Debt-to-Income Ratio Calculator

Your debt-to-income ratio is the percentage of your gross monthly income that goes toward paying debts. Lenders use it to gauge your ability to manage monthly payments and repay borrowed money. A lower DTI means less risk to lenders and more borrowing power for you.

Front-end DTI (also called the housing ratio) only includes housing-related costs like mortgage or rent. Back-end DTI includes all recurring monthly debts: housing, car payments, student loans, credit cards, child support, and any other obligations. Lenders evaluate both, but back-end DTI is typically the deciding factor.

For a conventional mortgage, lenders prefer a front-end DTI of 28% or less and a back-end DTI of 36% or less. FHA loans allow up to 43% back-end (sometimes 50% with compensating factors). VA loans have a guideline of 41% back-end but no strict front-end limit. Generally, keeping your DTI below 36% gives you the most options.

You can lower DTI by paying down existing debts (especially high-payment ones like car loans or credit cards), increasing your income, avoiding new debt, or refinancing to lower monthly payments. Even paying off a single debt can significantly improve your ratio and mortgage eligibility.

DTI itself does not directly appear on your credit report or affect your credit score. However, the factors that cause high DTI — like high credit card balances — do impact your credit utilization ratio, which is a major credit score factor. Reducing debt improves both your DTI and your credit profile.

Lenders use gross income (before taxes and deductions) when calculating DTI. This is your total pre-tax salary, not your take-home pay. Self-employed borrowers typically use adjusted gross income from tax returns. This calculator uses gross monthly income for accurate lender-comparable results.