Calculate how long it will take to pay off any debt — and compare the avalanche (highest interest first) vs snowball (smallest balance first) strategies.
Enter your figures and click Calculate to see your results.
Enter your debt balance, interest rate and monthly payment to see your payoff timeline and compare strategies.
Press the Calculate button. All results are computed instantly in your browser — no page reload needed.
Your full breakdown appears in the results card. Use Copy to grab the figures or Download to save a text report.
The avalanche method targets the debt with the highest interest rate first while paying minimums on all others. Once it is paid off, that payment rolls to the next highest-rate debt. It minimises total interest paid and is mathematically optimal.
The snowball method targets the smallest balance first regardless of interest rate. Each payoff frees up cash to attack the next debt. It costs more in interest than avalanche but provides faster psychological wins that help maintain motivation.
Mathematically, avalanche saves more money. Behaviourally, snowball may lead to better outcomes if you need motivational wins to stay on track. Research suggests many people succeed more with snowball due to the psychological reinforcement of early payoffs.
It depends on your balance and rate. On a $10,000 debt at 18% APR paying $250/month, adding $100/month cuts payoff from about 60 months to about 38 months and saves over $1,500 in interest. Use this calculator to model your exact numbers.
A structured schedule that shows month-by-month how your balance decreases, how much goes to interest vs principal each payment, and exactly when each debt will be paid off. Having a written plan significantly improves payoff success rates.
Compare the rates. If your debt interest rate (e.g. 22%) exceeds your savings return (e.g. 4–5%), paying off debt first delivers a better guaranteed return. Keep an emergency fund of 1–3 months of expenses before aggressively paying down debt.
DTI is your total monthly debt payments divided by your gross monthly income. Lenders use it to assess creditworthiness. Most lenders prefer a DTI below 36%, and many require it below 43% for mortgage approval.
Your debt will reduce very slowly and you will pay significantly more in total interest. On high-interest debt, minimum payments may barely cover the monthly interest charge, meaning the balance barely decreases. Paying even slightly more makes a meaningful difference.
For high-interest debt (above ~8%), focus on debt payoff first. For low-interest debt (below ~5%), consider balancing both — especially if your employer offers retirement contribution matching, which is an immediate 50–100% return on your contribution.
Yes — completely free with no login, no sign-up and no usage limits. All calculations run in your browser and no data is stored.
