It will take 47 months to pay off $20,000 with payments of $600 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. Increasing your payments to $2,400 per month, for example, would decrease your payoff timeline to 9 months.
Examples of How Long It Will Take to Pay Off $20,000 on a Credit Card
- If you pay $600 a month, it will take you 47 months to pay off $20,000
- If you pay $1,200 a month, it will take you 20 months to pay off $20,000
- If you pay $1,800 a month, it will take you 13 months to pay off $20,000
- If you pay $2,400 a month, it will take you 9 months to pay off $20,000
Note: All examples assume an average APR of 18%.
With credit cards and other lines of credit, you can technically take as much time as you need to pay off $20,000 , as long as you always make at least your required minimum monthly payment. You can use WalletHub’s credit card calculator to find out exactly how long it would take you to pay off $20,000 with specific interest rates and monthly payments.
Finally, it’s worth noting that other types of borrowing, such as personal loans, mortgages, home equity loans, car loans and student loans, will give you a set repayment term from the start. You won’t need to figure out how long it will take to pay off the balance. But you can always pay back what you owe in a shorter amount of time by making larger monthly payments. Just make sure your lender doesn’t have a penalty for early payoff – most don’t.
This answer was first published on 12/05/23 and it was last updated on 12/13/23. For the most current information about a financial product, you should always check and confirm accuracy with the offering financial institution. Editorial and user-generated content is not provided, reviewed or endorsed by any company.
FAQs
It will take 47 months to pay off $20,000 with payments of $600 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.
How much is a $20000 loan over 5 years? ›
A $20,000 loan at 5% for 60 months (5 years) will cost you a total of $22,645.48, whereas the same loan at 3% will cost you $21,562.43. That's a savings of $1,083.05. That same wise shopper will look not only at the interest rate but also the length of the loan.
Is 20k in debt a lot? ›
$20,000 is a lot of credit card debt and it sounds like you're having trouble making progress,” says Rossman.
What credit score do I need for 20k loan? ›
Requirements for a $20,000 Personal Loan
This means they'll want to see your credit score, income level and DTI ratio. Requirements vary by lender, but most lenders require borrowers to have a credit score in the good to excellent range — meaning a score of at least 670.
How fast can you pay off 20k? ›
It will take 47 months to pay off $20,000 with payments of $600 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.
How much should I put down on a 20k loan? ›
A down payment between 10 to 20 percent of the vehicle price is the general recommendation. But if you can afford a larger down payment, you can save even more money on interest payments over the life of the loan. By dropping the amount financed, you save some even before you start negotiating the car price.
How much would a 200000 loan cost a month? ›
As far as the simple math goes, a $200,000 home loan at a 7% interest rate on a 30-year term will give you a $1,330.60 monthly payment. That $200K monthly mortgage payment includes the principal and interest.
What is the minimum payment on a $20,000 credit card? ›
Let's say you have a balance of $20,000, and your credit card's APR is 20%, which is near the current average. If your card issuer uses the interest plus 1% calculation method, your minimum payment will be $533.33. That's quite a bit of money to pay for your credit card bill every month.
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.
How much is the average person in debt? ›
The average American owed $103,358 in consumer debt in the second quarter of 2023, the latest data available, according to credit bureau Experian.
Although the average credit card balance for 22-24-year-olds today is less than 25% higher than for young millennials ($2,834 vs $2,248), mortgages have shot up by nearly 45%. Mortgage balances in 2013 were around $113,300, the equivalent to $149,130 today when adjusted for inflation.
What happens if I pay an extra $200 a month on my car loan? ›
Your car payment won't go down if you pay extra, but you'll pay the loan off faster. Paying extra can also save you money on interest depending on how soon you pay the loan off and how high your interest rate is.
What is the penalty for paying off a loan early? ›
Percentage of remaining loan balance: The lender will assign a small percentage, such as 2%, of the outstanding principal as a penalty fee if the payoff is made within the first 2 or 3 years of the loan term.
