Minimum Payment Calculator
See what paying only the minimum really costs — in years, and in interest.
Usually a small percent of the balance.
The dollar minimum, whichever is greater.
Paying only the minimum
18 yr 5 mo
The minimum-payment trap: it shrinks as the balance does
Total interest
$8,585.38Total paid
$14,585.38Private — runs entirely in your browser. Nothing is sent or stored.
This tool is for education and planning only. It is not financial advice. Your inputs run in your browser and are not stored by Recurrings.
Why the minimum keeps you in debt
The minimum payment is set as a small percent of the balance, so it shrinks as the balance shrinks. That keeps each payment “affordable” — and keeps you paying for years while interest piles up. Enter your balance, APR, and the minimum terms to see exactly how long, and how much, it costs.
Then compare it in your head to a fixed payment that doesn't shrink: the difference in years and total interest is usually the most convincing argument against ever paying just the minimum.
How this fits into your recurring money
The minimum payment is recurring money engineered against you — a declining payment designed to maximize the interest collected over the longest possible time. It's the clearest example of how a recurring amount, left unexamined, quietly works in someone else's favour.
The way out is a different recurring habit: a fixed payment, held steady, funded by the waste you cut elsewhere. Surfacing that waste — the dead subscriptions, the creep — is exactly what Recurrings is built to do.
The math
each month: minimum = greater of (floor, balance × min %)
interest = balance × (APR ÷ 12)
balance += interest − minimum (until cleared)Because the minimum is a percent of the balance, it falls every month as the balance drops — stretching payoff far longer than a fixed payment of the same starting size. If the minimum can't even cover the interest, the balance never clears.
An educational estimate assuming a fixed APR and no new charges — not financial advice.
Common questions
Why is paying the minimum a “trap”?
The minimum is a small percent of the balance, so it shrinks as the balance does — keeping you in debt for years and maximizing the interest the lender collects. It's designed to be affordable, not to get you out of debt.
How much more does the minimum cost?
Often the total interest rivals or exceeds the original balance, and payoff stretches to a decade or more. Compare it against a fixed higher payment to see the gap — it's usually shocking.
What should I do instead?
Pay a fixed amount well above the minimum every month, so the payment doesn't shrink with the balance. Even a modest fixed payment clears the debt years sooner and saves a fortune in interest.
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Break the trap with a fixed payment
Recurrings helps you find a steady amount to commit — and the recurring waste to fund it.
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