Debt-to-Income Ratio Calculator
Find out if your DTI meets lender requirements. See color-coded results aligned to mortgage qualification thresholds.
Monthly Debt Payments
(minimum payment only)
💡 Only include recurring monthly debt payments. Don't include utilities, groceries, or subscriptions.
Your DTI Summary
Housing Costs vs Income
(front-end DTI)
Total Debt vs Income
(back-end DTI)
0.0%
$0.00/month
Monthly Income
$6,000.00
Monthly Debt
$0.00
Money Left After Debts
$6,000.00
after all debt payments
Loan Eligibility Guide
Based on your DTI — general lender guidelines
Conventional Loan
Standard mortgage, best rates
Housing DTI
Add rent or mortgage to see housing DTI
Total DTI
Your 0.0% · Max 43%
“No debt payments entered — add your debts for accurate results.”
FHA Loan
Government-backed, more flexible
Housing DTI
Add rent or mortgage to see housing DTI
Total DTI
Your 0.0% · Max 43%
“No debt payments entered — add your debts for accurate results.”
VA Loan
For veterans & military (no down payment)
Total DTI
Your 0.0% · Max 41%
Note: VA loans don't have an official housing DTI limit. Approval depends heavily on residual income — money left after all expenses, not just debt payments.
“No debt payments entered — add your debts for accurate results.”
Personal Loan
Unsecured loan for any purpose
Total DTI
Your 0.0% · Max 40%
“No debt payments entered — add your debts for accurate results.”
What If Calculator
See how changes to your income or debt affect your DTI — without changing your data.
Monthly Income Change
Monthly Debt Change
DTI Improvement Plan
You're in great shape!
Your DTI is within standard limits for most loan types. Keep maintaining your current debt-to-income balance.
Lender guidelines: Most lenders evaluate two DTI numbers. Your Housing DTI should ideally stay below 28%, and your Total DTI below 36% for conventional loans. FHA loans allow a Total DTI up to 43%, and some lenders accept higher with strong credit and savings.
How to Use This Debt-to-Income Ratio Calculator
1. Enter Your Monthly Gross Income. Enter your gross monthly income, before taxes. DTI is always calculated from gross income rather than take-home pay.
2. Enter Your Monthly Debt Payments. Fill in your monthly payments for Rent/Mortgage, Car Loan, and Credit Card minimums, plus student loans or other recurring debts.
3. Read Your DTI Summary. See Housing DTI (front-end) and Total DTI (back-end) with color-coded ratings and Money Left After Debts.
4. Check the Loan Eligibility Guide. Compare your DTI against Conventional, FHA, VA, and Personal Loan thresholds simultaneously.
5. Try the What-If Calculator. Simulate how a raise or paying down debt would impact your ratio.
Daniel, a military veteran, brings home $6,000 a month in gross income. His monthly payments add up to rent at $1,800, a car payment of $450, and a credit card minimum of $240 — a total of $2,490, putting his Total DTI at 41.5%. When he checks the Loan Eligibility Guide, the results surprise him: Conventional and FHA both show "Looks Good" since he's still under their 43% cap, but VA Loan flags a note because his DTI sits just above the VA's 41% guideline — and Personal Loan comes back as a fail outright, since its cap is only 40%. What puts Daniel at ease is realizing the VA doesn't reject him just for that number; he simply needs a bit more residual income than the standard minimum to offset a DTI that's slightly over guideline. Armed with that understanding, Daniel decides to pursue the VA loan route instead of a personal loan, knowing exactly why one product works for him and the other doesn't.
Key Terms
DTI (Debt-to-Income Ratio)
The percentage of your gross monthly income that goes toward paying debt (total debt ÷ gross income × 100).
Front-End DTI vs. Back-End DTI
Front-end DTI counts housing cost only. Back-end DTI counts every debt you carry divided by gross income.
Money Left After Debts
What you have left each month once debt is paid (residual income), crucial for VA loan underwriting.
Loan Eligibility Guide
Compares your DTI against Conventional, FHA, VA, and Personal Loan limits side by side.
What-If Calculator
A simulation tool to test income or debt changes without altering main inputs.
Conventional vs. FHA vs. VA vs. Personal Loan: Why the Same DTI Passes One and Fails Another
Most people assume DTI is a single number with a single answer: pass or fail. In reality, the exact same DTI can get approved by one lender and rejected by another.
Why the Same Number Means Something Different Everywhere
Take a DTI of 41.5%. For Conventional and FHA loans, that's still safe territory under their 43% cap. But for a Personal Loan with a 40% ceiling, that same number fails outright.
VA Loans Play by a Different Set of Rules
VA loans use 41% as a guideline, not a hard wall. If you cross 41%, the VA simply asks for roughly 20% more residual income to offset the higher ratio.
Check Every Option Before Assuming You Don't Qualify
If your DTI fails for one loan type, check the Loan Eligibility Guide to see which products might still work for your profile.