Calculate Your Debt-to-Income Ratio (DTI)
Calculate your DTI ratio to see if you qualify for a mortgage. Lenders use this as a key approval factor.
What Is Debt-to-Income Ratio?
DTI measures your total monthly debt payments divided by gross monthly income. There are two types: Front-end DTI (housing costs only ÷ income) — lenders prefer ≤28%. Back-end DTI (all monthly debts ÷ income) — the critical number. Conventional loans typically require ≤43%. FHA allows up to 50% with compensating factors. VA has no strict DTI limit but guidelines suggest ≤41%.
How DTI Affects Your Mortgage
DTI ≤ 36%: Best rates and easiest approval — you are a strong borrower. 36-43%: Qualifies for most loans but may need strong credit (700+) or large down payment. 43-50%: FHA may approve, conventional unlikely. You are stretched thin. 50%+: Very few lenders will approve. Focus on paying down debt before applying. Reducing DTI by even 5% can save thousands in interest through better rate qualification.
DTI calculator gets 35K+ monthly searches and is one of the first calculators potential homebuyers use. Users in the pre-qualification stage explore multiple mortgage-related calculators, generating excellent session depth and cross-page navigation.
