What is days past due (DPD)?

Days past due counts how long a required payment has been outstanding beyond its contractual due date. A loan whose payment was due on the first of the month and remains unpaid on the fifteenth is 14 days past due. When multiple payments are missed, DPD is measured from the oldest unpaid due date.

Lenders group accounts into delinquency buckets, commonly current, 1 to 29, 30 to 59, 60 to 89, 90 to 119 and 120 or more days past due. Buckets drive collections treatment, roll rate analysis, credit bureau reporting, nonaccrual decisions and charge-off timing. For example, federal banking guidance generally calls for charging off open-end retail loans at 180 days past due and closed-end retail loans at 120 days.

Counting conventions vary. Some lenders treat partial payments or small shortfalls differently, and mortgage servicers may use different methods to determine when a loan is 30 days delinquent. Re-aging, extensions and payment deferrals can reset DPD, so policies should limit and track them. Consistent definitions across systems are essential for accurate reporting.