Free debt calculators that tell you the truth — including when consolidation isn't the right move. Payoff plans, avalanche vs snowball, balance transfer analysis, and an honest consolidation risk assessment.
Built and maintained by the Rytell personal-finance team, drawing on years of hands-on consumer-debt budgeting and payoff experience. Our calculations use standard amortization math and figures from authoritative sources including the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and the Federal Reserve. See our About page for who's behind this tool.
💳 Credit card payoff calculator
Enter your balance, APR, and monthly payment — or your target payoff date — to see exactly when you'll be debt free and how much interest you'll pay.
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Your debt-free date
What if I pay $0 extra per month?Drag to see impact
📅 Amortization schedule
Month-by-month balance breakdown — first 12 months shown. Your balance reduces slowly at first because most of each payment goes to interest.
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Interest
Balance
🃏 Multi-card debt payoff — avalanche vs snowball
Enter all your credit cards and a total monthly budget. The calculator shows which method — avalanche (highest APR first) or snowball (lowest balance first) — saves you more money, and gives you the exact payoff order for each.
Card nameBalanceAPR %Min. payment
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📊 Method comparison
🔄 Balance transfer break-even calculator
A 0% balance transfer card sounds great — but transfer fees and the risk of not paying off in time can eliminate your savings. This calculator finds your exact break-even point.
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📊 Transfer vs keep current card
🏦 Consolidation loan analyzer
Most consolidation calculators are built by lenders to make consolidation look attractive. This one gives you the honest math — including when consolidation isn't the right choice.
Your current debts
Proposed consolidation loan
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Risk assessment inputs
⚠️ Risk assessment
📊 Total cost comparison
📉 The minimum payment trap
Minimum payments are designed to maximize interest revenue for card issuers — not to help you get out of debt. See exactly how long it takes and how much it costs to pay only the minimum.
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📉 Minimum payment vs accelerated payoff
💡 How minimum payments work
🏦 What the card issuer wants
Card issuers set minimum payments at 1–3% of your balance — just enough to avoid default, but low enough to maximize the interest you pay over time. The longer you carry the balance, the more they earn.
📉 The declining minimum trap
As your balance decreases, your minimum payment decreases too — which means an ever-smaller portion goes to principal. This is why minimum-only payoff takes decades even on moderate balances.
⚡ The $25 rule
Paying just $25 more than the minimum each month can cut years off your payoff timeline. The earlier in your payoff journey you make extra payments, the more interest you avoid — because you're reducing the principal that future interest is calculated on.
📋 Your statement disclosure
Since 2010, the CARD Act requires card issuers to show on every statement how long it will take to pay off your balance paying only the minimum, and what payment would pay it off in 3 years. Check your statement — it's required by law.