Need a hand? Email support@seanmandable.me and I’ll get back to you.
Add your debts to Debt Descent, compare the Snowball and Avalanche methods, and see exactly when you’ll be debt-free. There’s no account or sign-up, and nothing is ever sent to me.
- Privacy, sync, and Pro
- Adding debts
- Payments and bills
- The plan
- Reminders, Progress, and widgets
- Text size, VoiceOver, and currency
- Export, backup, and starting over
Privacy, sync, and Pro
Is my financial data private? Yes. Your data lives on your device and in your own private iCloud, where I can’t see it. There are no accounts, analytics, or servers of my own. See the Privacy Policy.
Can I lock the app with Face ID? Yes, and it’s free. In Settings ▸ Privacy, turn on Lock with Face ID (it’s off by default). Debt Descent then asks for Face ID each time it opens or comes back to the front, and covers what’s on screen in the app switcher. On a device with Touch ID or Optic ID the switch names that instead, and on one with neither it uses your passcode. On the Mac it asks for Touch ID or your password when the app opens and after your Mac sleeps or its screen locks. The lock is set on each device separately. While it’s on, the Lock Screen widget hides its figures until you unlock your phone. If the device has no passcode, Debt Descent asks you to set one in the Settings app first.
Does my data sync between my iPhone, iPad, and Mac? Yes, automatically, and it’s free for everyone. Just be signed in to iCloud with the same Apple Account on each device; there’s nothing to set up in the app. If you’re not signed in, Debt Descent works fully on-device, and syncing picks up when you sign in.
Does Debt Descent work on iPhone Duo? Yes, starting with version 1.21. Closed, the app fits the outer display, with the tabs and Settings along the side. Open, it uses the wider layout from the iPad, with Plan, Payments, and Progress across the top. It also fits beside another app in Split View, and you don’t need to change any settings. If you bought Pro, it unlocks on your Duo too, and your data syncs to it through iCloud the same as on your other devices.
I signed out of iCloud and the app looks empty. Is my data gone? No. When you sign out of iCloud (or turn iCloud off for Debt Descent), the system removes the synced copy from that device, which is standard for synced apps. Your data is still in your own private iCloud and comes right back when you sign in again. If you want a copy that stays on the device regardless, use Export to JSON before signing out.
What does Debt Descent Pro include, and how much is it? Pro is a one-time $14.99 purchase (no subscription) that unlocks the five payoff methods beyond the free Snowball and Avalanche (one of them a custom order you set yourself), the what-if slider and per-debt payoff tests, Pick a debt-free date (see the extra it takes to finish by then), planned windfalls, refinance modeling (including applying the deal in one step), amortization schedules, PDF export of your plan and your payment history, calendar export, due-date, payday, and promo notifications, and the statement-day balance check. One purchase unlocks Pro on your iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Skipping a payment, saving up for something, notes on a debt, the year card, logging from the medium widget, paying a debt weekly or every two weeks, paydays and a bank balance, bills with due dates, autopay, the Face ID lock, hiding amounts, the weekly backup, clearing old payments, importing a plan, and exporting your history as a CSV are all free.
I bought Pro but don’t see it on a new device. It should unlock automatically when you’re signed in with the same Apple Account. Pro is Family Sharing enabled too, so the members of your Family Sharing group get it on their devices without buying it again. If it doesn’t appear, open the paywall (tap any “PRO” feature, or the ••• menu, then “Unlock Debt Descent Pro”) and tap Restore Purchases.
I have an offer code. Where do I enter it? In Settings, tap Redeem a code…, or tap Redeem a Code on the paywall. Apple’s redeem sheet opens, and Pro unlocks once the code goes through.
