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Credit card payoff tables

How long does it take to pay off credit card debt?

At the average 22.15% APR, paying only the minimum on a $10,000 balance takes about 22 years 2 months and costs $16,960 in interest. A fixed $383 a month clears it in 36 months. Find your balance below.

By DebtFree
Credit card payoff at 22.15% APR · minimum only vs. a 3-year plan
BalanceMinimum onlyMinimum-only interestPayment for 3 years3-year interest
$1,0003 years 5 months$434$39/mo$367
$2,0008 years 10 months$2,193$77/mo$749
$3,00012 years 2 months$4,039$115/mo$1,130
$5,00016 years 5 months$7,731$192/mo$1,879
$10,00022 years 2 months$16,960$383/mo$3,772
$15,00025 years 7 months$26,189$575/mo$5,651
$20,00027 years 11 months$35,418$766/mo$7,544
$25,00029 years 9 months$44,647$957/mo$9,437
$30,00031 years 4 months$53,876$1,149/mo$11,316
$50,00035 years 6 months$90,793$1,914/mo$18,874

Minimum: 1% of the balance plus interest, at least $35. 22.15% is the Federal Reserve average for card accounts assessed interest (May 2026). No new purchases or fees. Methodology.

Pick your balance

Each page shows the payment for a 1- to 5-year payoff, how long common payments take, how the APR changes the answer and a calculator pre-filled with that balance.

Why a fixed payment beats the minimum

A fixed payment stays the same as the balance falls, so more of it goes to principal every month. A minimum payment shrinks with the balance, so progress slows down just as it should speed up. Choosing any fixed amount you can sustain, even one close to today’s minimum, removes years from the payoff.

Different balance or rate?

Use the credit card minimum payment calculator or the debt-free date calculator with your own numbers. For several cards, the debt payoff calculator plans them together.

Common questions

How long does it take to pay off credit card debt?

It depends on the balance, APR and payment. At 22.15% APR, paying only a falling minimum (1% plus interest) on $10,000 takes about 22 years 2 months. A fixed $383 a month clears it in 36 months.

How is the time to pay off a credit card calculated?

Each month, interest (APR ÷ 12 × balance) is added and the payment is subtracted. Repeating this until the balance reaches zero gives the number of months. The total of all interest added is the cost of borrowing.

Why does paying the minimum take so long?

The minimum is usually a small percentage of the balance plus interest, so it falls as the balance falls. Most of each early payment covers interest, and later payments shrink, which stretches the payoff over decades on larger balances.