Credit Card Minimum Payment Calculator

Estimate your credit card's minimum payment and the years required to clear the balance if you pay only the minimum each month.

848.3K uses Updated · 2026-05-14 Runs locally · zero upload
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How to Use Credit Card Minimum Payment Calculator

The Credit Card Minimum Payment Calculator makes the cost of “only paying the minimum” visible.

  1. Enter balance and APR — Your current card balance and stated APR.
  2. Enter the minimum-payment rule — Percent of balance, floor amount, and whether interest is added on top.
  3. Read the result — The Credit Card Minimum Payment Calculator shows the first month’s minimum, interest, payoff months under minimum-only, total interest, and total paid.

Formula & Theory - Credit Card Minimum Payment Calculator

The Credit Card Minimum Payment Calculator supports three common formulas:

Rule A: Min = max(Floor, Balance × Percent)
Rule B: Min = max(Floor, Balance × Percent + MonthlyInterest)
Rule C: Min = max(Floor, MonthlyInterest + Balance × Percent)

Simulation:
  For each month:
    Interest = Balance × APR/12
    Payment  = MinFormula
    Balance  = Balance + Interest − Payment
  Months until balance ≤ 0

Most major US issuers use Rule B: a small percent of the balance plus interest, with a floor in the $25–$35 range. Under this rule, payments cover all of the interest plus a small fraction of principal, so the balance falls slowly but predictably.

A 1% + interest minimum on a 22% APR balance shrinks the balance by about 1% per month — meaning a $5,000 balance takes roughly 20 years to pay off and accumulates more than the original balance in interest.

Regulations: The 2009 CARD Act requires US statements to disclose the years required to pay off the balance at the minimum, and the savings from paying off in 36 months. The Credit Card Minimum Payment Calculator gives a calibrated estimate without waiting for the next statement.

Use Cases for Credit Card Minimum Payment Calculator

  • Behavioral wake-up call — See exactly how long minimum-only payments take.
  • Cash-flow planning — Confirm minimum payment fits monthly budget.
  • Statement disclosure validation — Cross-check the issuer’s “36-month payoff” estimate.
  • Comparison shopping — Compare different cards’ minimum-payment rules.
  • Hardship planning — Estimate the impact if you can only manage the minimum for a few months.
  • Financial literacy education — Teach the danger of “only paying the minimum.”

The Credit Card Minimum Payment Calculator is the strongest single argument for paying more than the minimum every month.

Frequently asked questions about Credit Card Minimum Payment Calculator

How is a credit card minimum payment computed?

Most issuers use the greater of a fixed floor (often $25–35) and a small percent of the balance (1–3%), sometimes plus accrued interest. The Credit Card Minimum Payment Calculator supports all three formulas.

Why is paying only the minimum so risky?

It can stretch payoff over decades and inflate total interest to multiples of the original balance. The Credit Card Minimum Payment Calculator demonstrates this in months and dollars.

Is my issuer's rule the same as the defaults here?

Not always. Card terms vary by issuer and account. Read your cardholder agreement, then adjust the inputs to match.

Is my data stored?

No. All calculations happen in your browser; nothing is sent to a server.