Adding debts
How do I import a statement? Tap Import statement under your debts on the Plan tab (or use File ▸ Import Statement… on the Mac) and pick a PDF, or a photo of the statement, which is how a Mac uses a Continuity Camera capture. On iPhone and iPad you can also tap Scan (beside “Add a debt”) to photograph a paper statement with the camera. You can open a statement PDF straight from Files or Finder too. Either way, Debt Descent reads the balance, APR, minimum, and due date on your device, and shows you every field to confirm before anything is saved. It also takes the statement’s closing day as the debt’s statement day, sets up a card’s intro rate (like 0% until a date) as a promo, matches the minimum the statement printed, and names a new card the way the statement does.
Can Debt Descent connect to my bank? No. There’s no account and no bank linking. Balances come from your statements instead. Import the PDF, scan the paper one, or update the balance by hand when the statement posts.
One monthly payment covers several of my debts. Can Debt Descent track that? Yes, and payment groups are free for everyone. On the Payments tab, add a payment group, pick the debts it covers, and enter the monthly amount that reaches them. Log the payment once and Debt Descent splits it across the group to the cent, following the servicer’s own schedule when every member has a fixed payment. If your plan keeps a fee (it drafts more than it sends to your creditors), record that in the Plan fee field. The app then matches your bank statement while keeping the fee out of your payoff math.
A debt in a payment group shows a different due date than its statement. Why? Because that’s the date your money goes out. A debt enrolled in a group shows the group’s payment date everywhere, including upcoming payments, reminders, and calendar export. The creditor’s own due date isn’t overwritten; it comes back the moment the debt leaves the group.
My student loan is in deferment. How do I enter it? Add or edit the loan and turn on In deferment — nothing due yet, then set the date the deferment ends. Until that date the loan sits out of your plan: nothing is due, it stays off upcoming payments and reminders, and the payoff math skips it. When the date arrives it rejoins the plan on its own. Under the date, When payments start decides what happens to your monthly total then. Added to my monthly total (the default) adds the loan’s payment to it. Comes out of my monthly total takes the payment out of your extra instead (and out of payments rolling forward, if the extra isn’t enough), so your total stays the same. If the plan can’t cover all of it, your total rises by only the rest, and the Debt payments card says by how much. While every debt you still owe is deferred, the Debt payments card reads $0.00 a month and says when your extra starts. In a payment group, a deferred loan takes no share of the group’s payment until its deferment ends. Enter the eventual monthly payment if you know it (the row shows it as “$150/mo after”) or add it later. If the loan is subsidized (no interest accrues while it’s deferred), also turn on No interest during deferment (subsidized) and the balance holds still until the date. Deferment is available for loans, not cards.
I want to watch a balance without paying it off in the plan (a mortgage, a 0% loan). Choose Track only (leave out of plan) in the debt’s menu (the ••• button on its row; right-click on the Mac, long-press on iPhone and iPad). The debt stays in your list with its balance and due date, and its row reads “Tracked · not in the plan”, but the payoff math, your extra, and the debt-free date leave it out. It still counts in your totals and in the Where it’s owed rings on the Progress tab, whose caption says how many debts are held out, like “(1 not in the plan)”. Choose Put back in plan when you want it back in. Mortgage is one of the debt kinds, alongside cards, loans, and medical debt.
Can I keep notes on a debt? Yes. Open the debt’s menu (the ••• button on its row; right-click on the Mac, long-press on iPhone and iPad), choose Edit details, and use Notes for things like a promo’s fine print or who you spoke to and when. Notes sync to your other devices and go in your backups, and nothing in the plan reads them.
My card’s minimum is 1% of the balance plus interest. Can Debt Descent match it? Yes. Choose Edit details in the debt’s menu (the ••• button on its row) and set Rule to Percent plus interest. Most large US card issuers figure the minimum as 1% of the balance plus the month’s interest and fees. The other rules are Percent of balance and Fixed amount. New cards start on Percent plus interest with a $25 floor, and cards already in the app keep the rule they had.
