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CalculatorByState

Debt Payoff Tracker

$9.99

Eight debts on one page with both payoff orders ranked automatically, so you can see how different avalanche and snowball actually are on your own numbers — usually less than expected. Computes the balance-weighted average rate rather than a plain average of the rates, which is the figure a consolidation offer genuinely has to beat and the one that makes most of them look worse than the marketing does. Shows the interest accruing each month before a dollar of principal moves, ranks your own levers so you spend effort where it pays, and gives you a 24-month log plus the re-accumulation defences that decide whether the plan survives month five.

Format: Excel (.xlsx)

Look inside

Preview only — scroll to read it. The file you download is fully editable.

Read-only preview of the Debt Payoff worksheet
Debt Payoff Tracker
Every debt on one page, both payoff orders ranked for you, and a monthly log to record what actually happened. The order matters less than most people think and the monthly amount matters more — Part 4 shows you which of your own levers is worth the most.
Part 1 — The inventory
Read the balance and the RATE off your most recent statement, not from memory — a promotional rate that has expired and a penalty rate applied after a late payment are the two figures people most often get wrong, and both change the order below.
DebtBalanceAPR (%)Minimum paymentTypeAvalanche orderSnowball order
Store card115027.9935Revolvingƒxƒx
Card A840024.99210Revolvingƒxƒx
Card B320018.9980Revolvingƒxƒx
Personal loan580013.5185Instalmentƒxƒx
Car loan146009.5412Instalmentƒxƒx
000ƒxƒx
000ƒxƒx
000ƒxƒx
TOTALƒxƒxƒx<- balance-weighted average rate, NOT a plain average of the rates
Part 2 — The budget
Total of minimums — your floor1300Below this the balances grow. Nothing in a payoff plan is optional until this is covered.
Total you will put toward debt each month0One fixed number, held constant as balances fall. When a debt clears, its payment rolls into the next one — that is what makes the plan accelerate.
Amount above the minimumsƒxThe only variable that matters. Everything in Part 4 is measured against this.
Statusƒx
Interest accruing per month at today's balancesƒxWhat the debt costs you before a single dollar of principal moves. Watching this number fall is the most reliable sign the plan is working.
Part 3 — Which order
AVALANCHE pays the highest rate first and is mathematically optimal — it cannot be beaten on cost. SNOWBALL pays the smallest balance first, costs somewhat more, and clears individual debts sooner. The honest position is that the gap between them is usually smaller than the gap between either one an…
Order I am using (avalanche / snowball / hybrid)
Why — one line, so a bad month cannot re-open it
ONE EXCEPTION TO BOTH: a debt that is unusually toxic — a payday-type product, a rate that resets punitively, or a debt attached to a relationship you want out of — comes first regardless of order. No rule survives contact with a 300% APR.
Part 4 — What each lever is worth
Fill the first column from your own plan. The point of the table is the ranking, not the precision: for most people the largest single lever is a modest increase in the monthly amount, and the second is one phone call asking for a lower rate.
LeverWhat it would takeEffortWorth doing?
Add $50/monthRecurring
Add $100/monthRecurring
Ask for a lower rate on the largest balanceOne call
A balance transfer, fee includedApplication
A windfall applied in fullOne-off
Cancel subscriptions and redirectOne evening
Part 5 — The monthly log
Fifteen minutes, the same day each month. Record the total balance, confirm the payment went out as planned, and note anything that changed — a rate, a minimum, a new charge. The trend line is the point; a single month tells you nothing.
MonthTotal balancePaid this monthInterest chargedNotes
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

Preview shows the first 60 rows. The full worksheet continues for 33 more — the complete worksheet is in the download.

This template is general information, not financial, legal, or tax advice.