Tool
Debt Payoff Calculator
Avalanche vs snowball — see which method finishes first and how much interest you actually save. This debt payoff calculator runs entirely in your browser. No account required.
Your debts
An example household is loaded so you can see how it works. Replace the numbers with your own.
Highest interest rate first
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months to debt-free
- Total interest
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- Total paid
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- Debt-free by
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Paid off in this order
Smallest balance first
—
months to debt-free
- Total interest
- —
- Total paid
- —
- Debt-free by
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Paid off in this order
Interest saved by choosing avalanche
$0
Avalanche usually costs less in interest. Snowball can feel faster because small balances disappear sooner. Pick the one you’ll stick with.
For scale: the Federal Reserve’s G.19 release put the commercial-bank rate on credit card plans, all accounts, at 20.94% in May 2026 (FRED series TERMCBCCALLNS). More than 45% of families held a credit-card balance in 2022, with a median of $2,700 among those who did (Federal Reserve Board).
What the order actually changes
Both methods pay out the same total every month. Each payment covers interest first, then principal, so the only decision is which balance gets hit first. Whatever is left sitting on a balance keeps accruing interest, which is why the highest rate is worth targeting.
The gap is usually smaller than people expect. On the example above, the two orders differ by about $436 of interest and one month of time. That happens because the highest-rate debt is often also a small one. Credit cards carry the steepest rates most households pay, and the median card balance in 2022 was $2,700, well under a car loan or a student loan. When the highest rate and the smallest balance are the same debt, both methods attack it first and the results match. That is the same plan twice, not a stuck calculator.
The extra payment moves the total more than the order does. On the same example, raising the extra payment from $300 to $800 saves about $3,000 in interest and cuts 21 months off the payoff date. If you change one thing first, change this.
What this cannot tell you is whether you will still be making the payment in year two. A plan you quit costs more than a plan you finish, so pick the order you will not get bored of.
Frequently asked questions
What is the avalanche method?
Every extra dollar goes to the debt with the highest interest rate while minimums cover the rest. When the two methods disagree, this is the one that costs less, because interest keeps accruing on whatever balance is left sitting.
What is the snowball method?
Every extra dollar goes to the smallest balance first, so individual debts vanish sooner. That visible progress is why people call it faster even when the calendar says otherwise.
Which is better: avalanche or snowball?
If you will stick with it either way, avalanche saves more. If quick wins keep you going, snowball can beat it in practice, because a plan you abandon costs more than a slightly worse plan you finish. This calculator assumes both get finished.
Does extra payment matter more than the order?
Usually, yes. The order decides which balance gets hit first; the size of the payment decides how fast you get out. On the example above, raising the extra payment from $300 to $800 saves about $3,000 and cuts 21 months off, which is far more than switching between avalanche and snowball ever moves. Change the total before you argue about the order.
How does this debt payoff calculator work?
Enter each debt’s balance, rate, and minimum, plus whatever extra you can pay each month. Both methods spend the same total every month and cover interest first, so the only difference is which balance gets the extra. The calculator runs both orders to debt-free and shows months, total interest, and your payoff date side by side. Nothing leaves your browser.
Do you store my debt information?
Nothing is sent to us. The math runs in your browser, and your entries are kept in this browser’s local storage so the page is still filled in when you come back. The Reset button clears them.