Welcome to Zilch Standard Help

We're glad you're here. If you're looking for a clear way to take charge of your debt, you've come to the right place. Zilch Standard is designed to help you build a plan that fits you - so you can see your options, make smart choices, and move toward peace of mind.

Quick Start Guide

This guide gives you a fast and easy way to begin using Zilch Standard. In just a few steps, you'll start creating your personal debt reduction plan - a plan designed to help you take control, explore what-if scenarios, and map out your path to financial freedom. We'll cover the essentials to get you started quickly. For advanced features or in-depth instructions, see the full documentation.

Main Screen

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The Main Screen is where your journey to debt freedom begins. It brings together all the sections you'll use to map out your personal yellow brick road - a clear plan that shows how different choices can guide you toward becoming debt-free. This isn't about tracking progress; it's about creating the smartest route to your destination.

Main Menu

The Main Menu is your central navigation tool for working with Zilch Standard. From here, you can create or open plans, save your work, set preferences, print worksheets, and access help resources. It's designed to make it easy for you to move between tasks, adjust settings, and manage your debt reduction plan with confidence.

File
New Payment Plan	Start fresh by setting up a new plan from scratch. You'll enter your debts, select your strategy, and define how you want to tackle your repayment journey.
Open Existing Plan...	Select from your saved plans so you can review, update, or explore different what-if scenarios without starting from scratch.
Save Payment Plan	Keep your current work safe by saving all changes to your plan as you go.
Payment Plan Save As...	Save a copy of your plan under a new name - useful for trying out new ideas without changing your original.
Print Data Entry Worksheet	Print a handy form to gather all your debt details on paper before entering them into the software.
Exit	Close Zilch Standard when you're done working on your plan. If you have unsaved changes, you'll be prompted to save before the program closes.
Preferences
Reset Screen to Original Size	Instantly restores the window to its default size - useful if you've resized it and want to quickly reset the layout.
Minimum Payment Allowed	Lets you set the minimum monthly payment threshold from a list of preset values (15, 20, 25, 30, or 35). This helps shape your plan's repayment pace.
Themes	Choose between a light or dark background to match your preferred viewing style.
Help
Online Help	Opens the online help system where you can find instructions, tips, and answers to common questions.
About	Displays program version details and copyright information.

Plan

The Plan section collects the high-level information that shapes your debt reduction roadmap - guiding you toward financial freedom and peace of mind. Here you enter your plan name, start date, chosen payoff strategy (Avalanche, Snowball, or Custom), and the amount of pledge money you want to dedicate each month to eliminating your debt. These choices form the foundation for creating and exploring the path that works best for you.

One-Off Payments

This section lets you add extra payments - like tax refunds, bonuses, or any unexpected funds - to speed up your debt payoff. With just a few clicks, you can apply these one-time payments and see how much faster you'll reach your goal.

Data Item	Details & Explanation
One-Off Date:	The specific month and year when this one-time extra payment will be applied. For example, if you plan to use a tax refund in March, you would enter that date here.
One-Off Amount:	The dollar amount of your one-time payment. This is extra money you want to apply to your debt in the month you selected to help pay it off faster.
Icons:	These icons help you manage your one-off payments easily.
	Adds or Updates a payment - Click to add a new one-off payment or update an existing one if you want to make changes
	Cancel - Stops the process of adding or editing a one-off payment without saving your changes.
	Edit - Opens an existing one-off payment so you can change the date or amount.
	Delete - Permanently removes an existing one-off payment after you confirm that you want to delete it

Status Bar

The Status Bar appears at the bottom of your Main Screen. It displays software copyright information and includes a handy resize gripper in the lower-right corner. This lets you easily adjust the window size to create the most comfortable view while designing and exploring your debt reduction plan.

