Debt-to-Income (DTI) Ratio Calculator

Calculate your debt-to-income ratio and see how much room you have under common lender limits.

Income period

Changing the period re-reads the income you typed. It does not convert it.

Gross income

Required, greater than 0. Monthly up to 1,000,000 dollars. Annual up to 1,000,000,000 dollars.

Co-borrower income

Optional, same period as gross income. Blank counts as 0. Same upper limit as gross income.

Housing payment

Required each month. 0 is allowed. Up to 1,000,000 dollars.

Car loan

Optional monthly payment. Blank counts as 0. Up to 1,000,000 dollars.

Student loans

Optional monthly payment. Blank counts as 0. Up to 1,000,000 dollars.

Credit card minimums

Optional monthly payment. Blank counts as 0. Up to 1,000,000 dollars.

Personal loans

Optional monthly payment. Blank counts as 0. Up to 1,000,000 dollars.

Child support or alimony

Optional monthly payment. Blank counts as 0. Up to 1,000,000 dollars.

Other monthly debts

Optional monthly payment. Blank counts as 0. Up to 1,000,000 dollars.

Results update as you type.

Results

Enter your numbers to see the results.

Estimates only. This isn't financial advice. Every lender sets its own limits and looks at more than DTI, so ask yours how they calculate it.

Enter your income, housing payment and other monthly debts to see your front-end and back-end DTI, where you land against common lender benchmarks, and how many dollars a month you have before you hit them. Your debt-to-income ratio, the share of your gross monthly income that goes to debt payments, is one of the first numbers a lender checks.

How to use it

Enter gross monthly income, before taxes. If you know only your annual pay, enter that and the tool divides by 12. Add a co-borrower's income if you're applying together.
Enter your housing payment: mortgage principal, interest, property tax, insurance and HOA dues, or the new payment you're considering. Renters who are checking a car loan or other credit can leave this at 0.
List your other monthly debt payments: car loans, student loans, credit card minimums, personal loans, child support or alimony, and anything else on your credit report.
Read your front-end and back-end ratios, your status band, and your room to each benchmark.

Count the minimum required payment on each debt, not what you choose to pay. Don't count utilities, phone bills, groceries, insurance premiums (other than homeowners insurance in your housing payment) or other living costs. Lenders usually leave those out. Pay off a small card balance completely before you apply, and its minimum payment drops out of the ratio.

How it works

Divide your monthly debt payments by your gross monthly income. Front-end counts housing only, while back-end counts housing plus everything else.

Room to a benchmark = benchmark % × gross monthly income − housing − other debts. A negative number means you're over by that much.

Lender benchmarks

36%: Fannie Mae's maximum back-end DTI for manually underwritten loans. It can go up to 45% with credit score and reserve requirements.
50%: the maximum for loans run through Fannie Mae's automated Desktop Underwriter.
43%: a commonly cited rule of thumb. It was once the CFPB's General Qualified Mortgage limit, but a December 2020 final rule replaced that limit with price-based tests. You'll still hear it, but it's no longer a hard federal cutoff.
28/36: a rule of thumb, not a regulation: housing at or under 28% of gross income, total debt at or under 36%.

The calculator bands your result as: 36% or less (comfortable), 36 to 45%, 45 to 50%, and above 50% (over the Desktop Underwriter maximum). FHA and VA limits aren't included yet.

Worked examples

$6,000 a month, $1,800 housing, $600 other debts.

Front-end is 1,800 ÷ 6,000 = 30.00%. Back-end is 2,400 ÷ 6,000 = 40.00%. You're $240 a month over 36%, with $180 of room under 43% and $600 under 50%.

$85,000 a year, $2,100 housing, $950 other debts.

Monthly income is $7,083.33. Front-end is 29.65% and back-end is 43.06%, just $4.17 a month over 43%. Paying off one small card before applying could put you under.

A renter checking a car loan.

$4,000 a month with $400 in debt payments and housing left out: back-end DTI is 10.00%, leaving $1,040 a month before 36%.

$7,500 a month, a $2,000 proposed mortgage and $900 in other payments.

Front-end 26.67%, back-end 38.67%. That's within 28% on housing but $200 over 36% overall, with $325 of room under 43%.

FAQ

What is a good debt-to-income ratio?

Lower is better. 36% or less is generally comfortable for lenders. Fannie Mae allows up to 45% with strong credit and reserves on manually underwritten loans, and up to 50% through its automated system.

How do I calculate my debt-to-income ratio?

Add up your monthly debt payments, including housing, and divide by your gross monthly income. $2,400 in payments on $6,000 of income is 40%.

What's the difference between front-end and back-end DTI?

Front-end counts only housing costs. Back-end counts housing plus every other debt payment. When lenders say "DTI," they usually mean back-end.

What DTI do I need to buy a house?

It depends on the loan and lender. Many conventional loans top out between 36% and 50% back-end, depending on how they're underwritten. Use the Home Affordability Calculator to turn your DTI room into a price range.

Is 43% DTI the limit for a mortgage?

Not anymore as a federal rule. The CFPB replaced its 43% General QM limit with price-based limits in a December 2020 final rule. Some lenders still use 43% as a guideline.

Does DTI matter for a car loan or HELOC?

Yes. Auto lenders and HELOC lenders look at it too, though their limits vary. Leave housing at your current payment and add the new loan's payment to see the effect.

Does rent count in debt-to-income ratio?

If you're applying for a mortgage, the new housing payment replaces your rent. For other loans, lenders treat rent differently, so ask yours.