Debt and credit · Calculator

Debt payoff
calculator.

Compare avalanche vs snowball vs investing your extra payments. Find the break-even APRAnnual Percentage Rate (APR)The yearly cost of borrowing money, shown as a percentage.Full definition where paying debt beats investing, and see 10-year net worthnet worthEverything you own (assets) minus everything you owe (debts). The most comprehensive measure of financial health.Full definition projections for each strategy.

The question it answersShould I use debt avalanche, snowball, or invest my extra payments?

Privacy: runs in your browser. What you enter stays on your device.

Looking for something close? Debt vs Invest Calculator: one debt: is its after-tax rate above or below your expected return? Credit Card Payoff Calculator: one card: how long the minimum payment takes and what an extra payment saves.

Your debts
// The honest answer

Debts above 7–8% APR always get paid first. Below that, investing wins mathematically, but the psychological benefit of being debt-free is real. Pick the strategy you will stick with.

What this tool assumes
  • Interest accrues monthly at the APR divided by 12.
  • Minimum payment is assumed fixed (not a recalculated percentage).
  • Avalanche orders by highest APR first; snowball orders by smallest balance first.
  • All three scenarios spend the same total each month: once a debt is paid off, its minimum payment rolls into the next debt (or into investing).
  • Extra payments split proportionally across debts only in custom mode.

Projection, not a promise. The result follows the assumptions you enter. Real results will differ, sometimes by a lot.

The same $550 a month, rerouted as each debt is paid off
Avalanche or snowball: same order at the defaults
Both debts owedextra $200 goes to the card
Card $300Car $250
Card paid offits $300 rolls to the car
Car $550
Both paid offeverything is invested
Invested $550
Invest instead
Both debts owedcard and car get minimums
$100Car $250Invested $200
Car paid offcard still gets $100
$100Invested $450
$0$550 a month
Target debt: minimum plus every spare dollarMinimum payment onlyInvested
Avalanche pays the highest APR first; snowball, the smallest balance. At the defaults the card is both (22% vs 6% APR; $5,000 vs $12,000 balance).
At the default inputs every scenario spends the same $550 a month: the $100 card minimum, the $250 car minimum and the $200 extra. Avalanche and snowball clear the card, then the car, then invest; Invest instead sends the $200 to investing from the start and adds the car's $250 when the car is paid off.

Projections are hypothetical. Not financial advice.

HOW THIS IS CALCULATED

This tool runs entirely in your browser: no data is sent to any server. The assumptions and default values behind the result are listed under “What this tool assumes” on this page. Verify the methodology or inspect the source code in your browser's dev tools.

Where to go from here

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Calculators are educational estimates, not financial advice. Disclosures · How pages are reviewed