Debt Workspace

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The Debt Workspace gives you a detailed view of all the debts included in your plan. This is where you can add, update, or delete debts as needed. Debts are listed by priority based on your chosen payoff strategy, and you can easily assign a custom priority by moving debts up or down the list. The workspace is designed for clarity and ease of use, helping you stay in control as you fine-tune your plan

Data Entry Panel

The Data Entry Panel is where you add new debts or update the details of existing ones in your plan. You'll enter information like the debt type, creditor name, APR, balance, and payment amount. Use the blue plus to add, the blue check to update, or the red X to cancel an add or update before saving. It's designed to make managing your debts simple and clear.

Data Item	Details & Explanation
Debt Type:
Credit Card:	Select this option if the debt you're adding is from a credit card.
Loan:	Select this option if the debt you're adding is a personal loan, auto loan, or similar.
Creditor Name:	Type the name of the company or person you owe the debt to. This field can't be left empty.
APR:	Enter the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) for this debt. This is the interest rate charged by the creditor.
Balance:	Enter how much you currently owe on this debt. The amount must be greater than zero.
Payment:	Enter the amount you pay toward this debt each month. The software will remind you to adjust it if it's below the minimum set in your Main Menu preferences.
Icons:
	Adds or updates a debt in your plan.
	Cancels the add or update before it is saved.

Debt Details

This section displays a complete list of all the debts you've entered using the Data Entry Panel. Each row shows key information about a debt, including the creditor's name, balance, payment amount, and interest rate (APR). You can review, update, remove, or adjust the priority of your debts by moving them up or down in the list. This is your working list of debts that make up your plan..

List Item	Details & Explanation
Priority:	This shows the payoff priority for each debt. The order is based on the payoff strategy you chose - Avalanche, Snowball, or Custom. In this view, you can see the order but not change it directly.
Type:	This shows whether the debt is a Credit Card or a Loan, as entered in the Data Entry Panel.
Credit Card	Indicates this debt is a credit card, based on what you entered earlier.
Loan	Indicates this debt is a loan, based on what you entered earlier.
Creditor Name:	The name of the company or person you owe, as entered in the Data Entry Panel.
APR:	This shows the Annual Percentage Rate (APR) charged by the creditor for this debt.
Balance:	This is the current amount you owe for this debt, as entered in the Data Entry Panel.
Payment:	This is the monthly payment you've entered for this debt.
Icons:
	Remove a debt after confirmation.
	Adjust the priority of the debt. Doing this switches the strategy to Custom.
	Opens the Data Entry Panel so you can change this debt's details.

Debt Snapshot

This section gives you a quick summary of all the debts you've entered. It shows total balances, total monthly payments, and how many credit cards and loans are in your plan. Use this snapshot to see the overall makeup of your debts at a glance.

Debt Reduction Workspace

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The Debt Reduction Workspce gives you a detailed view of how your plan helps you pay off debt faster and save money on interest. This section uses color to make comparisons easy: gray for Minimum Payments, blue for the Zilch Payment Plan, green for savings, and red for total debt. Together, these colors help you see the impact of your choices at a glance.

The Debt Reduction Workspace is divided into four distinct areas. Performance section at the top summarizes key numbers, showing how much interest you'll pay, how long it will take to become debt-free, and the savings you'll achieve with the Zilch Payment Plan. The Breakdown area features a donut chart that visually compares your debt, interest, and savings. The two bar charts highlight your Interest & Time Savings, comparing the cost and duration of minimum payments versus Zilch payments. Finally, the Debt Free Date link opens the Dial-a-Date™ Calculator, where you can explore how adjusting your timeline affects your plan.

Dial-a-Date™ - Your Personalized Path to Freedom from Debt

Exclusively from ZilchWorks, Dial-a-Date™ puts you in control of your debt-free future. Simply choose the month and year you'd like to be debt-free, and we'll calculate exactly how much Pledge Money you'll need each month to hit that target.

Behind the scenes, Dial-a-Date™ uses your selected deadline to generate a personalized repayment plan, showing you how to get out of debt on your terms. Want to be debt-free sooner? Dial it in. Prefer a more gradual approach? Dial it back.

This unique feature gives you the power to set the date-and let the software do the math.

Remember: The shorter the timeline, the higher the monthly commitment. But with Dial-a-Date™, the choice and the control is all yours.

Reports

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