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New calculator · 2026 planning edition

Debt snowball vs avalanche payoff calculator

Enter up to three debts and see how the same monthly budget behaves when focused on smallest balance versus highest interest rate.

Your inputs

Enter 0 if you only have two debts.
Total fixed budget = all minimums + this extra. Unused minimum payments carry over.
How do the two methods differ?

Both keep your total monthly budget fixed and roll freed minimum payments forward. Snowball directs extra cash to the smallest balance; avalanche targets the highest APR. This model recalculates the target each month.

Your estimate

Estimated value

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Result details, breakdown & comparisons

Calculation breakdown

Fixed rates, no new borrowing or fees, and the same monthly budget for both methods.

What this result includes—and excludes

    The numbers are editable planning scenarios and are not professional advice, quotes or eligibility decisions. No entered information is submitted to a server by this calculator.

    How the calculation works

    Apply APR/12 interest monthly to each outstanding balance. Pay each debt up to the entered minimum; allocate remaining fixed monthly budget by smallest outstanding balance (snowball) or highest APR (avalanche). As debts retire, freed budget rolls into remaining debts. Simulate month-by-month through payoff or throw an error if not fully repaid within 1,200 months. No new charges, rate changes, tax effects or fees.

    Understand the calculation

    Before relying on the scenario, read Snowball vs avalanche: a worked example for its assumptions, worked examples and official-source references.

    Your next money decision

    Explore a single-card payoff

    A credit-card estimate may help if you want to explore how a fixed payment affects one debt rather than comparing three.

    Explore the next tool or guide →

    Sources and further checking

    Source scope checked October 7, 2026. External material supports principles and published rules, not the calculator implementation or your project quotes.

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