The way this tool decides where your extra money goes when you have more than one debt. It pays the minimum on everything, then throws every extra dollar at whichever debt has the highest interest rate. Once that one's paid off, its whole payment (minimum plus whatever extra was going to it) rolls into attacking the next-highest-rate debt. This order saves you the most money in interest overall, even though it might not be the debt with the smallest balance.

Where to find yours: nothing to look up, this is just the strategy the calculator uses automatically once you've added more than one debt.

These two get mixed up a lot, but they're different pay schedules. Biweekly means every 2 weeks, like every other Friday. That works out to 26 paychecks a year, and some months you'll actually get 3 checks instead of 2, since 26 doesn't split evenly across 12 months.

Twice-monthly (also called semi-monthly) means 2 fixed paydays every month, like the 1st and the 15th. That's always exactly 24 paychecks a year, no matter what.

Where to find yours: if your payday lands on the same day of the week every time (like every other Friday), you're biweekly. If it lands on the same date every time (like the 1st and 15th), you're twice-monthly. Ask your payroll or HR department if you're not sure.

Money you're keeping loose in your checking account in case something unexpected shows up before your next paycheck, like a bank fee, a bounced charge, or a surprise bill. It's meant to be spent if it's needed, not locked away.

Where to find yours: this isn't a number to look up, it's more of a personal call. Some people leave $0, others like keeping $50 to $200 of wiggle room. Whatever number lets you sleep at night.

A catch-all for anything from this paycheck that doesn't fit bills, everyday spending, savings, or buffer. Things like a one-time purchase, sending money to someone, or a category unique to your life that the tool didn't ask about by name.

Where to find yours: nothing to look up, just add up anything left over that this paycheck needs to cover and the earlier boxes didn't capture. Leave it at $0 if nothing applies.

Short for annual percentage rate. It's the yearly cost of carrying a balance, shown as a percentage. A 24% APR means that, roughly, for every $100 you owe, you'd be charged about $24 a year in interest if the balance never moved.

Where to find yours: log into your credit card or loan account online and look for "interest rate" or "APR" on the account summary page. It's also printed on paper statements, usually near the balance.

The process of paying off a loan through regular payments, where each payment covers that month's interest first and whatever's left over chips away at what you actually owe (the principal). This tool runs that math month by month instead of guessing.

Where to find yours: nowhere, this one's not a number you look up. It's just the method this calculator uses behind the scenes to figure out your payoff timeline.

The actual amount you owe, not counting interest. This is the number that has to hit zero for the debt to be paid off.

Where to find yours: your current statement or account dashboard, usually labeled "balance" or "current balance."

The smallest amount your lender requires each month to keep the account in good standing. Paying only this amount is usually the slowest and most expensive way to pay off debt, since so much of it goes to interest.

Where to find yours: your most recent statement, or the "amount due" on your account portal.

An estimate of how many months it would take to bring your balance to $0 at a given payment amount, assuming your APR and payment stay the same the whole time.

Where to find yours: right here, this is one of the results this calculator gives you.

The difference between how much interest you'd pay on the slower timeline versus the faster one. This is money that never has to leave your pocket in the first place.

Where to find yours: also a result from this calculator, shown after you add your debt info in Section C.