Debt Avalanche Calculator

Pay off the highest-interest debt first to minimize total interest, then keep rolling freed-up payments into the next most expensive balance.

Avalanche is the math-first strategy. It usually wins on total cost, but it can feel slower early because the first debt to disappear is not always the smallest one.

Interactive scenario

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How to use the avalanche calculator

Enter each debt with its balance, APR, and minimum payment.
Add any extra amount you can throw at the debt stack every month.
Review total interest and payoff timing, then compare the same scenario against snowball.
Look for low-payment warnings before trusting the modeled result.

Methodology

The calculator applies monthly interest, covers minimum payments, then sends any remaining budget to the debt with the highest APR. When that balance disappears, the payment rolls into the next highest-rate debt.

This is usually the most efficient payoff strategy on paper. The tradeoff is behavioral: it can take longer to feel progress if the expensive debt is not the smallest one.

FAQ

Does avalanche always beat snowball?

It should not cost more interest in a consistent model, but payoff timing can tie and odd inputs can create edge cases worth checking.

Why not always choose avalanche?

Because the cheapest plan is not always the one a real person can stick with month after month. Behavior matters.

Disclaimer

These results are modeled estimates based on the assumptions shown here. They are useful for comparison and planning, not personal financial advice.