Credit card minimum due calculator
The minimum due keeps the card in good standing. It is also the slowest way to repay it. Enter what you owe and see how long the minimum takes, what it costs, and what a fixed payment does instead.
Computed from the inputs
Minimum due only
13 years 7 months
to clear the card
- First payment
- ₹3,065
- Interest and GST
- ₹98,786
- Total paid
- ₹1,48,786
₹5,000 every month
1 year 2 months
to clear the card
- Every payment
- ₹5,000
- Interest and GST
- ₹15,832
- Total paid
- ₹65,832
Paying ₹5,000 a month clears the card 12 years 5 months sooner and costs ₹82,954 less than paying the minimum.
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Assumptions and exclusions
- No new spending on the card after today.
- Interest is charged once a month on the opening balance. Issuers charge it daily, which costs slightly more.
- Minimum due is the month's interest and GST in full plus 2% of the balance, or ₹200 if that is more. Real formulas also add fees, any EMI and any amount over the limit.
- Because each month's interest and GST are paid in full, none are carried forward, so no interest is ever charged on them.
- RBI's card Directions, 2025, paragraph 23(2), require that the minimum due causes no negative amortisation, and bar issuers from charging interest on unpaid taxes, levies and charges.
- GST, when ticked, is 18% of each month's interest.
- Every payment is made on time. Late fees, over-limit fees and annual fees are left out.
- The count stops at 30 years.
Year-by-year schedule on the minimum due
| Year | Paid | Interest and GST | Still owed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ₹32,992 | ₹22,228 | ₹39,236 |
| 2 | ₹25,890 | ₹17,443 | ₹30,789 |
| 3 | ₹20,316 | ₹13,688 | ₹24,161 |
| 4 | ₹15,942 | ₹10,741 | ₹18,959 |
| 5 | ₹12,510 | ₹8,429 | ₹14,878 |
| 6 | ₹9,817 | ₹6,614 | ₹11,675 |
| 7 | ₹7,704 | ₹5,190 | ₹9,161 |
| 8 | ₹6,045 | ₹4,073 | ₹7,189 |
| 9 | ₹4,744 | ₹3,196 | ₹5,641 |
| 10 | ₹3,722 | ₹2,508 | ₹4,427 |
| 11 | ₹2,921 | ₹1,968 | ₹3,474 |
| 12 | ₹2,427 | ₹1,530 | ₹2,578 |
| 13 | ₹2,400 | ₹984 | ₹1,162 |
| 14 | ₹1,356 | ₹195 | ₹0 |
Runs entirely in your browser. No sign-up, and nothing you type is sent anywhere. How the maths works.
How it is calculated
The calculator steps through the card one month at a time, with no new spending.
- Interest = opening balance × monthly rate.
- GST = interest × 18%, if GST is ticked.
- Minimum due, under the current rule = interest + GST + 2% of the opening balance, or ₹200 if that is more. Under the older pattern it is a flat percentage of the opening balance, or ₹200 if that is more.
- Closing balance = opening balance + interest + GST − payment. If the payment would be more than everything owed, the payment is everything owed and the card is clear.
The same steps are run again with a fixed payment in place of the minimum due. Amounts are rounded to the paisa each month. The count stops at 30 years.
Take ₹50,000 at 3.5% a month under the current rule. In month one the interest is ₹1,750.00 and the GST is ₹315.00. The minimum due is those two in full plus 2% of the balance: ₹3,065.00. The balance closes at ₹49,000.00, so a payment of ₹3,065 has reduced the debt by ₹1,000.00. In month two the minimum due is a little lower, ₹3,003.70, because the balance is. The debt always falls, and it falls by a smaller amount each month.
Worked examples
Three balances at 3.5% a month (42% a year) with 18% GST on the interest. The minimum due is the month's interest and GST plus 2% of the balance, with a ₹200 floor. The fixed payment is one tenth of the starting balance.
| Balance | How it is repaid | First payment | Time to clear | Interest and GST | Total paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ₹25,000 | Minimum due only | ₹1,533 | 10 years 9 months | ₹47,161 | ₹72,161 |
| ₹2,500 every month | ₹2,500 | 1 year 2 months | ₹7,916 | ₹32,916 | |
| ₹50,000 | Minimum due only | ₹3,065 | 13 years 7 months | ₹98,786 | ₹1,48,786 |
| ₹5,000 every month | ₹5,000 | 1 year 2 months | ₹15,832 | ₹65,832 | |
| ₹1,50,000 | Minimum due only | ₹9,195 | 18 years 2 months | ₹3,05,285 | ₹4,55,285 |
| ₹15,000 every month | ₹15,000 | 1 year 2 months | ₹47,496 | ₹1,97,496 |
Without GST, the ₹50,000 example clears in 13 years 4 months for ₹1,33,381, so the tax on the interest accounts for ₹15,405 of the total.
The two formulas compared
Under the older pattern, a flat 5% of ₹50,000 is ₹2,500. The month's interest and GST take ₹2,065.00 of that, which leaves ₹435.00 to reduce the debt. Under the current rule the first payment is larger, ₹3,065, and ₹1,000.00 of it reduces the debt.
| Formula | First payment | Time to clear | Total paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Interest and GST in full, plus 2% of the balance | ₹3,065 | 13 years 7 months | ₹1,48,786 |
| Flat 5% of the balance | ₹2,500 | 27 years 9 months | ₹2,73,010 |
| Flat 4% of the balance | ₹2,000 | Not cleared in 30 years: ₹79,816 owed | ₹9,17,402 |
The last row is negative amortisation: a minimum smaller than the month's charges, so the debt grows after every payment. It is in the table to show what the rule below exists to prevent. A flat 5% at this rate is not negative amortisation, because it still covers the charges. It is only slow.
What the minimum due is for
Paying the minimum is not a mistake in itself. In a month when money is short it keeps the account regular, avoids a late fee and buys time, and that can be worth its price. The cost comes from doing it month after month. The calculator shows that cost so the choice is made with the numbers in view. It does not tell you what to pay.
What it leaves out
- New spending. If you keep using the card while a balance is carried, the interest-free period on new purchases is lost, and the picture is worse than shown.
- Daily interest. Issuers work out interest on daily balances. Monthly steps slightly understate it.
- Your issuer's own formula. Fees, EMIs on the card and any amount over the limit are added to a real minimum due in full.
- Fees. Late, over-limit and annual fees, and the GST on them.
- Alternatives. Converting the balance to an EMI or moving it to a cheaper loan changes the rate. Compare those with the personal loan calculator.