Payments and bills
Can I skip a month’s payment? Yes, and it’s free. On the Plan tab, open the debt’s menu (the ••• button on its row; right-click on the Mac, long-press on iPhone and iPad) and choose Skip this month’s payment or Defer to next month. You can also do it from the Payments tab: long-press a payment under Upcoming payments (right-click on the Mac) for Log a payment, Skip this month’s payment, or Defer to next month. Before anything changes, Debt Descent tells you what it costs, like “Skipping costs about $38 in interest and moves debt-free to March 2029.” A skip sends nothing to that debt this month. It keeps charging interest, and the plan picks back up next month. A defer does the same, then adds this month’s minimum to next month’s payment, on top of your budget. The debt’s row then reads “Skipped · resumes in October” or “Deferred · $290.00 due in October”, and Upcoming payments, Left over, and Debt payments show it too. History keeps a muted row on that month’s due day that reads “Skipped” or “Deferred to October”, and no total counts it. If you change your mind, the same menu has Undo skip or Undo defer. The app doesn’t tell your lender anything, and it doesn’t know their late fees, so please call your lender or card issuer first, since many will waive one late fee if you ask. Skip and Defer aren’t offered for a debt in a payment group, a loan in deferment, a paid-off or tracked-only debt, a debt you’ve already logged a payment to this month, or the month a deferred payment comes due.
What’s the difference between “Defer to next month” and a loan in deferment? Defer to next month is your own call, for one month. This month’s minimum moves to next month, and the debt keeps charging interest in between. A loan in deferment is a pause your lender has agreed to, often for months. You set that up by editing the loan and turning on In deferment — nothing due yet, with the date it ends. If your lender has granted a pause, use the loan deferment. If you’re only moving one payment, use Defer.
Why does a debt show up more than once in Upcoming payments? Starting with 1.18, Upcoming payments lists every due date in the stretch it covers. If a debt comes due again before the last payment in the list, that later date shows up too, so the payments are in the order they happen. The repeat rows are muted, show the regular amount, and have no log button, so log the payment from the debt’s first row. The card shows the next six due dates, plus the rest of that paycheck’s payments if you’ve set a payday, and a line like “2 more after Oct 28” covers the rest. When the card is folded, its count includes every one.
Can I pay a debt weekly or every two weeks? Yes, and it’s free. Choose Edit details in the debt’s menu (the ••• button on its row) and set Paid to Twice a month, Every 2 weeks, or Weekly, with the Days it’s paid (twice a month) or the date the first payment is Starting. Each payment is half the monthly payment, or a quarter of it weekly, so a $300 car payment becomes $150 every two weeks. Paid every two weeks, that’s 26 half payments a year, the same as 13 monthly payments instead of 12, which is how the debt clears sooner. Each date gets its own row in Upcoming payments, and a due-date reminder comes on each payment date. A debt in a payment group stays monthly, on the group’s schedule.
Can I see what each paycheck has to cover? Yes. On the Plan tab, tap Edit on the Left over card to open Income & bills, and set your next Payday. Upcoming payments then lists each payment under the paycheck that covers it, with headers like “Payday · Fri, Oct 9 · $412 to pay”. Starting with 1.21.1, pay one of them on that payday or after, and the payment counts toward it, even when it’s due next month: a card due Nov 4, paid on an Oct 23 payday, leaves the list that day. That’s once last month’s payment for that card is logged. Until then, a payment counts toward last month’s first, and the Log sheet says so. A “~” in front of a figure means it’s an estimate.
Can it read my paystub? Yes. Open Income & bills and tap Scan a paystub to photograph one with the camera (iPhone and iPad), or Read from a paystub… to use a photo or a PDF. A review sheet shows the net pay and pay frequency it found so you can check both against the stub, and nothing is saved until you confirm. They go into Income & bills as your take-home pay and cadence. Like statement reading, it runs on your device, and the paystub is never uploaded.
Can I hide paydays with nothing due? Yes. In Settings ▸ Plan, turn off Paydays with nothing due (it’s on by default). Upcoming payments then lists only the paydays with something to pay, and leaves out headers like “Payday · Wed, Oct 7 · nothing due”. The setting is per device.
