What the Debt Priority Planner is for

If you owe money on more than one credit card, loan or overdraft, it can be hard to know which one to throw spare cash at first. This planner looks at the debts you enter and suggests an order to clear them in, along with a rough timeline so you can see when each one should be gone.

It shows you two well known approaches side by side, so you can pick the one that suits how you think about money, not just the one that looks cheapest on paper.

Who it is for

It is aimed at people in the UK who can afford their minimum payments each month and have a bit extra to put towards clearing what they owe. If that sounds like you, the planner will help you decide whether to tackle the debt with the highest interest rate first, which saves you the most money, or the smallest balance first, which gives you quicker wins to keep you going.

If you are struggling to meet minimum payments, behind on priority bills like rent, council tax or energy, or feeling overwhelmed, a free debt adviser at StepChange, Citizens Advice or National Debtline will be a better starting point than this tool.

How it works

You enter each debt with its balance, interest rate and minimum payment, then tell us how much extra you can put towards repayments each month. The planner works out both the avalanche and snowball orders, shows you the total interest and months to clear under each, and gives you a plain English summary of which might suit you better. Everything runs in your browser, nothing is saved and you do not need to sign up or share personal details.