Debt Consolidation Calculator
Every consolidation pitch sounds like savings. The math says otherwise surprisingly often — fees, longer terms, and post-promo rates eat the headline rate. This calculator finds your break-even APR: the single number an offer has to beat before it deserves your signature.
Your break-even APR
22.46%
Any offer above this costs more than staying put.
Offer total cost
$2,779.03
Interest plus the $360.00 upfront fee at $410.53/mo.
Savings vs current path
$5,193.98
How to use it
- 01.Enter your total debt balance, your balance-weighted APR (or your biggest card's APR as an approximation), and the combined amount you pay monthly across those debts.
- 02.Enter the offer you're evaluating: its APR, any balance-transfer or origination fee, and the term.
- 03.Read the break-even APR first. An offer above it costs more than your current path no matter how it's framed. Below it, check the savings figure to see what the offer is actually worth.
- 04.A worked example. You owe $12,000 across three cards at a balance-weighted 24% APR and pay $400 per month combined. Staying the course, that path takes about 47 months and roughly $6,500 of interest — about $18,500 paid in total. Those three numbers are your baseline; any offer has to beat them.
- 05.Offer one: a 36-month personal loan at 13.5% APR with a 3% origination fee. The fee adds $360, so you finance about $12,360 at roughly $419 per month. Total repaid: about $15,100. That beats the baseline by roughly $3,400 and finishes 11 months sooner, at a monthly payment within $20 of what you already pay. This offer clears the break-even test easily.
- 06.Offer two: a 60-month loan at 19% APR with a 4% fee, advertised on its low $324 monthly payment. Total repaid: about $19,400 — roughly $900 worse than doing nothing. Same debt, same borrower, and the 'affordable' offer loses to the baseline. The monthly payment is the number lenders advertise; total cost is the number this calculator makes you look at.
The method, briefly
The break-even APR is the consolidation rate at which the total cost of the new loan, including its upfront fee, exactly equals the total interest of your current path at the same monthly payment. We solve it by simulating both paths month by month with standard monthly compounding and finding the crossing point. Fees matter more than most people expect: a 5% transfer fee on a 12-month term adds roughly five points of APR-equivalent cost, which disqualifies many teaser offers. Term length is the other quiet variable. Stretching the same balance over more months lowers the payment but gives interest more time to run, which is how a lower payment can hide a higher total cost. The worked examples above show the spread in practice: two offers on the same $12,000 of debt land more than $4,300 apart in total cost, and the one with the smaller monthly payment is the one that loses. The calculation is fully deterministic — the same arithmetic the RealiPlan app runs against your real portfolio.
Frequently asked questions
What is a break-even APR?
It's the consolidation APR at which the new loan's total cost (interest plus fees) equals what your current debts would cost if you kept paying them as-is. Offers below your break-even save money; offers above it cost money. It's a single number that cuts through marketing.
Why does the fee change my break-even APR?
An upfront fee is interest you pay on day one. The calculator folds it into the financed balance and the total cost, so a 3% fee on a short-term offer can erase an otherwise attractive rate. As a rule of thumb, the shorter the term, the more each point of fee hurts.
Can a lower APR still cost me more money?
Yes, through the term. A 19% five-year loan can cost more in total than 24% cards paid off aggressively in under four years, because the loan holds the balance longer. In the worked example above, the five-year offer loses to the baseline by roughly $900 despite advertising the lowest monthly payment on the page. Always compare total cost over the full term, not rate against rate.
Is a balance transfer card or a personal loan better for consolidation?
They solve different problems. A 0% balance transfer works for debt you can extinguish inside the promo window, typically 12 to 21 months, if the 3 to 5% transfer fee still clears your break-even. A personal loan suits larger balances that need a longer runway, trading a nonzero APR for a fixed term and payment. Run each through the calculator as a separate offer; the break-even math treats them identically.
What credit score do I need to consolidate?
Meaningful consolidation offers generally start in the mid-600s, and rates improve substantially through the 700s. Below that range, the APRs you are offered often sit above your break-even, which means the loan would cost more than staying put. If every offer you qualify for fails the break-even test, a payoff-order strategy on your existing debts is the better move than new credit.
Should I include my car loan or mortgage in a consolidation?
Usually not. Secured loans already carry lower APRs than the unsecured cards a consolidation targets, so folding them in raises your weighted rate instead of lowering it. Rolling secured debt into an unsecured loan also changes what is at risk if you fall behind. Consolidation math works best on high-APR unsecured balances only.
Should I consolidate debt that has a 0% promo rate?
Usually not while the promo is active — your effective rate is already lower than any consolidation loan. The risk is the cliff: whatever balance survives the promo window jumps to the full APR. The RealiPlan app projects that surviving balance for each promo debt so you can decide with the actual number.
Does consolidating hurt my credit score?
A new application adds a hard inquiry and a new account, which typically dips a score a few points short-term. Paying down revolving balances with an installment loan often improves utilization, which helps. The bigger risk is behavioral: consolidating cards to zero and then running them up again.
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<p>Powered by <a href="https://www.realiplan.com/tools/debt-consolidation-calculator?utm_source=embed&utm_medium=YOUR-SITE.COM">RealiPlan — Debt Consolidation Calculator</a></p>Run the full analyzer on your real debts
The RealiPlan app computes your exact break-even from every balance, APR, and promo window in your portfolio — and only ever surfaces offers that beat it.
Track your real debts in RealiPlan — freeLast updated 2026-07-23. This calculator runs entirely in your browser. No data is sent to RealiPlan unless you create an account.