category will become delinquent.
How Does Credit Card Delinquency Compare to 2008?
The current all-commercial-bank rate of 2.9% is below the GFC-era peak of 6.8% reached in Q2 2009. That aggregate includes every commercial-bank size group and is not the top-100-bank rate. A separate matched comparison subtracts the top-100 series (DRCCLT100S) from the outside-top-100 series (DRCCLOBS). That spread was 3.8 percentage points in 2026-Q2. The source data establish the difference between those bank populations, not why it exists.
Credit Card Delinquency Rate, All Commercial Banks (%)
Source: Board of Governors data retrieved via FRED, DRCCLACBS. Quarterly, 1991–present.
Full data: Credit Card Delinquency indicator page
What Has Credit Card Delinquency Done Since 2019?
The all-commercial-bank series reached 1.5% in Q3 2021, then rose for roughly two years and peaked at 3.2% in 2024. It is now 2.9%, or 0.31 percentage points above the 2019-Q4 reading. The separate charge-off series reads 3.8% in 2026-Q1. These observations describe the reported path of each series; they do not by themselves explain the changes.
Credit Card Delinquency, 2019–Present (%)
Source: Board of Governors data retrieved via FRED, DRCCLACBS. Quarterly.
How Do Delinquency and Charge-Offs Differ?
The Federal Reserve's delinquency rate measures the share of credit-card loan balances that are 30 or more days past due or in nonaccrual status. The charge-off rate measures net charge-offs as a share of average loan balances and is annualized. They are separate series with different numerators; neither should be subtracted from the other or treated as proof of a mechanism linking them.
Read the measures separately
A lower delinquency rate alongside a higher charge-off rate is an observation about two reported balance measures, not evidence of a particular household payment ordering or a forecast for auto and mortgage delinquency. Those claims require separate data.
How Do Consumer Debt Indicators Compare?
Four measurements provide different views of consumer credit. The all-commercial-bank and outside-top-100 credit-card series are bank-reported balance measures. Charge-offs use a different numerator, while the NY Fed auto-loan series covers balances that are 90 or more days delinquent. The table keeps each population, threshold, period, and source separate.
| Indicator | Current | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credit card delinquency (all banks) | 2.9% | 2026-Q1 | FRED DRCCLACBS |
| Credit card delinquency (banks outside top 100) | 6.4% | 2026-Q1 | FRED DRCCLOBS |
| Credit card charge-off rate | 3.8% | 2026-Q1 | FRED CORCCACBS |
| Auto loan serious delinquency (90+ days) | 5.5% | 2026-Q2 | NY Fed / Equifax |
Federal Reserve data is weighted by loan balance and covers all commercial banks reporting to the Federal Reserve. The NY Fed auto delinquency rate is based on the Equifax Consumer Credit Panel (5% nationally representative sample).
See also: Auto Loan Delinquency Statistics and Consumer Debt Statistics 2026.
Credit Card Delinquency — Recent Quarterly Data
| Quarter | Delinquency Rate | Year-Over-Year Change (percentage points) |
|---|---|---|
| Q2 2024 | 3.2% | +0.47 |
| Q3 2024 | 3.2% | +0.26 |
| Q4 2024 | 3.1% | -0.02 |
| Q1 2025 | 3.1% | -0.11 |
| Q2 2025 | 3.0% | -0.18 |
| Q3 2025 | 3.0% | -0.22 |
| Q4 2025 | 2.9% | -0.14 |
| Q1 2026 | 2.9% | -0.14 |
Source: Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System, Delinquency Rate on Credit Card Loans, All Commercial Banks (DRCCLACBS). Quarterly, released approximately 8 weeks after quarter end.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the current credit card delinquency rate?
The credit card delinquency rate at all commercial banks is 2.9% as of 2026-Q1, according to the Federal Reserve Board of Governors (series DRCCLACBS data retrieved via FRED). That's down from the 3.2% 2024 peak but still above the pre-pandemic baseline of 2.6% (2019-Q4).
Why is credit card delinquency falling if households are still stressed?
The all-commercial-bank delinquency series reports balances currently 30 or more days past due or in nonaccrual status; it does not report household income, expenses, or reasons for a change. The latest reading can therefore describe the direction of that series, but it cannot by itself establish whether households broadly became more or less financially stressed.
What's the difference between delinquency and charge-offs?
In these Federal Reserve series, delinquency measures credit-card loan balances that are 30 or more days past due or in nonaccrual status. The charge-off rate measures annualized net charge-offs as a percentage of average loan balances. The two measures should be read with their own definitions and periods; neither establishes a fixed timing relationship on its own.
How does delinquency outside the top 100 compare with the top 100?
The direct matched-quarter comparison is DRCCLOBS minus DRCCLT100S. Its signed value was 3.8 percentage points in 2026-Q2. A positive value means the rate outside the 100 largest banks was higher; a negative value means the rate at banks ranked 1st through 100th was higher. The series do not identify characteristics of individual customers or explain the difference.
Where does credit card delinquency data come from?
The primary source is the Federal Reserve Board of Governors, which reports quarterly delinquency and charge-off rates for credit card loans at all commercial banks via the Consolidated Reports of Condition and Income (Call Reports). The canonical series is DRCCLACBS, available through the Federal Reserve's FRED database. The NY Fed's Household Debt and Credit Report provides an alternative measure based on the Equifax Consumer Credit Panel.
Data Sources and Methodology
FRED DRCCLACBS (All Commercial Banks)
Delinquency rate on credit card loans from the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System. Measures balances 30+ days past due as a percentage of total outstanding card balances. Reported quarterly based on Call Report filings.
FRED CORCCACBS (Charge-Off Rate)
Credit card charge-off rate at all commercial banks. Measures annualized net charge-offs as a percentage of average outstanding card balances.
FRED DRCCLOBS and DRCCLT100S (Bank-Size Comparison)
Seasonally adjusted, end-of-quarter credit-card delinquency rates for commercial banks outside the 100 largest by assets and banks ranked 1st through 100th. The published spread subtracts the latter from the former at one matched FRED realtime vintage and is expressed in percentage points.