Debt-to-Income Ratio Calculator
Calculate the DTI ratio lenders use to decide whether to approve you.
About Debt-to-Income Ratio Calculator
Lenders calculate two DTI ratios. The front-end ratio compares your housing costs alone to your income — an overextended housing payment signals affordability risk. The back-end ratio adds all monthly debt obligations: it's the number underwriters rely on most. Conventional loans typically require both ratios under 28/36; FHA allows 31/43 with compensating factors. Both ratios use gross (pre-tax) income, not take-home pay.
Formulas
Front-end DTI
Front-end DTI = Housing payment / Gross monthly income × 100
- H
- Monthly housing costs (PITI)
- I
- Gross monthly income
Back-end DTI
Back-end DTI = (Housing + all other debts) / Gross monthly income × 100
- D
- All other monthly debt payments
Worked example
With the default values below, Debt-to-Income Ratio Calculator returns Front-End DTI (Housing) of 25.0%. Change any input above and every figure here is recalculated in your browser.
Inputs used
- Gross Monthly Incomeaccepts 1–1,000,000 $
- 6,000 $
- Proposed Housing Paymentaccepts 0–500,000 $
- 1,500 $
- Car Loan(s) Paymentaccepts 0–100,000 $
- 450 $
- Student Loan Payment(s)accepts 0–100,000 $
- 300 $
- Credit Card Minimum Paymentsaccepts 0–100,000 $
- 150 $
- Other Monthly Debt Paymentsaccepts 0–100,000 $
- 0 $
Results
- Front-End DTI (Housing)Conventional limit: 28%. FHA limit: 31%.
- 25.0%
- Back-End DTI (All Debts)Conventional limit: 36%. FHA limit: 43%.
- 40.0%
- DTI Assessment
- Acceptable (Conventional)
- Total Monthly Obligations
- $2,400.00
- Headroom to Conventional 36% LimitAdditional monthly debt you can take on and still qualify conventionally.
- $0
- Headroom to FHA 43% Limit
- $180
- Passes Conventional Guidelines
- false
- Passes FHA Guidelines
- true
Step by step
- 1Gross monthly income= $6,000.00
- 2Total housing costs= $1,500.00
- 3All other monthly debt payments= $900.00
- 4Front-end DTI (housing only)= 25.0%Conventional limit: 28% | FHA limit: 31%
- 5Back-end DTI (all debts)= 40.0%Conventional limit: 36% | FHA limit: 43%
- 6Assessment= Acceptable (Conventional)Exceeds conventional limits; may qualify under FHA (31/43).
Assumptions and limits
- The result is derived only from the 6 inputs listed above. Anything not among them is not part of the calculation.
- In particular, this calculator does not take inflation, fees or charges or compounding frequency into account.
- Figures are rounded for display to 2 decimal places, so totals built from several rounded parts can differ slightly from the unrounded arithmetic.
- This is an estimate for general information and not professional financial, tax or legal advice. See the full disclaimer for the limits that apply to this kind of calculator.
How these calculators are built and tested is described on the Methodology page. If a figure looks wrong, please report it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which DTI number does my lender care about most?
Back-end DTI is the primary decision metric for most lenders. Front-end is a secondary check. Being within guideline on both ratios gives the strongest loan approval path; exceeding the back-end limit is the most common reason a mortgage application is denied.
Do I use gross or net income?
Always gross (before-tax) income. This is a lender convention, not financial advice — the actual budget impact on your household is better assessed using take-home pay. The Calculator intentionally uses gross because that's what mortgage underwriters use.
What counts as a debt payment?
Any recurring monthly obligation that appears on your credit report: mortgages, car loans, student loans, credit card minimums, child support, alimony, personal loans. It does not include utilities, groceries, phone bills or subscriptions, which lenders do not count.
Can a high credit score offset a high DTI?
Sometimes. Lenders may approve borrowers up to 45–50% back-end DTI with excellent credit (760+), significant cash reserves or a large down payment as compensating factors. FHA explicitly allows up to 57% DTI in some cases with strong compensating factors. VA loans are evaluated holistically.