Credit limit

A credit limit is the maximum a customer can owe you at any point before further sales are held. It is the main tool a business has for capping its exposure to a single customer failing to pay.

Also searched as: customer credit control, credit terms

Updated July 2026

The limit only works if it is visible where the decision gets made. A limit stored in the accounts system while the salesperson is standing in the customer's shop with a delivery is not a control, it is a record.

This is one of the clearest arguments for a shared database. When the rep's screen shows the outstanding balance and the limit at the moment of the order, the block happens before the goods leave. When it does not, the finance team finds out after delivery.

Limits also need reviewing. A limit set three years ago for a customer who has since doubled their order size is either strangling a good account or exposing you badly, and nobody notices either until something goes wrong.