Debt-to-Income Ratio Calculator
The number lenders check first, computed from your debts.
Your numbers
How this calculator works
Your debt-to-income ratio is the first number a mortgage underwriter looks at: total monthly debt payments divided by gross monthly income. It answers the lender's core question, after existing obligations, is there room for this new payment? This DTI calculator computes it exactly the way lenders do, using gross (pre-tax) income and minimum required debt payments, and shows your housing-only ratio alongside the total. It also rates your result against the thresholds that matter.
The magic number is 43%: the cutoff for a "qualified mortgage" under US lending rules, above it most mainstream lenders will not approve you. Under 36% is the comfort zone where approvals are easy and rates are best; 36–43% is workable but tight. If your ratio is too high, you have exactly two levers: raise income or cut debt payments. Paying off a car loan or credit card entirely removes its payment from the calculation, which is why killing small debts before applying can move the needle more than chipping at a large one. Run the numbers before house hunting so a pre-approval never surprises you.