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Debt payoff calculator: snowball vs avalanche

Snowball vs avalanche for all your debts: payoff order and dates, debt-free date, total interest and the savings against minimum payments.

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Your debts
Up to 10 debts.

On top of all the minimum payments.

Method

Your debt-free plan

Avalanche: debt-free in 2 years 6 months, total interest $3,570.77.

Debt-free in
2 years 6 months
Mar 2029
Total interest
$3,570.77
Avalanche
Interest saved
$4,186.94
Against minimums only
Paid each month
$845.00
Minimums + extra

Payoff order (Avalanche)

Payoff order, Avalanche
DebtBalanceAPRPaid offInterest
1. Store card$1,200.0026.99%Mar 2027$87.88
2. Visa card$6,500.0021.99%Sep 2028$1,789.95
3. Personal loan$4,000.0011.5%Dec 2028$684.73
4. Car loan$9,800.006.9%Mar 2029$1,008.21

Snowball, avalanche and minimum payments compared

Methods compared
MethodDebt-free inTotal interestFirst debt cleared
Avalanche2 years 6 months (Mar 2029)$3,570.77Month 6
Snowball2 years 7 months (Apr 2029)$3,906.43Month 6
Minimums only5 years 11 months (Aug 2032)$7,757.71Month 35

Avalanche costs $335.66 less interest than snowball.

Assumes fixed APRs, no new borrowing and the same total payment every month; interest is APR ÷ 12 on each balance, rounded to the cent. This is an estimate to help you plan, not financial advice: lenders, card issuers and investments set their own terms, fees and rounding. Everything is calculated in your browser; nothing you type is sent anywhere.

How it works

This debt payoff calculator builds a plan for all your debts at once. List each card and loan with its balance, APR and minimum payment, add what extra you can pay each month, and it works out the debt snowball (smallest balance first) and the debt avalanche (highest interest rate first) side by side: the order the debts are cleared, the month each one is gone, your debt-free date and the total interest. With the example debts and $200 extra a month, the avalanche is done in 2 years 6 months with $3,570.77 of interest, against $7,757.71 paying only the minimums.

Both methods keep your total monthly payment the same: when a debt is paid off, its minimum rolls over to the next one. That rollover is what makes them work.

Every figure here is an estimate to help you plan, not financial advice: lenders, card issuers and investments set their own terms, fees and rounding. It assumes fixed rates and no new borrowing.

How the snowball and avalanche plans are calculated

Every month each debt is charged interest (balance × APR ÷ 12, rounded to the cent). Your monthly budget is the sum of all the minimums plus the extra amount. Each debt receives its minimum, and everything left over goes to the first debt in the payoff order; when that debt is cleared, the rest of the month’s money goes to the next one. The budget never falls, so each cleared minimum rolls over.

  • Avalanche: highest APR first. It almost always costs the least interest because the most expensive money is repaid first.
  • Snowball: smallest balance first. It usually costs a little more, but you clear whole debts sooner, which many people find easier to stick with.
  • Minimums only: each debt paid its own minimum with no extra and no rollover, for comparison.

Snowball vs avalanche: a worked example

Four debts: a $1,200 store card at 26.99% ($40 minimum), a $6,500 Visa at 21.99% ($165), a $9,800 car loan at 6.9% ($310) and a $4,000 personal loan at 11.5% ($130), with $200 a month extra ($845 in total).

Avalanche order: Store card, then Visa card, then Personal loan, then Car loan. Snowball order: Store card, then Personal loan, then Visa card, then Car loan.

Snowball vs avalanche for the example debts (USD)
MethodDebt-free inTotal interestFirst debt cleared
Avalanche2 years 6 months$3,570.77Month 6
Snowball2 years 7 months$3,906.43Month 6
Minimums only5 years 11 months$7,757.71Month 35

What an extra payment does

The same four debts with the avalanche method and different extra amounts:

Effect of the extra monthly payment on the example debts (avalanche, USD)
Extra each monthDebt-free inTotal interest
$03 years 8 months$6,520.00
$1003 years$4,586.71
$2002 years 6 months$3,570.77
$5001 year 9 months$2,262.05
$1,0001 year 2 months$1,464.14

Even with no extra money, rolling each cleared minimum into the next debt ends the debts sooner than paying the minimums separately.

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How to use it

  1. Add each debt with its balance, APR and minimum monthly payment (up to 10).
  2. Enter the extra amount you can pay each month on top of all the minimums.
  3. Switch between Avalanche and Snowball to see each payoff order, the month each debt is cleared and the total interest.
  4. Compare both with paying only the minimums, then download the month-by-month balances as CSV.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between the debt snowball and the debt avalanche?

Both pay the minimum on every debt and put all extra money on one target. The snowball targets the smallest balance first; the avalanche targets the highest interest rate first. The avalanche costs less interest; the snowball gives quicker wins. This calculator shows both for your debts.

Which is better, snowball or avalanche?

Mathematically the avalanche, because it removes the most expensive debt first. In practice the best method is the one you keep going with; if the difference in interest is small for your debts, the snowball’s early wins may be worth it.

What does "rollover" mean?

When a debt is paid off, its minimum payment is not spent elsewhere but added to the next debt in the order. Your total monthly payment stays the same until everything is paid, which is what speeds both methods up.

Should I include my mortgage?

Usually not. Snowball and avalanche plans are for consumer debt such as credit cards, personal and car loans. A mortgage has a much lower rate and a long term; use the mortgage calculator to see the effect of overpaying it.

What if a minimum payment does not cover the interest?

Then that debt grows while you pay only the minimum, and the "minimums only" line says it never ends. The plans still work as long as your total payment is more than the total monthly interest; otherwise the calculator asks for a higher payment.

Are the payoff dates exact?

They assume the first payment next month, fixed APRs, no new charges and interest of APR ÷ 12 each month. Real statements vary by a few cents to a few dollars, and promotional rates or fees change the picture.

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