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Finance

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

Your DTI

31.7%

Excellent

DTI rating scale

Excellent
≤ 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 %

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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