Authorised overdrafts in Morocco: how the charges are calculated

You negotiated an overdraft at a rate that seemed reasonable, and the following quarter the charges taken are twice your estimate. The rate was not wrong: it described only part of the cost, and the calculation runs on value-dated balances, not the ones you had in mind. An overdraft is understood through its structure, not its rate.

1. What the word “charges” actually covers

The term covers everything a debit account costs, not interest alone. That is the first source of the gap between the owner’s estimate and the amount actually taken.

• Debit interest: Calculated on the amount and duration of the negative balance, on value dates. This is the part the advertised rate describes.
• The highest-overdraft commission: Based on the largest debit balance of the period, usually monthly. It does not depend on duration, which makes it expensive for a brief but large dip.
• The turnover commission: Calculated on the period’s debit movements, regardless of whether you were overdrawn at all.
• Excess fees: Charged when you go beyond the authorised amount. They are the most avoidable, and often the heaviest relative to the sum.

Adding these components gives a real cost that can be several times the result of a simple interest calculation. That is why comparing two proposals on the rate alone means nothing.

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2. The value date, which lengthens the debit period

Interest is not calculated on the balance you see but on the value-dated balance. And value dates work against you on both sides: an outgoing transfer counts from the day before, a receipt only from the day after.

Operation	Value date	Effect on a debit account
T	r	a	n	s	f	e	r		s	e	n	t
J	−	1
T	h	e		d	e	b	i	t		c	o	u	n	t	s		a		d	a	y		e	a	r	l	i	e	r

A business that collects and pays out on the same day can therefore be in debit for two value days although its balance was never negative on screen. This is perfectly regular, and it is precisely what the mechanism produces.

The value dates applied to each channel are set out in our guide to bank transfer times.

3. Checking and challenging: the interest scale

The account statement does not let you recalculate the charges: it shows the deduction, not its detail. The useful document is called the interest scale, and you have to ask for it.

1. Ask your relationship manager for the quarter’s interest scale: it sets out the value-dated balances day by day.
2. Check that the rate applied matches your agreement, margin included.
3. Identify the highest-overdraft commission and the balance it was based on.
4. Check the days spent beyond the authorised amount and the associated fees.
5. Compare the total you obtain with the amount actually taken from the account.

A gap between your recalculation and the deduction is challenged in writing, with the period, the rate applied and the expected amount. Without the interest scale a complaint stays an impression; with it, it becomes a calculation the bank has to answer.

Note too that the margin is not free: it sits under the maximum applicable rate set by Bank Al-Maghrib, which bounds the whole and gives you an argument if it drifts.

4. The real question: what your overdraft is for

An overdraft exists to absorb a timing gap, not to finance a business. Used for a few days a month around due dates, it does its job. Drawn permanently and never returning to zero, it is no longer a timing gap but a structural working capital need, financed by the most expensive credit available.

In that second case the answer is not to raise the limit. It is to treat the cause: customer terms that are too long, stock that is too heavy, or an investment funded out of cash. Discounting receivables or a suitable loan costs less than a permanent overdraft.

BelloPOS Pro tracks the settlement of your invoices and gives you the schedule of what is due in. The software does not see your account and calculates no charges: but knowing which receivables are late is the first step towards no longer financing them on overdraft.

Mistakes to avoid

• Comparing two overdrafts on the rate alone — The additional commissions reorder the ranking. Compare the total cost of a real quarter.
• Never asking for the interest scale — It is the only document that lets you recalculate the charges. Without it no challenge is possible.
• Living permanently in overdraft — That is no longer a timing gap but a structural financing need, covered by the most expensive credit around.
• Ignoring value dates in forecasts — A receipt and a payment on the same day can leave two value days in debit.

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Frequently asked questions

Is there a maximum applicable rate?

Yes, the rate applied sits under a ceiling set by Bank Al-Maghrib. The institution’s margin is negotiated below that limit rather than added freely.

How do I obtain the interest scale?

By asking your branch or relationship manager for a given quarter. It is a routine document, even though it is not sent spontaneously.

Does an unused overdraft cost anything?

Depending on the agreement, a commitment commission may apply to the authorised line. Check this point: an oversized limit is not always free.

Is an overdraft or receivables discounting better?

It depends where the need comes from. For a gap caused by invoices issued and not yet paid, discounting is generally cheaper than a permanently drawn overdraft.

What to take away

Overdraft charges are not a rate but a sum: interest calculated on value dates, the highest-overdraft commission, the turnover commission and excess fees. Ask for the interest scale, recalculate once, and if the overdraft never returns to zero, treat the cause rather than raising the limit.

Sources

The figures and rules quoted above come from these pages, read on the date given in the article.

• Bank Al-Maghrib, banking supervision and customer protection, read 8 September 2026
• Al Barid Bank, 2026 tariff schedule, read 8 September 2026

Read next

Other practical guides on the same subject:

• Short-term treasury advances in Morocco: discounting, overdraft or supplier terms
• Bank transfer times in Morocco: the value dates that change everything
• Business bank fees in Morocco: identifying, comparing and negotiating them
• A 12-month cash-flow plan for Morocco: model and scenarios