Can it tell me if what’s in the bank covers my payments? Yes, if you type the balance in. Under Payday in Income & bills, the Bank row takes what’s in your account today. Upcoming payments then says whether it covers what’s due before your next payday, like “$900.00 in the bank · $488.00 to spare” or “$300.00 in the bank · $112.00 short”. Debt Descent can’t see your account, so the figure is an estimate that knows only the number you entered, the payments you log, and the bills you mark paid. After your next payday it waits for a new balance. The Bank row is optional and free, and it syncs to your other devices but isn’t in the JSON backup.
Can I add due dates to my bills? Yes. In Income & bills, tap Add a due date under a bill, and it then reads like “Due Nov 1”. With a due date, a bill is listed in Upcoming payments too, where a check marks it paid. It comes around again at the bill’s own frequency. Marking a bill paid doesn’t log anything to your plan, since bills aren’t debts, and one whose date passes without a check reads “Past due”. Each paycheck’s total and the bank line include your bills.
Can Debt Descent log the payments I have on autopay? Yes, and it’s free. Turn on On autopay for a debt by choosing Edit details in the debt’s menu (the ••• button on its row), or turn it on for a payment group or a bill. On each due date, Debt Descent logs the payment the next time it opens, dated that day, and marks a bill paid. It logs the debt’s own payment (a card’s minimum), so any extra your plan sends it is still yours to log. It doesn’t move any money. If you’ve already logged part of a debt’s payment, it logs only what’s left, and nothing once it’s all paid. A payment group’s autopay logs nothing once the group’s payment is logged, and a payment made to one debt in the group doesn’t count toward it. A payment you delete in History stays deleted, and two devices won’t both log the same one. Upcoming payments and the debt’s row on the Plan tab say “On autopay”.
Can I save up for something without putting it on a card? Yes, and it’s free. Once your income or bills are in, the Left over card on the Plan tab has Save up for something. Say what it’s for, what it costs, how much you’ll set aside and how often (a week, every 2 weeks, twice a month, or a month), and when you start. The card then shows the day it’s yours, like “Yours by November 19”, with a bar like “$500.00 of $1,200.00 · $100.00 a week”. Beside it, Debt Descent shows what charging it to your highest-rate card would cost in interest over the rest of your plan, and how much sooner the same money would make you debt-free if it went toward debt instead. While you’re saving, Left over has a row like “Saving for New laptop”, so what’s left accounts for it. When it’s ready, tap I bought it and it comes off the card.
Can I see each bill behind “Other bills”? Yes. On the Left over card, tap Other bills and each bill from Income & bills is listed under it, at the rate for the period you’re viewing, so a weekly bill shows its monthly amount on the Month view. It stays open or closed on each device the way you left it.
I logged a payment, but the balance doesn’t include the interest my card charged. Debt Descent treats your balance as “what your statement says”: logging a payment takes exactly what you paid off the tracked balance, and the app never adds its own interest estimate, because card interest depends on average daily balance, posting dates, and fees, so any figure the app invented would drift from your actual statement. When your next statement posts, update the balance (edit the debt, or import the statement) and that catches the interest charge. Your plan (the debt-free date, total interest, and method comparisons) does fully model interest at each debt’s APR; only the live balance stays anchored to your statements, so you can always verify it against them.
How does History decide what counts as extra? It works it out from the amounts. Each month, a debt’s payments count toward that month’s minimum first, and whatever goes beyond it is extra, so there’s no box to tick when you log a payment. A payment made once the month’s minimum was already covered gets an EXTRA badge, and History’s footer splits what you’ve paid into “Toward the minimums” and “Extra, beyond the minimums”. The CSV’s extra column holds the same split, payment by payment.
