Debt payoff calculator: snowball vs avalanche
Compare payoff dates, interest costs and extra payments for one or more debts.
Compare your payoff plans
First step. Find each balance, rate and minimum on your latest statements. Replace all example figures before comparing.
Example amounts: replace them with figures from your statements. Up to 10 debts. All amounts in US dollars.
Use amounts and APRs with up to two decimal places. For a card, enter the APR for that balance. For a loan, use the contractual rate applied to the balance if it differs from the APR that includes fees. This model excludes those fees.
Show the steps and where to find your numbers
- Find a recent statement for each debt. Use its balance, the card balance’s annual APR and the required minimum payment. For a loan, use the contractual rate applied to its balance; an APR that includes fees may differ.
- Enter a payment you can maintain. This comparison keeps entered minimums as fixed payments. If the minimum changes with the balance, try the declining-minimum comparison.
- Check what remains between paydays. Use the income and bills calendar before choosing an extra. Uncertain future income is not available cash.
- Compare and choose a next step. Review the time, interest and schedule. You can return to the fields without losing what you typed; results update when you select “Compare payoff plans”.
The calculator will become available when loading finishes. If it stays disabled, reload or use the worked example and methodology below.
No signup. Calculations run in your browser without sending your entries to us. Files you choose to download are saved on your device.
Optional: plan for a payoff deadline
Plan for a payoff deadline (optional)
Use the balances, rates and fixed minimums above to find a monthly budget with avalanche. Review the suggestion, then choose whether to apply it.
The deadline planner will become available when loading finishes. It requires JavaScript; the worked example and methodology remain available below.
Verified avalanche budget
How your payoff plan works
Enter each balance, annual APR and fixed monthly minimum. Compare the smallest-balance-first snowball with the highest-APR-first avalanche. The total monthly budget stays constant as debts clear, and the final payment is capped at the amount still owed.
For example, a $1,000 balance at 12% APR with a $600 monthly payment clears in 2 months with $14.10 interest in this monthly model. The last payment is $414.10.
These are estimates, not a lender payoff quote. Daily interest, due dates, changing minimums and fees can change the result. Read the assumptions.
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Why trust GetDebtFree.tools
- We’re independent. We are not a lender, a debt-settlement company, or a credit-repair firm. We don’t take your case or process anything.
- Understand the risks. Debt settlement can harm credit and may have canceled-debt tax consequences. Form 1099-C reports a cancellation; it is not itself a tax bill.
- Check the assumptions and sources. Our methodology explains the payoff model and worked examples. The editorial standards describe sourcing and the scope of review.
- Your privacy comes first. The tools run in your browser. Your entries are not sent to us. Saving a draft on this device or downloading a file happens only when you choose it.
A tool for your next step
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Keep what helped. Choose your next step.
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Continue a saved plan
Use the tool’s save and recovery controls to review the copy’s date and inputs before applying them. A saved estimate is not a record of payments you actually made. This section does not open or change saved copies.
For example: check the next bill date. This note stays in the current page; this feature does not save or send it. Copy it yourself if you want to keep it. Your browser may restore form fields. Do not enter account numbers or sensitive details.
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Choose a date to review
Download an all-day calendar file with a generic title. It includes this public resource link, never your amounts, account names or note. Choose the date yourself; this does not calculate a payment or legal deadline.
Review my next step
Open or import the file in your calendar, then check the date and choose any notification there. Downloading does not add the event automatically. Change or delete it in your calendar. Importing again may create duplicates; check for an existing reminder first. A different date creates a separate reminder.
Could you do what you needed?
You can prepare an email to Xavier about the page. No calculator data is attached. Your email app opens for you to review and send; this site does not receive anything unless you send it. Do not include account numbers, documents or financial details. Replies are not immediate or individual financial advice.
Finished this task?
You can stop here and return when it is useful. If you want to work on a savings goal next, our free tool helps you explore a target and your own contributions. Choosing it does not change this plan.