Fancy term for saying that you are late on a loan or credit card payment.
Delinquency is measured in days, which correspond to the number of payments you have missed. That is why you'll sometimes hear "30 days delinquent" or "60 days delinquent", which would mean that you've missed one or two monthly payments, respectively, since your credit card or loan was in "good standing" (i.e. not late).
Delinquency is not reported to the major credit bureaus and you therefore do not incur credit score damage as a result of it until you have missed two consecutive payments (i.e. you're at least 60 days delinquency). In order to return your account to good standing, you must make payments for the number of months behind you are, plus the current month.
Our Thoughts:
If you don't pay your bill on time, you might be assessed a penalty fee, which is likely to hurt your credit rating.