Enter your debts and how much extra you can pay each month. You’ll see both payoff methods side by side: how long each takes, what each costs in interest, and the order your debts get paid off.
Avalanche costs $466 less in interest and finishes 1 month sooner. Snowball pays off its first debt in month 4, versus month 17 for avalanche.
Snowball
Smallest balance first
- Debt-free in
- 2 years 3 months
- Total interest
- $3,707
Payoff order: Medical bill, Store card, Visa card, Personal loan
Avalanche Less interest
Highest interest rate first
- Debt-free in
- 2 years 2 months
- Total interest
- $3,241
Payoff order: Visa card, Store card, Medical bill, Personal loan
- Snowball
- Avalanche
- Minimums only
Paying only the minimums, you'd still owe $6,269 after 3 years.
Show these numbers as a table
| When | Snowball | Avalanche | Minimums only |
|---|---|---|---|
| Now | $18,300 | $18,300 | $18,300 |
| Month 6 | $14,678 | $14,595 | $16,491 |
| Month 12 | $10,775 | $10,533 | $14,576 |
| Month 18 | $6,465 | $6,076 | $12,545 |
| Month 24 | $1,702 | $1,245 | $10,391 |
| Month 30 | $0 | $0 | $8,402 |
| Month 36 | $0 | $0 | $6,269 |
For the full picture, including your budget and which way out of debt fits, run the Debt Audit.
Estimates based on the numbers you entered. Not financial advice. How the math works.
How it works
Both methods pay every minimum each month, then put all the extra money toward one target debt. When that debt is paid off, its minimum payment rolls to the next target, so the amount going to debt stays the same while each payoff speeds up the next. The only difference is the order:
- Snowball: smallest balance first.
- Avalanche: highest interest rate first.
The calculator runs both month by month and charts your total balance over time, alongside what happens if you keep paying only the minimums.
A worked example
The example uses 4 debts totaling $18,300, with $545 in minimum payments, plus $300 extra a month, for $845 a month in total.
- Snowball targets the smallest balance first. Debts are paid off in this order: Medical bill (month 4), Store card (month 10), Visa card (month 22), Personal loan (month 27). Debt-free in 2 years 3 months, with $3,707 in interest.
- Avalanche targets the highest rate first. Debts are paid off in this order: Visa card (month 17), Store card (month 21), Medical bill (month 24), Personal loan (month 26). Debt-free in 2 years 2 months, with $3,241 in interest.
- The difference: avalanche saves $466. Snowball clears its first debt in month 4, compared with month 17 for avalanche.
Which one should you choose?
Avalanche usually costs less, because it cuts the most expensive interest first. Snowball’s advantage is psychological. Research on real repayment behavior has found that paying off whole accounts helps people stay motivated to get out of debt.[1][2] When the interest difference is small, the order you’ll stick with matters more than the order that’s cheapest on paper.
Is paying it off yourself the right path?
The Debt Audit adds your income and expenses, grades your situation, and shows whether a do-it-yourself plan, consolidation or credit counseling fits your numbers. It takes about five minutes, and nothing you enter is stored or sent.
Run the Debt AuditFrequently asked questions
Is the snowball or avalanche method faster?
Avalanche usually finishes at the same time or a little sooner and costs less interest, because less interest builds up along the way. The gap depends on how different your rates are. Enter your debts above to see it for your numbers.
How much extra should I put toward debt each month?
Whatever your budget can reliably cover after bills and minimums. Even a small amount helps, because it grows as each debt is paid off and its payment rolls to the next. Try different amounts above to see the effect.
What if my minimum payment doesn’t cover the interest?
Then that balance won’t shrink at the minimum, and the plan may not finish at all without more money going to debt. The Debt Audit flags any debt like this.
Should I include my mortgage or car loan?
Include the debts you want to pay off. Many people leave a mortgage out and focus on higher-rate debts like credit cards.
Sources
- Can Small Victories Help Win the War? Evidence from Consumer Debt Management. Gal, D. and McShane, B., Journal of Marketing Research.
- Repayment Concentration and Consumer Motivation to Get Out of Debt. Kettle, K., Trudel, R., Blanchard, S. and Häubl, G., Journal of Consumer Research.