Debt-to-Income Ratio Calculator

Calculate your front-end and back-end DTI ratios to see how lenders view your debt load.

How the debt-to-income ratio calculator works

Lenders judge how much debt you can carry by comparing monthly obligations to gross (pre-tax) monthly income. The front-end ratio counts housing costs only — mortgage or rent, property taxes, insurance, and HOA dues — divided by income. The back-end ratio adds all other recurring debt payments: cards, auto loans, student loans.

The classic underwriting guideline is the 28/36 rule: housing at or below 28% of gross income and total debt at or below 36% is considered comfortable. FHA programs stretch the front end to about 31%, and 43% back-end is the typical ceiling for a qualified mortgage. The calculator rates both of your ratios against these bands.

DTI is a cash-flow measure, not a credit score — it ignores savings and assets. A low DTI with no emergency fund can still be fragile, and a moderate DTI with deep reserves can be fine.

How to use this calculator

Enter your gross monthly income (before taxes).
Enter your total monthly housing costs — rent or mortgage, taxes, insurance, HOA.
Enter all other monthly debt payments (minimums count, utilities don’t).
Press Calculate to see both ratios, their ratings, and your income breakdown.

Key terms

Front-end ratio: Monthly housing costs divided by gross monthly income.
Back-end ratio: All monthly debt payments — housing plus other debt — divided by gross monthly income. The ratio most lenders qualify you on.
28/36 rule: The traditional guideline: at most 28% of gross income to housing and 36% to total debt.

Tips

Use minimum required payments for credit cards, not what you actually pay — that’s how lenders compute it.
Utilities, groceries, phone plans, and insurance premiums (other than those in housing) do not count as debt for DTI.
To lower DTI fastest, target the debt with the highest payment-to-balance ratio — often a car loan — rather than the largest balance.

Frequently asked questions

What DTI do I need for a mortgage?

Most conventional lenders look for a back-end ratio at or below 43%, and pricing improves as you approach 36% or lower. FHA loans can allow higher ratios with compensating factors like reserves or a strong credit score.

Is DTI calculated on gross or take-home income?

Gross — income before taxes and deductions. That means a "comfortable" DTI on paper can still feel tight in practice, since your actual spendable income is smaller.

Do rent payments count if I’m applying for a mortgage?

When qualifying you for a mortgage, lenders replace your current rent with the proposed full housing payment (PITI) in the ratios. Use the expected payment from our mortgage calculator as the housing cost here to preview your post-purchase DTI.

Planning further? Try the mortgage calculator or the loan payoff calculator.

Mortgage Calculator

Estimate your monthly mortgage payment, total interest cost, and full amortization schedule.

Loan Payoff Calculator

Find out when your loan will be paid off and how much interest extra monthly payments can save.