See your debt-free month with 0% promos that end, “no interest if paid in full” deadlines and minimums that shrink with the balance. Free to download.

List your debts once, with their promo end dates and how each minimum is worked out. The planner simulates every month and shows your debt-free month, the interest, and what to pay each debt this month, with six strategies side by side.

Who it’s for

Anyone paying off several cards and loans, especially with a 0% balance transfer or a "no interest if paid in full" store card, who wants a plan that doesn't assume every rate stays the same.

What it does

• Promo APR and promo end date per debt; the regular APR applies after the promo's last full month
• Deferred-interest flag: if a balance is left when the promo ends, the back-interest is added and reported
• Real card minimums: % of balance (plus interest if ticked) with a floor, recalculated each month; fixed loan payments too
• Six side-by-side views: Minimums only, Snowball, Avalanche, Avalanche + promo deadlines, Promo deadline first and Custom order
• Avalanche + promo deadlines pays deferred-interest promos just enough to clear on time and sends the rest to the highest rate that month
• Pay-per-month needed to clear each promo by its end date
• Change the monthly amount from any month and add one-off extras (bonus, tax refund)
• Plan: debt-free month, total interest, interest saved versus minimums, pay-this-month list and warnings
• Month-by-month Schedule for up to 12 debts and 30 years

What you get

1. Debt-Payoff-Planner.xlsx: the working spreadsheet (7 visible tabs, fictional example debts)
2. Debt-Payoff-Planner-Guide.pdf: a short guide to setup, the strategies, reading the results and every check message

Good to know

• Free instant download, no sign-up.
• Not financial advice. It's an estimate: lenders accrue interest daily and apply payments in their own way.
• No bank connections, no reminders, no new purchases or fees modelled.
• License: free for personal or business use; don't resell or re-host. Sharing a link to the Tidewick page is fine.

Compatibility

Tested in LibreOffice Calc (free for Windows, Mac and Linux). Every calculated cell was recalculated there and checked against an independent model across 29 test workbooks, including deferred-interest deadlines, minimums below interest, messy data and a full 12-debt file.

Other apps: not yet tested. It's a standard .xlsx with no macros and uses only long-standing functions (IF, INDEX, MATCH, CHOOSE, SUMPRODUCT, SUMIFS, COUNTIF, ROUND, ROUNDUP, EOMONTH, DATE, TODAY and similar). That's a good sign, but it isn't a test, so we don't claim it works in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers yet.

Known limits. 12 debts, 30 years, 12 amount changes, 24 one-off extras. Interest is monthly (APR ÷ 12). No new purchases, fees or bank connections. Not financial advice. Phones and tablets haven't been tested.

How to use it

1. Download the .xlsx and the PDF guide from the product page on the Tidewick site.
2. Open the .xlsx in LibreOffice Calc (free), where it has been tested. Other apps haven't been tested yet.
3. On Settings, set the plan start month, the monthly amount you can put toward all debts, and a strategy.
4. On Debts, replace the yellow example rows with your debts: balance, APR, any promo APR and end date, deferred interest, and the minimum rule.
5. Optional: on Extras, add amount changes and one-off extra payments.
6. Read Plan for your debt-free month and this month's payments; open Compare to see every strategy, and Schedule for month-by-month payments.

Questions

Do I need Excel?

No. It has been tested in LibreOffice Calc, which is free. It's a standard .xlsx with no macros, but it hasn't been tested in Excel, Google Sheets or Numbers yet.

What is deferred interest?

Offers like "no interest if paid in full in 12 months" add back interest for the whole promo if any balance is left at the end. Set Deferred interest to Yes and the planner shows whether your plan clears it in time.

Which strategy should I pick?

Open Compare: it runs all of them on your numbers. Avalanche + promo deadlines usually costs the least when you have deferred-interest promos; Snowball gives the quickest first win.

How are card minimums worked out?

Each month: the floor, or the % of the balance (plus that month's interest if ticked), whichever is higher. For loans, leave % blank and type the fixed payment.

Is this financial advice?

No. It's an estimate based on what you type. Check your agreements and statements.

How many debts?

Up to 12 debts, 30 years, 12 amount changes and 24 one-off extras per file.

Does it cost anything?

No. It's a free download with no sign-up.