Debt-to-income (DTI) calculator
Debt-to-income (DTI) divides your monthly debt payments by your gross monthly income. Lenders look at the housing payment alone (front-end) and all debts including housing (back-end). Enter your numbers to see both ratios and a plain-English read.
Educational estimate based on the numbers you enter and common rules of thumb. Not a loan offer, rate quote, approval or financial advice. A licensed loan officer can run your real numbers.
How this calculator works
Debt-to-income compares your monthly debt payments with your gross monthly income, which is income before taxes. This calculator finds two ratios. Front-end DTI is the proposed housing payment divided by gross monthly income. Back-end DTI adds your car, student loan, credit card minimum and other loan or support payments to the housing payment, then divides by the same income. It also shows how many dollars of room you have before two common reference lines, and gives a plain-English read based on rule-of-thumb bands.
The tool uses your numbers exactly as you type them. It does not pull your credit report. It leaves out living costs like utilities, phone, groceries and insurance, which lenders do not count as debt. The housing payment should be the full amount: principal, interest, taxes, insurance, mortgage insurance and HOA dues. If you do not know it yet, the mortgage payment calculator can estimate it. The bands are general guides, not lender limits.
When you apply, a lender calculates DTI from verified income and from the debts on your credit report and any court orders. Income may be averaged over time, especially if you are self-employed or paid by commission. Student loans may be counted at a calculated payment rather than what you pay today. Limits differ by program, and strong credit or savings can matter. A loan officer can tell you which limit applies to you.
Example: enter $10,000 of gross monthly income, the housing payment from the mortgage payment calculator, and your debts. Then set the car payment to $0 to see how paying off that loan would change your back-end ratio.
Related: Mortgage payment calculator · Home affordability calculator · Student loan extra payment calculator · Self-employed mortgage guide
Common questions
What counts as debt in DTI?
Recurring monthly obligations that show on your credit report or by court order, such as car loans, student loans, credit card minimum payments, other loans and support payments, plus the new housing payment. Utilities, phone bills and groceries are not included.
What DTI do lenders allow?
It depends on the program, your credit and your savings. Some programs allow higher ratios with strong compensating factors. Treat the bands here as a rule of thumb and ask a loan officer for the limit that applies to you.
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