Debt Payoff Calculator
Snowball vs. avalanche, compared side by side.
This tool provides estimates for informational purposes only and is not financial or tax advice.
Above your combined minimum payments, applied to your priority debt
Snowball (smallest balance first)
Debt-free in
4 yrs 4 mo
Total interest paid
$4,846
Avalanche (highest interest first)
Debt-free in
4 yrs 4 mo
Total interest paid
$4,846
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How this calculator works
This calculator simulates paying off every debt you list, month by month, under two different strategies. Both strategies pay at least the minimum on every debt each month. The difference is where any extra monthly payment goes.
Snowball sends your extra payment to whichever debt has the smallest remaining balance, regardless of its interest rate. Avalanche sends it to whichever debt has the highest interest rate instead. In both strategies, once a debt is paid off, its minimum payment gets rolled into the extra payment pool - so your payoff power grows over time.
Interest accrues on every debt every month based on its own rate, which is why avalanche usually results in less total interest paid: it targets the balances that are costing you the most, first.