Debt-to-Income (DTI) Calculator
Find the share of your gross monthly income committed to the debt payments you enter. This free calculator describes your current obligations. It does not estimate a house price, approve a loan or predict an interest rate.
The calculation is monthly debt payments ÷ gross monthly income × 100. The CFPB explains this ratio and notes that lenders and products use different limits.
What to include in this version
- Income: enter one month before taxes and payroll deductions. Use a documented, representative month if income varies. Keep the same income period when comparing results.
- Debt payments: add required credit card minimums, auto, student and personal loan payments, current mortgage principal and interest, and fixed court-ordered payments such as child support. Count each payment once. Do not enter the balances owed or your voluntary extra payments.
- Housing: if you rent, exclude rent from this debt-only ratio. If you own, separate mortgage principal and interest from escrow for property taxes and insurance on the statement. Record those housing costs, and any HOA fees, separately in your budget.
- Other living costs: groceries, utilities, taxes and non-debt insurance payments belong in your budget; they are not debt payments in this version.
This is our explicit educational input convention, informed by the CFPB planning worksheet (PDF). A lender may use a different housing amount, qualifying income or obligation rules. For a proposed mortgage, ask for the lender's housing calculation; do not combine an old rent payment and a replacement mortgage here.
Two examples with the same income
Renter: $6,000 gross income, $300 in monthly loan and card payments and $1,200 rent. Enter $300 and $6,000: the ratio is 5.0%. The $1,200 rent still has to be paid. This low debt-only ratio does not establish an affordable budget.
Homeowner: $6,000 gross income, $1,500 mortgage principal and interest and $300 in other debt payments. Enter $1,800 and $6,000: the ratio is 30.0%. Property taxes, insurance and HOA fees remain separate budget costs in this version. These two ratios measure different current obligations; they do not grade one household against the other.
How to use the result
Save the figures and date in your own notes, then compare a later month using the same definition. A lower required payment lowers this ratio if gross income stays the same. Paying extra may reduce a balance without immediately changing the contractual monthly payment.
To check whether money is available for an extra payment, build a separate cash budget using take-home income, housing, essentials, other bills and a reserve for irregular expenses. The percentage left over from gross income is not spendable cash.
Next, use the debt payoff calculator to explore an extra payment you can sustain, or compare a debt rate with a hypothetical investment return. Neither tool knows your full circumstances.
Common questions
What if my income is zero?
The ratio cannot be calculated with a zero denominator. Do not enter fictional income to obtain a result. Work with the actual dollar shortfall and available assistance instead.
Can the ratio exceed 100%?
Yes, if the monthly obligations entered exceed that month's gross income. Check that payments and income cover the same period and that annual expenses or balances have not been entered as monthly payments.
Does a lender use this exact calculation?
Not necessarily. This tool does not apply underwriting rules. Lenders can assess housing costs, qualifying income and obligations differently, and a DTI alone cannot establish credit eligibility.
Are my figures saved?
These calculator scripts keep inputs only in the current page. They do not save or transmit the entered amounts. Leaving the page or changing language does not preserve the scenario. See the site privacy policy for other site services.