Financial Disclaimer

DebtSnowball.org is an educational debt-payoff planning site. It is not a lender, credit counselor, law firm, tax adviser, investment adviser, credit reporting agency, student-loan servicer, or government agency.

Estimates are not lender quotes

The calculator models debt using the balances, APRs, minimum payments, and extra monthly payment you enter. It uses simplified assumptions to compare minimum-payment, Snowball, and Avalanche scenarios. Actual balances and payoff dates can differ because of daily or variable interest, statement cycles, fees, promotional terms, changes in required minimums, skipped or late payments, new charges, rounding, and lender-specific rules.

Snowball recommendation

DebtSnowball.org generally recommends the Debt Snowball because earlier account closures and visible milestones may make a payoff plan easier for some people to sustain. Debt Avalanche generally minimizes modeled interest when the same monthly debt budget is used. Our recommendation reflects a behavioral preference, not a guarantee that Snowball will produce a better outcome for every person.

Credit scores

The site does not predict how a payoff action will change your credit score. Credit scores depend on the information in your credit reports, the scoring model, and other factors outside the calculator.

Program, legal, and tax consequences

Some debts require specialized analysis before applying a generic payoff order. Federal student loans can have repayment, consolidation, discharge, or forgiveness rules. Tax debt, collection accounts, bankruptcy-related obligations, mortgages, home-equity products, and other secured debts can carry legal, tax, program, or collateral consequences. Use current authoritative sources or qualified professional advice for those questions.

Use the calculator as a planning aid

The most appropriate use of DebtSnowball.org is to compare payoff-order assumptions with your own numbers, understand the estimated tradeoff, and then verify important account-specific decisions against your lender, servicer, official program information, or professional adviser as appropriate.