How Long Will It Take to Pay Off $30,000? (2024)

FAQs

How Long Will It Take to Pay Off $30,000? ›

If you only make the minimum payment each month, it will take about 460 months, or about 38 years, to pay off that $30,000 balance. And, you'll pay a staggering $54,359.80 in interest charges along the way, which means the interest you pay will be well above the original principal balance you started with.

It will take 41 months to pay off $30,000 with payments of $1,000 per month, assuming the average credit card APR of around 18%. The time it takes to repay a balance depends on how often you make payments, how big your payments are and what the interest rate charged by the lender is.

The average amount is almost $30K. Some have more, while others have less, but it's a sobering number. There are actions you can take if you're a Millennial and you're carrying this much debt.

You can get a $30,000 personal loan from banks, credit unions, online lenders and peer-to-peer lenders. Eligibility requirements vary by lender, but for a loan this size, you'll likely need a good credit score and a high enough income to qualify for the best rates. Prequalifying is key to finding the best offer.

Use a payment strategy

After the debt with the highest rate is paid off, you focus on paying off the one with the next highest interest rate, and continue until all your debts have been paid off. Another method is called the debt snowball, which focuses on paying off your smallest debt first.

How much debt is unhealthy? ›

Generally speaking, a good debt-to-income ratio is anything less than or equal to 36%. Meanwhile, any ratio above 43% is considered too high. The biggest piece of your DTI ratio pie is bound to be your monthly mortgage payment.

The average American owed $103,358 in consumer debt in the second quarter of 2023, the latest data available, according to credit bureau Experian.

Here's the average debt balances by age group: Gen Z (ages 18 to 23): $9,593. Millennials (ages 24 to 39): $78,396. Gen X (ages 40 to 55): $135,841.

Consider the snowball method of paying off debt.

This involves starting with your smallest balance first, paying that off and then rolling that same payment towards the next smallest balance as you work your way up to the largest balance. This method can help you build momentum as each balance is paid off.

The monthly payment on a $30,000 loan ranges from $410 to $3,014, depending on the APR and how long the loan lasts. For example, if you take out a $30,000 loan for one year with an APR of 36%, your monthly payment will be $3,014.

Let's assume you owe $30,000, and your blended average interest rate is 6%. If you pay $333 a month, you'll be done in 10 years. But you can do better than that. According to our student loan calculator, you'd need to pay $913 per month to put those loans out of your life in three years.

It's quite possible to live well on $30,000 per year if you're debt-free, but what if you have debt? I would recommend trying to pay it off as quickly as possible with the debt snowball approach. Cut your expenses as much as you can and put the amount you save toward debt each month.