Calculate Your Debt-to-Income Ratio (2024)

FAQs

Calculate Your Debt-to-Income Ratio? ›

How do I calculate my debt-to-income ratio? To calculate your DTI, you add up all your monthly debt payments and divide them by your gross monthly income. Your gross monthly income is generally the amount of money you have earned before your taxes and other deductions are taken out.

35% or less: Looking Good - Relative to your income, your debt is at a manageable level. You most likely have money left over for saving or spending after you've paid your bills. Lenders generally view a lower DTI as favorable.

A company's debt ratio can be calculated by dividing total debt by total assets. A debt ratio of greater than 1.0 or 100% means a company has more debt than assets while a debt ratio of less than 100% indicates that a company has more assets than debt.

Lenders, including anyone who might give you a mortgage or an auto loan, use DTI as a measure of creditworthiness. DTI is one factor that can help lenders decide whether you can repay the money you have borrowed or take on more debt. A good debt-to-income ratio is below 43%, and many lenders prefer 36% or below.

The Federal Reserve tracks the nation's household debt payments as a percentage of disposable income. The most recent debt payment-to-income ratio, from the third quarter of 2023, is 9.8%. That means the average American spends nearly 10% of their monthly income on debt payments.

Standards and guidelines vary, most lenders like to see a DTI below 35─36% but some mortgage lenders allow up to 43─45% DTI, with some FHA-insured loans allowing a 50% DTI.

Key takeaways. Your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio is a key factor in getting approved for a mortgage. The lower the DTI for a mortgage the better. Most lenders see DTI ratios of 36 percent or less as ideal.

Do I need to worry about my debt ratio? If your debt ratio does not exceed 30%, the banks will find it excellent. Your ratio shows that if you manage your daily expenses well, you should be able to pay off your debts without worry or penalty. A debt ratio between 30% and 36% is also considered good.

What is the rule of thumb for debt ratio? ›

As a general rule of thumb, it's best to have a debt-to-income ratio of no more than 43% — typically, though, a “good” DTI ratio is below 35%.

Here's an example: A borrower with rent of $1,200, a car payment of $400, a minimum credit card payment of $200 and a gross monthly income of $6,000 has a debt-to-income ratio of 30%. In this example, $1,800 is the sum of all debt payments.

How to calculate your debt-to-income ratio. To calculate your DTI, add up the total of all of your monthly debt payments and divide this amount by your gross monthly income, which is typically the amount of money you make before taxes and other deductions each month.

Rent is an expense, and it can be a liability, but it is not a debt unless it is overdue. Rent and mortgage interest are in the same class of expense. But then mortgage interest is not a debt either.

Monthly Payments Not Included in the Debt-to-Income Formula

Many of your monthly bills aren't included in your debt-to-income ratio because they're not debts. These typically include common household expenses such as: Utilities (garbage, electricity, cell phone/landline, gas, water) Cable and internet.

Paying off your credit card balance every month is one of the factors that can help you improve your scores. Companies use several factors to calculate your credit scores. One factor they look at is how much credit you are using compared to how much you have available.

If your debt ratio does not exceed 30%, the banks will find it excellent. Your ratio shows that if you manage your daily expenses well, you should be able to pay off your debts without worry or penalty. A debt ratio between 30% and 36% is also considered good.

The 28/36 rule dictates that you spend no more than 28 percent of your gross monthly income on housing costs and no more than 36 percent on all of your debt combined, including those housing costs.

According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., lenders typically want the front-end ratio to be no more than 25% to 28% of your monthly gross income. The back-end ratio includes housing expenses plus long-term debt. Lenders prefer to see this number at 33% to 36% of your monthly gross income.