Debt Payoff Tracker
List your debts, see which to focus on first, and colour in a visual chart as you pay it down.
Name | Balance | Rate% | Min payment. Rate and minimum payment are optional — Credit card | 2400 works fine on its own.About this debt payoff tracker
Two things reliably help with paying off debt: knowing exactly what you owe and to whom, and being able to see progress in a way a bank statement never quite manages. This sheet does both — a summary of your debts in one place, a visual chart you colour in by hand as balances come down, and a log to record each payment.
List your debts one per line as Name | Balance | Rate | Minimum payment — only the name and balance are required, so Store card | 850 works fine if you do not know or do not want to enter the rest. Choose a focus order: snowball lists smallest balance first, which many people find easier to stay motivated by since a debt actually disappears sooner; avalanche lists highest interest rate first, which minimises the total interest paid over time if you can stick with it. Neither is wrong — the one you will actually follow is the right one.
The chart can track a single named debt or all of them combined. A percentage grid is always exactly 100 boxes regardless of the amount, which is simple and works for any debt size without you having to think about it. A value-per-box chart is more literal — colour in one box for every $100 (or whatever amount you set) actually paid off — and the tool works out how many boxes that needs and warns you if the amount chosen would make the grid unreasonably large.
Whatever page space is left below the chart becomes a payment log with as many rows as fit, for recording the date, amount and running balance of each payment by hand. This is a tracking and motivation tool, not a calculator — it does not project payoff dates or compute interest, since that depends on details (compounding, fees, promotional rates) this sheet cannot see.
Everything is generated in your browser and saved locally. Nothing you type about your finances is uploaded anywhere.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between snowball and avalanche?
Snowball orders debts smallest balance first, so you clear one completely sooner — a real psychological win that keeps many people going. Avalanche orders by highest interest rate first, which saves more money overall if you can stay disciplined without the early wins. Both are established, legitimate strategies; pick the one you are more likely to stick with.
How do I chart just one debt instead of all of them?
Type that debt's exact name into "Chart tracks". Leave it blank to chart the combined total of everything you listed.
Why does it say my chart would be too large?
The value-per-box style needs one box for every chunk of that size, so a large balance with a small amount per box can call for hundreds of boxes. The tool caps the grid and tells you — increase the amount per box, or switch to the percentage grid, which is always exactly 100 boxes regardless of size.
Does this calculate how long payoff will take?
No. Real payoff timing depends on compounding, fees and rate changes this sheet has no way to know, so it deliberately does not project a date — it is a tracker you fill in as you go, not a forecast.
I'm struggling with minimum payments, not just paying extra
That is a different situation than this sheet is built for. Many countries have free, nonprofit credit counselling services that can look at your specific situation and options — that is worth doing before anything else if payments themselves are not manageable.