Debt Payoff Calculator (Avalanche vs Snowball)
Compare two real repayment orders on your own balances.
Your inputs
Change any value — everything below recalculates immediately in this tab.
| Name | Balance ($) | APR (%) | Minimum ($) | Remove |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Example rows are editable. Balances and minimums are what you enter, not data from any lender.
Payoff order
| Debt | Starting | APR | Cleared |
|---|---|---|---|
| Credit card | $2,400.00 | 19.9% | Month 18 |
| Car loan | $3,100.00 | 4.9% | Month 28 |
| Student loan | $5,200.00 | 6.5% | Month 41 |
First 12 months
| Month | Interest | Remaining |
|---|---|---|
| Month 1 | $80.63 | $10,410.63 |
| Month 2 | $77.86 | $10,118.48 |
| Month 3 | $75.06 | $9,823.54 |
| Month 4 | $72.21 | $9,525.75 |
| Month 5 | $69.34 | $9,225.09 |
| Month 6 | $66.42 | $8,921.51 |
| Month 7 | $63.46 | $8,614.97 |
| Month 8 | $60.47 | $8,305.44 |
| Month 9 | $57.43 | $7,992.88 |
| Month 10 | $54.36 | $7,677.23 |
| Month 11 | $51.24 | $7,358.47 |
| Month 12 | $48.08 | $7,036.55 |
Method
- Interest accrues monthly at APR ÷ 12 before payments are applied.
- Minimum payments go to every balance first; only the leftover extra goes to the chosen target.
- Avalanche targets the highest APR, which minimises total interest.
How this tool works
- Interest accrues monthly at APR ÷ 12 before payments are applied; no compounding within a month.
- Minimum payments go to every open balance first, then all remaining extra money goes to one target debt.
- Avalanche targets the highest APR, snowball the smallest remaining balance. Both stop at 600 months.
- Example rows are editable sample values, not data from any lender.
Read the full guides
The step-by-step guides behind this tool, from the Howcompass library.
Questions & answers
Which strategy is cheaper?
Avalanche usually produces less total interest because it clears the highest APR first. Change the strategy selector and compare the 'Total interest' figure on your own numbers.
Why does my payoff date say 600+?
When the monthly payment does not cover the interest being added, the balance cannot clear. The tool stops the simulation rather than inventing a date.
Are fees and variable rates included?
No. The model uses the fixed APR and minimums you entered. Fees, promotional rates and payment holidays are not modelled.
Privacy & limits
Your balances stay in this browser tab. Nothing is uploaded.
Arithmetic only. Lenders use different day-count and fee rules, and this is not debt or financial advice.
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