Debt-to-Income (DTI) Ratio Calculator

Enter your gross monthly income and your recurring debt payments to get both the front-end ratio (housing only) and back-end ratio (all debts) that U.S. lenders check before approving a mortgage, auto loan, or refinance.

Before you enter numbers

Pull your latest pay stub for gross income and your most recent statements for every debt’s minimum payment — not the full balance. Underwriters generally count credit cards, auto loans, student loans, personal loans, and support obligations, and generally exclude utilities, subscriptions, and non-housing insurance.

Formula

front-end DTI = housing payment ÷ gross monthly income back-end DTI = all recurring debt payments ÷ gross monthly income

The calculator keeps full precision internally and only rounds the number you see, so the “what changes if I pay off this loan” comparison stays accurate to the cent.

Worked example

8,000 gross monthly income, a 2,000 housing payment, and 400 in other minimums produce a 25% front-end ratio and a 30% back-end ratio. Clearing a 150 auto payment entirely drops back-end DTI to roughly 28.1% — try the “load example” button, then remove one line to see the effect on your own numbers.

How this compares to lender benchmarks

FHA underwriting commonly targets 31% front-end / 43% back-end, with documented exceptions running higher. Conventional automated underwriting commonly tolerates back-end DTI up to about 45%, and VA loans have no statutory cap but typically use 41% as a guideline. None of these are guarantees — see the companion article for the current sourcing and the compensating factors that let real applications exceed them.

Limits and privacy

This tool provides a general educational estimate, not individualized financial, tax, legal, or lending advice, and it does not predict whether a specific application will be approved. It does not display “approved,” “guaranteed,” or similar claims — any threshold shown is labeled as a dated public benchmark, not a promise.

The calculation runs in your browser. Do not put account numbers, names, or other identifying information into a shareable link.

Related guide

Read How to Calculate DTI (And Why 43% Isn’t a Hard Cutoff Anymore) for the full FHA/VA/conventional comparison, the 2021 rule change that replaced the hard 43% cap, and three ways to lower your ratio before you apply.

Frequently asked questions

Should income be gross or net?

Gross. Nearly every published DTI benchmark — FHA, VA, conventional — is built on gross monthly income, so that is the number to compare against.

Does rent I pay count as a debt?

Not in a lender’s DTI calculation once you’re the buyer — it’s replaced by the proposed new housing payment. For personal budgeting, some people track it as an expense instead.

Does a credit card balance count, or the minimum payment?

The minimum payment. Entering the full balance is one of the most common calculation errors and can overstate your ratio significantly.

Can I exclude a debt someone else pays?

Sometimes, with 12 months of documented payment history from the other party — ask your lender whether your specific program allows it.

Is a DTI under 43% enough to get approved?

No. Credit history, assets, appraisal, and program rules also matter; DTI is one input among several.

DTI measures monthly payment burden; debt-to-assets adds a separate balance-sheet leverage view.

Personal Debt-to-Assets Ratio: A Balance-Sheet Metric, Not a Lending DTI Rule

Sources

• Consumer Financial Protection Bureau — “What is a debt-to-income ratio?”, reviewed 2026-07-31
• CFPB — General QM loan definition (Regulation Z), reviewed 2026-07-31