Credit Card Payoff Calculator
See how long a card takes to clear, or what payment hits your payoff goal.
Payment Schedule
| Month | Interest | Principal | Balance |
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Credit card interest compounds on the balance you carry, so the payment you choose has a big effect on how long the debt lasts and how much it costs. This calculator works two ways: tell it your monthly payment and it shows how long the card takes to clear, or tell it a target number of months and it shows the payment you'd need. Either way you get the total interest, the payoff time, and a month-by-month breakdown. It all runs in your browser.
Two ways to plan a payoff
In fixed-payment mode, the calculator applies your chosen payment each month: it charges interest at the monthly rate (APR ÷ 12), subtracts that from your payment, and puts the rest toward the balance, repeating until the card is clear. In target-date mode, it works backwards from the number of months you want, using the standard payment formula to find the required amount:
Payment = B × r × (1 + r)ⁿ ÷ [(1 + r)ⁿ − 1]
Here B is the balance, r is the monthly rate, and n is the number of months. The amortisation table shows the first year and then every sixth month, so you can watch interest give way to principal.
The minimum-payment trap
If your monthly payment is less than or equal to the interest charged that month, the balance never falls — the calculator flags this and shows the minimum interest you'd need to cover just to break even. That's the core danger of paying only the minimum on a high-APR card: most of the money goes to interest and the debt barely moves. Raising the payment even modestly can cut both the payoff time and the total interest sharply, which is exactly the trade-off this tool is built to reveal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the calculator warn that I'll never pay it off?
Because your monthly payment is at or below the interest charged each month. When that happens the balance stays flat or grows, so it can never reach zero. Increasing the payment above the monthly interest fixes it.
What's the difference between the two modes?
Fixed-payment mode starts from what you can pay and tells you how long it takes. Target-date mode starts from when you want to be debt-free and tells you the payment required to get there.
Does it assume my APR stays the same?
Yes. It uses one fixed APR throughout and assumes no new spending on the card. Real cards can change rates and adding purchases will extend the payoff, so treat the result as a plan for the current balance.
Is my data saved?
No. Everything is calculated in your browser and nothing you enter is uploaded or stored.