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Debt Avalanche Calculator

The avalanche: clear the highest rate first, then roll its payment into the next. It is mathematically optimal and always costs the least interest of any ordering.

Also called: avalanche method, highest interest first.

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Months to clear everything
28

28 months and ₹74,220 of interest, clearing debts in this order: Debt 1, Debt 3, Debt 2. Highest rate first, which is the cheapest possible ordering of these payments.

Total interest
₹74,220
Total paid
₹4,24,220
Order cleared
Debt 1, Debt 3, Debt 2
Minimum payments a month
₹10,500
Total you pay a month
₹15,500
About this strategy
Highest rate first, which is the cheapest possible ordering of these payments.

An estimate, not an offer or a guarantee. Projected returns assume the rate you entered holds for the whole term, which no market does.

Method and background

This is what the calculation gives for the numbers you entered. It is an estimate, not advice, and it knows nothing about your situation beyond those numbers. Rules for India change on a published schedule; the effective date is shown on every rule-based tool.

How this is calculated

Every debt gets its minimum, and everything spare goes to the highest rate. When it clears, its whole payment rolls onto the next highest. This minimises total interest by definition, because every spare rupee is always attacking the most expensive money. The cost is that a large high-rate debt can take a long time to clear, with no visible win in the meantime.

pay minimums on everything, then throw everything spare at the highest rate
B
Balance on each debt (currency)
r
Rate on each debt (decimal)

Worked examples

Each of these is asserted on every build. If a change to the engine ever moved one of these answers, the build would fail before the page could print it.

three debts with a spare five thousand

Debt 1: balance
₹50,000
Debt 1: rate
36%
Debt 1: minimum payment
₹2,500
Debt 2: balance
₹2,00,000
Debt 2: rate
14%
Debt 2: minimum payment
₹5,000
Debt 3: balance
₹1,00,000
Debt 3: rate
22%
Debt 3: minimum payment
₹3,000
Extra you can pay each month
₹5,000

Months to clear everything28

arithmetic identity on the budget

Open this example

a single debt clears in order

Debt 1: balance
₹50,000
Debt 1: rate
36%
Debt 1: minimum payment
₹2,500
Debt 2: balance
₹0
Debt 2: rate
14%
Debt 2: minimum payment
₹0
Debt 3: balance
₹0
Debt 3: rate
22%
Debt 3: minimum payment
₹0
Extra you can pay each month
₹5,000

Months to clear everything8

boundary

Open this example

Method and limits

What it assumes

  • Fixed rates and minimum payments, with no new borrowing.

What it deliberately does not model

  • It does not model minimum payments that fall as balances fall, which most cards apply.
  • Fees and penalties are excluded.

Formula version 1.0.0 · definition 1.0.0 · India · Report a problem with this calculator

Frequently asked questions

Is the avalanche always cheapest?
Yes, by construction. No other ordering of the same payments produces less interest, because spare money always attacks the most expensive debt first.