Can I clear out old payments? Yes. On the Payments tab, tap the ••• on the History card and choose Clear older than…. Pick a date, or tap Before this year or Older than a year, and the sheet shows how many payments that is, their total, and the first few. Payments from this month always stay. Clearing only removes the rows from History. Your balances stay where they are, the Progress chart keeps its shape, and History’s footer keeps one line like “Cleared earlier — 120 payments before Jan 1, 2026” with the total. It can’t be undone, so if you want a copy, tap Save these 12 payments as a CSV first (the button shows your count) before you clear. In January the sheet suggests saving last year’s payments as a CSV and then clearing them. A clear syncs to your other devices.
The plan
Where do I change the payoff method? Tap a method card on the Plan tab (click it on the Mac), or use Payoff method at the top of Settings ▸ Plan, which opens the method menu. The card you’re using shows a checkmark, and the methods that need Pro are marked “(Pro)” in the menu.
Can I keep my extra away from one debt? Yes. Choose Edit details in the debt’s menu (the ••• button on its row) and turn on Takes only its payment — no extra. The plan then pays that debt its own payment and nothing more, whatever method you use, and your extra goes to the others. Tap Add an end date if it’s only for a while, and the debt’s row reads like “Takes only its payment until Jan 2027”. To pay it a set amount, put that amount in the debt’s Payment field and turn this on.
Can I see how much of a loan I’ve paid off? Yes. Choose Edit details in the debt’s menu (the ••• button on its row) and fill in Borrowed and Started, what the loan started at and when. Both are optional. The loan’s row then shows how much of it is paid off and how far ahead of its original term your plan finishes, like “40% of the original $24,000 paid off” and “1 yr 5 mo ahead of its original term”.
Can I see what it takes to be debt-free by a certain date? Yes, with Pro. On the Plan tab, tap Pick a debt-free date at the foot of the Extra toward debt each month card. Pick a date beside To finish by and it tells you the extra you’d need each month, like “$215 extra a month gets you there with Avalanche.” Use sets it for you. The date field shows the last day of the month you pick, because the plan clears by month, and until you pick one it follows your plan. It works from your plan as it stands, with skips, deferrals, and windfalls included. If the extra it needs is more than you have left over each month, it says that too, and there’s no Use button. If your plan already gets there, it reads like “Your plan already clears by Jun 2027.” or, with an extra set, “Your $215 extra a month gets you there: debt-free Jan 2029.” If no amount can (a loan still in deferment can hold the date back), it gives you the earliest month your plan can clear. Tap Pick a debt-free date again to fold it away.
When a debt is paid off, does its payment move to my next debt? Yes, unless you turn that off. Rolling the payment forward is how Snowball and Avalanche finish sooner. If you’d rather keep that money each month, turn off Roll payments forward in Settings ▸ Plan. Each debt then pays its own minimum, a paid-off debt’s payment leaves your plan, and only your extra (if you’ve set any) moves between debts. If a debt’s own minimum can’t keep up with its interest, it never clears with the setting off, and the plan says which debt it is and what to change. It’s free, and the setting syncs to your other devices. With it on, you can still stop one paid-off debt’s payment from rolling forward by choosing Stop rolling minimum payment forward in that debt’s menu (the ••• button on its row; right-click on the Mac, long-press on iPhone and iPad).
Can I watch today’s interest add up? Yes. In Settings ▸ Plan, turn on Interest per day tile (it’s off by default). The Plan tab then shows what your debts cost in interest each day, with how much has built up so far today beside it.
What does the Plan summary card show? It shows the next 30 days of interest across your debts, and what the whole plan costs. In Settings ▸ Plan, turn on Plan summary card (it’s off until you do).
Reminders, Progress, and widgets
What is the statement-day balance check? It’s a reminder when each new statement is in, so you enter the real balance and the plan runs on it. If a debt has a statement day (open its ••• menu, choose Edit details, and set Statement, under Due day), the reminder comes two days after it. Otherwise it comes a few days after the due day. Importing a statement fills in the statement day from its closing date. The Final-statement check after a payoff comes two days after the statement day too, or 30 days after the payoff if the debt has none. Both are part of Pro. In Settings ▸ Notifications, turn on Statement-day balance check (it’s off by default).
