⛏️ Debt Payoff Calculator
Add each debt's balance, APR, and minimum payment, set your extra monthly amount, and see the avalanche and snowball plans side by side — months to debt-free, total interest, and the order your debts fall.
Informational estimates only — not financial advice.
🧮 Break Down the Debt
🏔️ Avalanche vs snowball
| Strategy | Debt-free in | Total interest | Total paid | Payoff order |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avalanche | 30 months (~2.5 yrs) | $1,893.95 | $15,393.95 | Credit card → Car loan |
| Snowball | 30 months (~2.5 yrs) | $1,893.95 | $15,393.95 | Credit card → Car loan |
What is a Debt Payoff Calculator?
Debt clears the way a boulder leaves a garden bed: not in one heroic lift, but split and hauled one piece at a time in a deliberate order. This calculator simulates that order for your real debts under the two classic strategies, so “someday” becomes a month number and total interest becomes a dollar figure you can compare.
The most useful line is often what the extra payment buys: another $100 a month against a high-APR card can shave years off the plan. And the comparison keeps you honest — sometimes avalanche saves serious money, sometimes the two plans land within a few dollars and you're free to take snowball's momentum without guilt.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What's the difference between avalanche and snowball?
Both pay every minimum and aim your extra money at one debt at a time, rolling each freed-up minimum into the next target. Avalanche attacks the highest APR first, which mathematically minimizes total interest. Snowball attacks the smallest balance first for fast wins that keep you motivated. The calculator simulates both on your actual debts so you can see the real dollar difference before choosing.
How does the simulation work?
Month by month: each open debt accrues one month of interest (balance × APR ÷ 12), receives its minimum payment, and then the leftover budget — your extra plus any minimums freed by paid-off debts — hits the strategy's target debt. It runs until everything is cleared, capped at 600 months.
What does 'payment too low' mean?
It means one of two things, and the result says which. Either your payments do not cover the interest, so the balances grow and there is no payoff date at all, or they cover it by so little that clearing takes longer than 600 months. No strategy choice fixes either. The way out is raising the monthly total (or negotiating rates down); if that is not possible, a nonprofit credit counselor can go through the whole picture with you.
Which strategy should I pick?
That's personal — avalanche is cheaper on paper, but the strategy you'll actually stick to wins in practice, and for many people snowball's early payoffs are worth the modest interest premium the comparison shows. This tool is an informational estimate, not financial advice; card interest also compounds in ways that vary by issuer, so treat results as close approximations.