Debt-to-Income (DTI) Ratio Calculator
Enter your monthly mortgage or rent, car loan, student loan, credit-card minimum and any other fixed monthly debt payments, plus your gross monthly income, and the tool instantly computes your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio. The result is benchmarked against the 36 % / 43 % / 50 % lender bands, and the table shows the maximum monthly debt that each cap allows at your income level.
Monthly debt payments
List each fixed monthly debt payment — the calculator sums them. Living expenses (utilities, groceries) and rent (if also entered as housing) are not double-counted.
Total monthly debt —
Please enter a valid number
Your DTI
31.7%
Excellent
DTI rating scale
≤ 36% Acceptable
36–43% Caution
43–50% High
> 50%
Lender DTI thresholds at your income
Maximum total monthly debt that each lender DTI cap allows at your gross income.
| Cap | Max monthly debt | Headroom |
|---|
Lower DTI = easier loan approval. Bands follow US CFPB / Fannie Mae and Hong Kong HKMA debt-servicing-ratio (DSR) conventions.
Formula
DTI = total monthly debt payments / gross monthly income Example: $6,000 income with $1,900 in monthly debt → DTI = 1,900 / 6,000 ≈ 31.7 %
- · Bands: ≤ 36 % (Excellent — broadly approved) / 36–43 % (Acceptable — within CFPB Qualified Mortgage cap) / 43–50 % (Caution — usually requires larger down payment or non-QM pricing) / > 50 % (High — most lenders decline).
- · DTI comes in two flavours: front-end (housing only / income) and back-end (all debt / income). The calculator shows the back-end ratio, which is what mortgage underwriters compare against.
- · Use gross (pre-tax) monthly income. For bonus or commission earners, spread the trailing 12-month total over 12 months before entering.
- · Only fixed monthly debt payments count toward the numerator — mortgage / rent, car loan, student loan, credit-card minimum, personal loan, alimony. Living costs (utilities, groceries, insurance not tied to a loan) are excluded.
- · US benchmark: the CFPB Qualified Mortgage rule (2014–2021) capped DTI at 43 %; Fannie Mae raised the cap to 50 % in DU 10.1 (2017). The FHA caps at 43 % with compensating factors up to 50 %.
- · Hong Kong benchmark: HKMA Supervisory Policy Manual IC-3 / IC-5 typically requires DSR (back-end DTI) ≤ 50 % and stressed-DSR ≤ 60 %; lower caps apply for non-owner-occupied and non-residential properties.
Frequently asked
What is the difference between DTI and LTV?
DTI (debt-to-income) is monthly debt / gross monthly income — it measures your ability to keep up with fixed payments and is usually the last gate in mortgage / loan approval. LTV (loan-to-value) is loan amount / property value — it measures how much collateral backs the loan and drives down-payment and pricing. Both are checked independently: a high LTV means more down payment or mortgage insurance; a high DTI means the lender may decline even with a large down payment.
Should I include utilities, groceries and other living expenses in the debt total?
No. DTI counts only contractually fixed debt payments — mortgage / rent, car loan, student loan, credit-card minimum, personal loan, alimony, child support. Utilities, internet, non-loan insurance, groceries and discretionary spending are living expenses; lenders review them through a separate budget worksheet but do not include them in the DTI numerator. If you want a fuller picture of monthly cash flow, pair this with our loan-payoff calculator and a budget tool.
How do credit cards count — by balance or by minimum payment?
Use the monthly minimum payment, not the full balance. If you owe $30,000 and the statement minimum is $600, only the $600 goes into the DTI numerator. The reason: DTI measures monthly cash-flow burden, and the minimum is what hits your account each month. Caveat: paying only the minimum barely retires principal, so even a comfortable DTI today can hide a multi-decade payoff timeline — see our loan-payoff calculator.
My DTI is 45 % — should I still apply for a mortgage?
A 45 % DTI sits in the "Caution" band — above the 43 % CFPB QM threshold but still under 50 %. In practice: (a) US lenders backed by Fannie Mae / Freddie Mac will often still approve, but typically require a higher credit score (≥ 720), 6–12 months of reserves, or a larger down payment; (b) Hong Kong banks generally allow DSR ≤ 50 %, so 45 % is in range, but the stressed-DSR test (+200 bp) may push past 60 %, requiring a bigger deposit or mortgage insurance. The cleanest play is to retire the highest-rate debt (credit cards first) until DTI drops to 36–40 %, then reapply — both approval odds and rate will visibly improve.
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