Debt avalanche calculator
The answer
Paying the highest rate first (avalanche), 3 debts totalling $8,050.00 are paid off in 3 yr — around Oct 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.
Assumptions
- 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.
Method comparison
| Method | Term | Debt-free | Total interest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Avalanche | 3 yr | Oct 2029 | $3,085.61 |
| Snowball | 3 yr 1 mo | Nov 2029 | $3,432.90 |
On these numbers avalanche costs $347.29 less in interest, and finishes 1 month sooner.
Month by month
What is left at the end of each month, after that month's payment — from the same engine run as the answer above.
| Month | Date | Medical bill | Credit card | Store card | Total owed | Paid off |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | Oct 2026 | $750.00 | $5,200.00 | $2,100.00 | $8,050.00 | |
| 1 | Nov 2026 | $725.00 | $5,173.96 | $1,990.73 | $7,889.69 | |
| 2 | Dec 2026 | $700.00 | $5,147.39 | $1,878.83 | $7,726.22 | |
| 3 | Jan 2027 | $675.00 | $5,120.30 | $1,764.21 | $7,559.51 | |
| 4 | Feb 2027 | $650.00 | $5,092.66 | $1,646.84 | $7,389.50 | |
| 5 | Mar 2027 | $625.00 | $5,064.47 | $1,526.62 | $7,216.09 | |
| 6 | Apr 2027 | $600.00 | $5,035.72 | $1,403.50 | $7,039.22 | |
| 7 | May 2027 | $575.00 | $5,006.39 | $1,277.41 | $6,858.80 | |
| 8 | Jun 2027 | $550.00 | $4,976.48 | $1,148.27 | $6,674.75 | |
| 9 | Jul 2027 | $525.00 | $4,945.97 | $1,016.01 | $6,486.98 | |
| 10 | Aug 2027 | $500.00 | $4,914.84 | $880.55 | $6,295.39 | |
| 11 | Sep 2027 | $475.00 | $4,883.10 | $741.82 | $6,099.92 | |
| 12 | Oct 2027 | $450.00 | $4,850.72 | $599.75 | $5,900.47 |
Show the full schedule — all 3 years
| Month | Date | Medical bill | Credit card | Store card | Total owed | Paid off |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Start | Oct 2026 | $750.00 | $5,200.00 | $2,100.00 | $8,050.00 | |
| 1 | Nov 2026 | $725.00 | $5,173.96 | $1,990.73 | $7,889.69 | |
| 2 | Dec 2026 | $700.00 | $5,147.39 | $1,878.83 | $7,726.22 | |
| 3 | Jan 2027 | $675.00 | $5,120.30 | $1,764.21 | $7,559.51 | |
| 4 | Feb 2027 | $650.00 | $5,092.66 | $1,646.84 | $7,389.50 | |
| 5 | Mar 2027 | $625.00 | $5,064.47 | $1,526.62 | $7,216.09 | |
| 6 | Apr 2027 | $600.00 | $5,035.72 | $1,403.50 | $7,039.22 | |
| 7 | May 2027 | $575.00 | $5,006.39 | $1,277.41 | $6,858.80 | |
| 8 | Jun 2027 | $550.00 | $4,976.48 | $1,148.27 | $6,674.75 | |
| 9 | Jul 2027 | $525.00 | $4,945.97 | $1,016.01 | $6,486.98 | |
| 10 | Aug 2027 | $500.00 | $4,914.84 | $880.55 | $6,295.39 | |
| 11 | Sep 2027 | $475.00 | $4,883.10 | $741.82 | $6,099.92 | |
| 12 | Oct 2027 | $450.00 | $4,850.72 | $599.75 | $5,900.47 | |
| 13 | Nov 2027 | $425.00 | $4,817.69 | $454.23 | $5,696.92 | |
| 14 | Dec 2027 | $400.00 | $4,784.01 | $305.21 | $5,489.22 | |
| 15 | Jan 2028 | $375.00 | $4,749.65 | $152.58 | $5,277.23 | |
| 16 | Feb 2028 | $350.00 | $4,710.87 | $0.00 | $5,060.87 | Store card paid off |
| 17 | Mar 2028 | $325.00 | $4,515.05 | $0.00 | $4,840.05 | |
| 18 | Apr 2028 | $300.00 | $4,315.31 | $0.00 | $4,615.31 | |
| 19 | May 2028 | $275.00 | $4,111.58 | $0.00 | $4,386.58 | |
| 20 | Jun 2028 | $250.00 | $3,903.78 | $0.00 | $4,153.78 | |
| 21 | Jul 2028 | $225.00 | $3,691.82 | $0.00 | $3,916.82 | |
| 22 | Aug 2028 | $200.00 | $3,475.63 | $0.00 | $3,675.63 | |
| 23 | Sep 2028 | $175.00 | $3,255.11 | $0.00 | $3,430.11 | |
| 24 | Oct 2028 | $150.00 | $3,030.19 | $0.00 | $3,180.19 | |
| 25 | Nov 2028 | $125.00 | $2,800.76 | $0.00 | $2,925.76 | |
| 26 | Dec 2028 | $100.00 | $2,566.76 | $0.00 | $2,666.76 | |
| 27 | Jan 2029 | $75.00 | $2,328.07 | $0.00 | $2,403.07 | |
| 28 | Feb 2029 | $50.00 | $2,084.61 | $0.00 | $2,134.61 | |
| 29 | Mar 2029 | $25.00 | $1,836.29 | $0.00 | $1,861.29 | |
| 30 | Apr 2029 | $0.00 | $1,583.00 | $0.00 | $1,583.00 | Medical bill paid off |
| 31 | May 2029 | $0.00 | $1,299.64 | $0.00 | $1,299.64 | |
| 32 | Jun 2029 | $0.00 | $1,010.63 | $0.00 | $1,010.63 | |
| 33 | Jul 2029 | $0.00 | $715.83 | $0.00 | $715.83 | |
| 34 | Aug 2029 | $0.00 | $415.14 | $0.00 | $415.14 | |
| 35 | Sep 2029 | $0.00 | $108.44 | $0.00 | $108.44 | |
| 36 | Oct 2029 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | Credit card paid off |
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.
Questions about this calculator
What if several debts share the same rate?
The smaller balance goes ahead, and after that the order you entered them in. The ranking is recomputed every month.
Does a debt that charges no interest still get paid?
Yes. Every debt is paid its minimum each month whatever its rate. A debt with no interest simply sits at the back of the avalanche and receives extra money only once every dearer debt is gone.
Does avalanche also finish sooner?
Not necessarily. Its date can match snowball's or differ from it, so the comparison table under the answer prints both methods' dates and interest totals for your debts rather than assuming.
How much difference does paying extra make?
Use the chips or the slider: the answer, the chart and the schedule recompute for every amount, and the line under the chart says what a further step would change.
From our research
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 October 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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