Can I get a notification on payday? Yes, with Pro. In Settings ▸ Notifications, turn on Payday notification (it’s off by default). At 9 AM on each payday it tells you what that paycheck has to cover, the payments and bills due before the next one, like “Payday: $412 to pay from this paycheck”. It needs your next payday in Income & bills.
Can I get a warning before a promo rate ends? Yes, with Pro. In Settings ▸ Notifications, Before a promo ends is on by default. Two months before a promo rate or a deferred-interest promo ends, and again two weeks before, a notification at 9 AM says what’s left and what clears it in time, like “Citi — 0% ends December 1” with “$1,240 left; $620.00 a month clears it in time. After that, the rate is 24.99%.” For a deferred-interest promo it also says what posts if you don’t, like “If it isn’t cleared, $412 of deferred interest posts.” Tracked-only debts get it too.
Can I log a payment from a reminder? Yes. Starting with 1.20.2, a due-date reminder has a Log payment button (Log payments when it names several debts) that logs this month’s payment without opening the app. On the debt that gets your extra, the reminder gives both figures, like “About $156 due in a few days. Your plan pays $599.” A payment group’s reminder has no button, so log the group’s payment in the app. Due-date reminders are part of Pro.
Why didn’t I get a milestone card for a debt I paid off? Milestone cards on the Plan tab mark your first payment, a quarter, half, and three quarters paid off, a debt paid off, and debt-free, and they only cover the last 45 days. A payoff from before you installed 1.16 won’t get one. It’s still in your Payments history, and the next milestone you reach gets its card. Each card has a Share your progress button, and you can dismiss it once you’ve seen it.
What are the two rings on the Progress tab? “Where it’s owed” shows where your balance sits: by kind (cards, loans, and so on) and by debt. Tap a slice, or hover over it on the Mac, to see which debt it is and its share.
What’s the dashed line on the Progress chart? Starting with 1.20, the chart has a line called “Your plan from today”. It picks up where your Actual line ends and runs to your debt-free month, beside the gray Baseline plan, which is the plan you started with. The caption says when your plan from today reaches zero, and how far ahead of or behind the baseline that is.
Can I use Siri or Shortcuts? Yes. Ask Siri “When am I debt-free in Debt Descent” or “How much interest am I saving in Debt Descent”, or say “Log a payment to [debt name] in Debt Descent” to record one. The Shortcuts app has those actions plus “Set my [debt] balance” and “Add a debt”, so you can chain them into your own shortcuts. On the Mac the same actions appear in Spotlight. Your debts are in Spotlight as well: type a card’s name to see its balance, and select it to open the debt in the app.
Is there a widget? Yes, for the Home Screen, the Lock Screen, and the Mac desktop. It shows your debt-free date, what’s left, and how far along you are. On the medium widget, the button logs your next payment without opening the app. It names the payment, like “Log $120.35 to Visa · Sep 28”, then shows “Logged $120.35 to Visa” with Undo. Debt Descent records it right away if it’s running (on the Mac, even in the background), or the next time you open it. When there’s no payment to log yet, the button reads Log payment and opens the app. The widget reads a snapshot the app writes, so after you install or update the app, open Debt Descent once and the widget fills in. With no debts yet it says “Add a debt”.
Can the widget count down in days instead of months? Yes. Long-press the widget, choose Edit Widget, and set Count in to Days. The number then ticks down each morning.
Text size, VoiceOver, and currency
How do I make the text bigger? On iPhone and iPad, Debt Descent follows your system text size (Settings ▸ Accessibility ▸ Display & Text Size ▸ Larger Text), and every screen and sheet reflows with it, up to the largest accessibility sizes. The widgets follow it too, up to the first accessibility size. On the Mac that setting doesn’t reach apps like this one, so Debt Descent has its own Text size slider in Settings ▸ Appearance.
