Finance
Monthly debt payments as a share of gross monthly income — the back-end DTI lenders look at, plus the housing-only front-end ratio.
Other debts means credit cards, student loans, personal loans, and any other required monthly payments. Results update as you type. All calculations run locally in your browser.
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| Item | Monthly | Share of income |
|---|---|---|
| Housing | — | — |
| Auto loan | — | — |
| Other debts | — | — |
| Total debts | — | — |
DTI = total monthly debt payments ÷ gross monthly income × 100. Housing ratio = housing payment ÷ gross monthly income × 100. Income here is gross (before tax), because that is the figure lenders use.
Income $6,000 a month, housing $1,500, auto $300, other debts $200: total debts are $2,000, so DTI = $2,000 ÷ $6,000 = 33.33%. The housing ratio alone is $1,500 ÷ $6,000 = 25.00%. Both sit in the range lenders commonly describe as manageable (at or under 36% for total DTI).
The bands below are common lender guidelines, not rules: individual lenders weigh credit history, savings, and loan type alongside DTI, and some loan programs allow higher ratios. Only required minimum payments count — paying extra voluntarily does not raise your DTI, and everyday spending (food, utilities, subscriptions) is not debt and is not included. Self-employed income is harder to document; lenders often use an average of recent tax years rather than one good month.
Required minimum payments: mortgage or rent, auto loans, student loans, personal loans, and credit card minimums. Child support and alimony count where they apply. Groceries, utilities, and subscriptions do not.
Front-end is housing only (25.00% in the example); back-end is all debts (33.33%). Lenders usually care most about back-end, but some also cap front-end, often around 28%.
No. Many lenders prefer 36% or under, some accept up to 43%, and certain programs go higher with compensating factors. Treat the bands as guidance, not approval odds.
Gross, before tax. Using take-home pay would overstate the ratio and mismatch how lenders compute it.
Pay down a small debt entirely (removing its payment helps more than trimming a large balance), avoid new monthly obligations before applying, and report all stable income — a side income with a paper trail counts.
Not until the loan is gone. DTI uses the required minimum payment, so extra payments only help once the debt is fully paid off and its payment disappears.
Results are estimates only and do not constitute professional advice.