What is the Surplus/Deficit on the Household Balance Sheet?

The Surplus/Deficit is the dollar amount that the total available resources for the household either exceeds or falls short of the amount needed to fully fund a goal level. A surplus indicates that the household has sufficient resources to fully fund the goal level. The higher the surplus the greater the cushion the household has to fund the goal level and absorb any reductions in resources in the future. A deficit indicates that the household does not have sufficient resources to fully fund the goal level.