Why a negative wallet balance carries over to a new wallet

Last updated: June 24, 2026

Deleting a wallet with a negative balance and creating a new one does not clear the overage. The new credits get reduced by the same amount, because the negative figure is the ongoing balance, which is driven by the customer's unbilled usage, not by the wallet itself. The usage stays on the subscription when you swap wallets, so Lago subtracts it from the new wallet just as it did the old one. An overage represents real unbilled usage, so it is either covered by new credits or invoiced when the period finalizes. It cannot simply be discarded.

Why it carries over

A wallet exposes two balances. The actual balance is the real prepaid credits, and only changes when an invoice finalizes and credits are consumed. The ongoing balance is a real-time projection: the actual balance minus current unbilled usage, including taxes and draft invoices. When unbilled usage exceeds available credits, it goes negative, and that negative ongoing balance is the overage. It refreshes about every five minutes, so it is an estimate rather than instantaneous.

The formula is ongoing balance equals wallet credits minus current unbilled usage. Because the unbilled usage belongs to the subscription, recreating the wallet only changes the credits side. The usage side is unchanged, so the overage reappears against the new wallet.

How to clear the negative ongoing balance

There are two ways, and no other mid-period route, since the number is always wallet credits minus current unbilled usage.

  1. Grant enough credits to cover the unbilled usage. Once credits exceed the current period's unbilled usage, the ongoing balance flips positive on the next refresh.

  2. Terminate and restart the subscription. This finalizes the current period and resets the unbilled usage, so a new wallet starts clean.

Making an existing negative balance simply vanish is not achievable on its own. The underlying usage is real: granting credits covers it, and restarting the subscription invoices it. One of those has to happen.

This article reflects guidance drawn from customer case resolutions. It is not officially supported documentation and may not apply to all situations.