D&B

Debt avalanche calculator

Debt-free date — avalanche, $10,100 across 3 debts, $150.00/month extraworked example

July 1, 2029

Time to zero
2 yr 11 mo
Total interest
$3,352.13
First debt cleared (Store card)
January 1, 2027
Snowball order instead
$3,352.13 interest0 months — same timeline

Paying every minimum plus $150.00 a month, in avalanche order, clears all 3 debts by July 1, 2029 with $3,352.13 of total interest. When a debt clears, its minimum rolls into the next one — the budget never shrinks, which is the entire method.

Payoff order
Highest APR first — the least total interest.

One-time extras ("snowflakes")

A tax refund in month 3: "3, 800". Life happens too: a negative amount eats that month's extra — never your minimums.

The balance, month by month

Payoff order

  1. 1. Store cardJanuary 1, 2027 · $57.68 interest
  2. 2. VisaMarch 1, 2028 · $727.29 interest
  3. 3. MastercardJuly 1, 2029 · $2,567.16 interest
Month-by-month table (35 rows)
MonthFocusBalance
Sep 2026Store card$9,887.92
Oct 2026Store card$9,670.88
Nov 2026Store card$9,448.76
Dec 2026Store card$9,221.45
Jan 2027Store card$8,988.83
Feb 2027Visa$8,751.16
Mar 2027Visa$8,509.01
Apr 2027Visa$8,262.30
May 2027Visa$8,010.95
Jun 2027Visa$7,754.86
Jul 2027Visa$7,493.95
Aug 2027Visa$7,228.12
Sep 2027Visa$6,957.28
Oct 2027Visa$6,681.34
Nov 2027Visa$6,400.20
Dec 2027Visa$6,113.76
Jan 2028Visa$5,821.93
Feb 2028Visa$5,524.60
Mar 2028Mastercard$5,221.67
Apr 2028Mastercard$4,913.65
May 2028Mastercard$4,600.50
Jun 2028Mastercard$4,282.14
Jul 2028Mastercard$3,958.47
Aug 2028Mastercard$3,629.41
Sep 2028Mastercard$3,294.87
Oct 2028Mastercard$2,954.76
Nov 2028Mastercard$2,608.98
Dec 2028Mastercard$2,257.44
Jan 2029Mastercard$1,900.05
Feb 2029Mastercard$1,536.70
Mar 2029Mastercard$1,167.30
Apr 2029Mastercard$791.75
May 2029Mastercard$409.94
Jun 2029Mastercard$21.77
Jul 2029$0.00
Open my Debt-Free Date →Saved in your browser only — nothing is uploaded.

List your debts and see the avalanche plan month by month: minimums on everything, all extra at the highest APR, freed minimums rolling forward as each debt clears. You get a debt-free date, total interest, and a side-by-side against the snowball order for the same debts.

How to use this calculator

  1. 1

    List every debt, not just the worrying ones

    A plan that omits a debt produces a date that cannot happen. Include cards, store cards, personal and auto loans, and any medical payment plan with a required monthly amount. Enter accounts separately even when they share a bank — the order and the rolling both work per account.

  2. 2

    Use each debt's current minimum, not its usual payment

    The minimum is the contractual floor, and the plan's budget is built from those floors plus your extra. If you have been paying more than the minimum on one card, that difference belongs in the "extra per month" box instead, where the plan can direct it deliberately.

  3. 3

    Set an extra you can hold every month

    Even $0 works — the rollover alone beats minimum-only, because cleared minimums keep working. If you are unsure, run the plan at $0, then at $50, then at $150 and compare dates. The right extra is the largest one you will not resent in month seven.

  4. 4

    Watch the order, and the first cleared date

    The payoff order panel shows exactly which debt the plan attacks first and when it disappears. That first date is the snowball's whole argument: it is usually much sooner than people expect, and it is the moment the freed minimum joins the next target.

  5. 5

    Add a snowflake if you know one is coming

    A tax refund or a bonus in a specific month is a one-time extra — enter the month number and amount and the whole downstream schedule shifts. A hard month works the same way in reverse: a negative amount eats that month's extra, and never your contractual minimums.

  6. 6

    Save the plan, then check it monthly

    Saving puts the plan in your own browser and unlocks the Debt-Free Date page, which tells you on every visit whether your date moved closer or drifted. Plans that get checked are plans that hold; nothing is uploaded either way.

Everything you type here is computed in your browser. Nothing you enter is stored on a server, sent anywhere, or shared — there is no account, and your balances never leave your device.

Frequently asked questions

How does the debt avalanche method work?
You pay the minimum on every debt and direct every extra dollar at the debt with the highest APR. When it clears, its minimum rolls into the next-highest rate. The CFPB describes this as the highest-interest-rate method in its debt-reduction guidance; among constant-budget plans it is the order that minimizes total interest.
How much less interest does avalanche cost than snowball?
It depends entirely on your debts. When rates are similar across your accounts, the difference is often small; when a high-rate store card sits next to a low-rate loan, it can be substantial. This calculator computes both orders with your actual numbers and reports the exact gap in dollars and months, so you are not deciding on folklore.
Why would anyone pick snowball if avalanche is cheaper?
Because the first cleared balance arrives sooner under snowball, and some people keep going because of that early win. That is a real, legitimate consideration — plans only save money if you stay on them. This site shows the price of each order and leaves the choice where it belongs, with you.
What if two debts have the same APR?
The planner breaks APR ties by putting the smaller balance first, which clears an account sooner without changing the interest math. Input order breaks any remaining tie, and the payoff order shown in the results is always the order actually used.
Can I set my own payoff order instead?
Yes. The planner supports a custom order — drag the debts into the sequence you want and the same rolling-budget math applies. The comparison against snowball and avalanche stays visible, so you can see exactly what your custom order costs or saves against both.
How exact is the interest comparison?
Both orders are computed under the same stated convention — interest accrues monthly at APR divided by 12, rounded to cents after every step — so the difference between them is apples to apples. Issuers compound daily, so absolute totals can differ by a few dollars per debt; the gap between the two methods, which is what this page is for, is unaffected by that.

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