Does it work with VoiceOver? Yes. Every field says what it’s for, and each debt, payment, and balance reads as one sentence, with its buttons as separate stops. If something reads wrong, please let me know which screen.
Why are amounts in £ or € instead of $? Amounts follow your device’s region, so the app shows £, €, CA$, and so on where that’s the local currency. The app’s text is in English either way.
Export, backup, and starting over
How do I export my payment history? On the Payments tab, tap the ••• on the History card. Export to CSV… is free, and the file opens in Excel or Numbers with each payment’s date, debt, the debt’s kind, amount, how much of it went beyond that month’s minimum, whether it paid the debt off or closed it into a refinance, its note, and its payment group. The payoff and refinance columns say yes or no, so a spreadsheet can leave a refinance out of a total the way History’s footer does. Export to PDF… is part of Pro. It lists one payment per line, newest first, with the History card’s totals at the bottom. The Plan tab’s ••• menu has the same two, Export payment history (PDF)… and Export payment history (CSV)…. When you make the PDF, you pick Just the payments or Include my plan. Include my plan puts your whole plan inside the PDF so it imports back into Debt Descent. Anyone you send that PDF to can open the plan too, so pick Just the payments for a copy you’ll hand to someone else.
Is my whole plan inside the PDFs I export? For the plan PDF, yes. Starting with 1.18, Export plan (PDF)… always puts your whole plan inside the PDF as an attached file, so Debt Descent can import it back, and the page says so. It includes your debts and payments and their notes, payment groups, windfalls, extra, income, bills, and Save up goals. Anyone you send a plan PDF to can open that attachment, in Debt Descent or in a PDF reader like Adobe Acrobat. The payment history PDF only carries your plan if you pick Include my plan.
Can I open a plan file from Files, Mail, or Finder? Yes. On iPhone and iPad, open the file from Files, Mail, or Messages, tap Share, and pick Debt Descent. On the Mac, use Finder’s Open With ▸ Debt Descent, or drag the file onto the app’s icon in the Dock. It works with a JSON backup and with a PDF that carries a plan, including a plan PDF from the app and the Download for Debt Descent and Save as PDF files from the calculators on this site. If you already have a plan, Debt Descent asks whether to Add to my plan or Replace everything. A PDF without a plan in it goes to the statement reader instead. Debt Descent shows up as an option for these files, but it never becomes your default app for them. On a fresh install, the Welcome screen has Import a plan file too.
How do I back up my data? Debt Descent saves one for you every week, and you can save one yourself any time. Starting with 1.20.3, Weekly backup to iCloud Drive in Settings ▸ Backups saves the same file as Export to JSON, named like “Debt Descent backup 2026-10-08.json”, in the Debt Descent folder of your iCloud Drive, where you can see it in Files and the Finder. It’s on by default and keeps the last eight, and two devices don’t both save one in the same week. The line under the switch says when the last one was saved, or that iCloud Drive isn’t available to Debt Descent on that device. To put a backup back, open it with Import plan (JSON or PDF)… (••• menu / File menu). Export to JSON (same menus) saves a copy wherever you like. A plan PDF the app exported imports too, since it carries the plan inside it. If the device already has a plan, the import asks whether to add to it or replace everything. Starting with 1.20, a backup also carries skipped and deferred months, History’s record of cleared payments, your Save up goals, and each debt’s note and statement day. Backup and restore are free for everyone. Your data is never behind the paywall. (iCloud sync keeps your devices in step, but it isn’t a backup. Deleting a debt removes it everywhere, so the weekly backup is the safety net, and Export to JSON is for a copy you keep somewhere else.)
How do I start over? Use Purge All Data (••• menu) to erase everything and start blank. On an empty app the menu also offers Load Sample Data, a made-up demo set. It only appears while there are no debts, so it can’t replace your data by accident.
Contact
The fine print is short: the Privacy Policy and the Terms of Use.