How the SaverSlate debt payoff planner works
The planner is one spreadsheet and one idea: if you know the month your last payment lands, every small extra payment has a destination. Here is everything happening under the hood.
The 5 inputs
You never touch the formulas. Everything you control lives on the Inputs tab, and there are exactly five of them:
- Your debt list. One row per debt: name, current balance, APR and minimum payment. Up to 12 rows — cards, loans, medical, buy-now-pay-later.
- Your extra per month. The amount you can pay beyond all minimums combined. This single number moves your debt-free date more than anything else.
- Your start month. Usually next month. The engine counts forward from it and prints calendar months, not abstract "periods".
- Your method. Snowball (smallest balance first) or avalanche (highest APR first). One dropdown; switch anytime.
- Your overrides. Flags for secured debts and 0% promo balances, including the promo end month.
How the monthly engine works
The engine is a loop that plays out one calendar month at a time, exactly the way statements arrive in real life:
Two details matter. Interest is added before the payment is applied — that's how cards actually bill you, and it's why minimum-only plans feel endless. And the rollover is automatic: when a debt dies, its minimum doesn't vanish; it joins the attack on the next debt, so your total monthly outlay stays flat while the pressure concentrates.
See your own debt-free month — free, about 4 minutes.
Get the plannerThe snowball vs avalanche rule
The only difference between the two methods is which debt gets the extra. Avalanche sorts by APR, highest first — mathematically it pays the least interest. Snowball sorts by balance, smallest first — it closes accounts sooner, which research links to better follow-through. Full breakdown with real numbers: debt snowball worked example.
Practical rule: if your highest-APR debt is also small, both methods agree — just go. If your highest APR sits on your biggest balance and you need wins to stay motivated, pick snowball. The planner lets you flip the dropdown and instantly compare the two dates and interest totals.
Secured and 0% overrides
Two situations break the normal ranking, and the planner handles both:
- Secured debts (car, anything with collateral): the risk isn't interest, it's repossession. If you flag a secured debt, the engine protects it — minimums always covered, and it warns you if a chosen order would leave it exposed late in the plan.
- 0% promo balances: interest is zero until the promo ends, then often jumps to 25%+. Enter the promo end month and the engine treats that debt as urgent in the final months of the promo, so you clear it before the rate flips.
Reading your result
The Plan tab answers four questions at a glance: When is my last payment? (debt-free date tile), What does this cost me? (total interest tile), How much do I save versus minimums? (interest-saved tile), and In what order do debts fall? (the payoff-month column and descending balance chart). Print the chart or screenshot it — watching the line drop month by month is half the psychology.
All numbers produced by the planner calculate from your own inputs. Nothing on this page is a projection of your results.
Your numbers in, your date out. Free.
Unlock the plannerPlanner FAQs
Can the planner handle windfalls and one-off extra payments?
Yes. Add the amount to that month's extra cell and the engine recomputes every later month and your debt-free date. Tax refund, bonus, birthday money — it all moves the same line.
What if my APR changes mid-plan?
Update the APR on the Inputs tab. The engine replays every month from the change forward and your date updates automatically. Re-check APRs after any issuer letter.
Why does the planner show zero interest on one of my debts?
That debt is flagged with the 0% promo override, so the engine charges no interest until the promo end month you entered, then resumes the standard APR. The plan schedules payoff before the flip wherever your extra allows.