Debt payoff calculator
If you're paying more than one tribal loan, the order you attack them in changes how fast you're free and how much interest you burn. List your debts, add any extra you can put toward them each month, and compare the two proven strategies. Everything runs in your browser.
Payoff order
Snowball vs avalanche — and the tribal-loan catch
The avalanche targets your highest-APR debt first, which mathematically saves the most interest. The snowball clears your smallest balance first for a quick, motivating win. Either way, you pay every debt's minimum, then throw all spare money at one target until it's gone, then roll that freed-up payment onto the next. The catch with tribal loans: at 400–800% APR, a payment that doesn't cover the monthly interest means the balance never falls — the calculator will flag any debt stuck in that trap. This is an estimate that ignores fees; and remember, if a tribal loan is void in your state, you may not owe it at all.
The standing-still number
Before you pick a strategy, work out one figure for each debt: the monthly interest. That is the payment at which your balance does not move at all. Anything below it and the balance grows no matter how faithfully you pay.
On $1,000 at our median documented tribal APR of 598%, that number is $498.33 a month. Here is what different payments actually do to that balance in the first month:
| You pay | Interest accrued | What the balance does |
|---|---|---|
| $200 | $498.33 | grows by $298.33 |
| $300 | $498.33 | grows by $198.33 |
| $400 | $498.33 | grows by $98.33 |
| $500 | $498.33 | falls by $1.67 |
| $600 | $498.33 | falls by $101.67 |
| $750 | $498.33 | falls by $251.67 |
This is why borrowers describe paying for a year and owing more than they started with. It is not a scam in the legal sense and the arithmetic is disclosed — it is simply what happens when the rate is high enough that a normal-looking payment cannot reach the principal.
The standing-still payment on $1,000 scales directly with the rate: $29.92 at 35.9% (our lowest documented active rate), $333.33 at 400%, $498.33 at 598%, and $748.33 at 898% (our highest). The calculator above flags any debt you enter that is caught in this trap.
Why both strategies usually agree — if one debt is tribal
The textbook debate assumes your debts are broadly similar. A tribal loan breaks that assumption. At several hundred percent, it is almost always both the highest-rate debt and the one demanding the largest payment relative to its size — so the avalanche and the snowball normally point at the same target, and you can stop agonising over which method to pick.
They diverge in one situation worth checking: when the tribal loan is not your smallest balance. Then the snowball will send you to clear a small store card first while the 598% balance keeps compounding behind it. In that case take the avalanche. The motivational argument for the snowball is real, but it cannot outrun this rate.
The order that actually works
- Check enforceability before you optimise. If the loan is void in your state, the correct payoff plan may be to stop paying it entirely. Check your state first — this single step can outperform every strategy on this page.
- Work out each standing-still number. Any debt where the minimum sits below it needs the extra money first, whatever the strategy says. It will never clear otherwise.
- Control the withdrawals. ACH pulls can leave you overdrafting into new fees while you are trying to pay down. You may revoke the authorisation without cancelling the debt.
- Pay every minimum, then attack one target. When it clears, roll its whole payment onto the next debt rather than absorbing it back into spending.
- Re-run the numbers whenever something changes — a rate change, a new fee, or a missed payment moves the finish date more than most people expect.
When paying it off is the wrong move
A payoff calculator quietly assumes the debt is valid and enforceable. Sometimes it is not. 9 states effectively ban this lending and 22 restrict it, and in those states a tribal loan may be uncollectable regardless of what you signed. We also document 28 closed lenders whose borrower balances were cancelled in settlements — more than $1.85 billion across the two largest cases — and collectors do still pursue balances that were legally wiped out.
So run the calculator, but check three things before you send another payment: whether the loan is enforceable where you live, whether the lender still exists, and whether the balance was cancelled. The closed-lender register answers the last two.
Frequently asked questions
Should I use the snowball or the avalanche on a tribal loan?
Usually it makes no difference, because a tribal loan is normally both your highest-rate debt and the one demanding the biggest payment for its size — so both methods target it first. They only diverge when the tribal loan is not your smallest balance; in that case take the avalanche, because the snowball would leave a 598% balance compounding while you clear a small card.
Why does my balance go up even though I pay every month?
Because your payment is below the monthly interest. At 598% APR, $1,000 accrues $498.33 in interest every month — so any payment under that amount leaves the balance higher than it started, forever. This is the single most important number to work out for each debt, and the calculator flags any debt caught in it.
How much do I have to pay just to stop the balance growing?
On $1,000 it is $29.92 a month at 35.9% APR, $333.33 at 400%, $498.33 at 598%, and $748.33 at 898% — our highest documented active rate. Scale it to your balance: monthly interest is your balance times the APR divided by twelve hundred.
Is it better to consolidate or to snowball?
Consolidation only helps if the new rate is genuinely lower and the fees do not eat the difference — which, against a triple-digit APR, is a low bar that most credit-union and bank products clear easily. If you cannot qualify for anything cheaper, consolidation is just a new loan and the payoff order matters more. Run both and compare the total interest, not the monthly payment.
Should I pay off a tribal loan at all?
Not always. 9 states effectively ban this lending and 22 restrict it, so the loan may be unenforceable where you live. We also document 28 closed lenders whose balances were cancelled in settlements, and collectors still pursue some of those. Check enforceability and the closed-lender register before you optimise a payoff plan for a debt you may not owe.
Does this calculator store my numbers?
No. Everything runs in your browser and nothing is sent anywhere or saved. Reload the page and it resets.
What to do about it
If the payoff date you just saw is further away than you can manage, start here — cheapest option first.
- 1
Non-profit credit counselling Free or low cost
An NFCC-member agency reviews your whole position and can negotiate a repayment plan. It is the right first call for most people and it costs little or nothing.
- 2
A genuinely cheaper loan Capped at 28% APR
A credit-union Payday Alternative Loan or a bank small-dollar loan, used to clear the expensive balance. Only worth it if you qualify at a real rate.
- 3
Consolidation Depends entirely on the rate
One payment instead of several. It only helps if the new rate is genuinely lower and the fees do not eat the difference — run both totals before you commit.
- 4
Debt settlement Fees plus credit damage
Negotiating to pay less than the balance. It can work, but the industry has a long enforcement record and it damages your credit — treat it as a late option, not a first one.
- 5
Bankruptcy Court and attorney fees
A tribal loan is ordinary unsecured debt and is generally dischargeable. Where the debt is genuinely unmanageable this is a legitimate answer, not a failure.
Before any of these, check whether the loan is even enforceable where you live — nine states void it outright.
This calculator answers one question about the cost. See the full picture: what will this loan actually cost me?