Debt avalanche calculator
The answer
3 debts totalling $8,050.00 are paid off in 3 yr — around Sep 2029 — with $3,085.61 in interest.
Of the first $315.00, $154.69 is interest and $160.31 comes off what you owe.
On these numbers avalanche costs $347.29 less in interest, and finishes 1 month sooner.
- Total interest
- $3,085.61
- Total paid
- $11,135.61
An estimate from the inputs shown, not a promise of a particular date. How we calculate this.
The avalanche method pays every minimum, then puts everything left over onto the debt with the highest interest rate. It is the order that costs the least interest.
Switch to snowball to see the same debts attacked by balance, and what that choice costs.
Your debts
Medical bill
Credit card
Store card
Rates are re-ranked every month, so a promotional rate ending mid-plan is not modelled — enter the rate you actually expect to pay.
Estimated result
3 yr
Estimated debt-free date Sep 2029
Total interest
$3,085.61Total paid
$11,135.61Assumptions
- Interest accrues once a month, before that month's payment.
- The APR stays at the rates entered for the whole term.
- No new spending, fees, penalty rate or promotional rate.
- You pay every minimum, plus the extra in full, on time, every month.
A 7-day free trial, then $2.99 a month. No bank login, ever.
Method comparison
| Method | Term | Debt-free | Total interest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avalanche | 3 yr | Sep 2029 | $3,085.61 |
| Snowball | 3 yr 1 mo | Oct 2029 | $3,432.90 |
On these numbers avalanche costs $347.29 less in interest, and finishes 1 month sooner.
Why it is the cheaper order
Interest is charged per debt, at that debt's rate. A dollar sent to your highest-rate debt removes more future interest than the same dollar sent anywhere else, every month, for the rest of the plan. That is the entire argument, and it holds regardless of balance sizes.
What it does not do is finish a debt quickly when your highest rate happens to sit on your largest balance. That is the trade snowball makes.
Related
Reviewed 2026-09-17. Every figure on this page is produced by the same payoff engine the Dang! Payoff app runs, from the inputs shown, and is an estimate that holds only if the stated assumptions hold. The dates printed here were computed from a plan starting September 2026; the calculator re-anchors to the current month in your browser, so a date you read with JavaScript disabled is the one for that starting month rather than for today.
Dang! Payoff is a manual-entry debt payoff planner and tracker from Dang Apps LLC. It is not a lender, credit counselling agency, debt-relief, debt-management or debt-settlement service, and nothing here is financial, legal or tax advice or a recommendation about your situation. Your issuer’s or lender’s own terms govern your account.
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