Your Debt-to-Income Ratio, and How to Calculate It (2024)

Your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio is the percentage of your gross monthly income that goes toward paying your debt. It's important not to confuse your debt-to-income ratio with yourcredit utilization, which represents the amount of debt you have relative to your credit card and line of credit limits.

Many lenders, especially mortgage and auto lenders, use your debt-to-income ratio to figure out the loan amount you can afford based on your current income and the amount you're already spending on debt.

For example, a mortgage lender will use your debt-to-income ratio to figure out themortgage paymentyou can handle after all of your other monthly debts are paid.

You can easily calculate your debt-to-income ratio to figure out the percentage of your income that goes toward paying down your debts each month.

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Total Your Monthly Debt

You can calculate your debt-to-income ratio by dividing your gross monthly income by your monthly debt payments:

DTI = monthly debt / gross monthly income

The first step in calculating your debt-to-income ratio is determining how much you spend each month on debt.

Example:

Let's assume Sam has the following debt expenses:

Mortgage = $950
Minimum credit card payments = $235
Car loan = $355

So, $950 + $235 + $355 = $1,540total monthly debt payments

You don't need to include payments you make for car insurance, utilities, health insurance, groceries and other monthly expenses that don't involve financing. Generally, if it doesn't show on your credit report, it's not factored into your debt-to-income ratio by lenders.

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Total Your Monthly Income

The next step to determining your debt-to-income ratio is calculating your monthly income.

Start by totaling your monthly income. Add up the amount you receive each month from:

Gross income from a W-2 job or self-employment
Bonuses or overtime
Alimony/child support
Other income from various sources

Example

Remember, Sam spends $1,540 each month on debt payments. Each month, they receive income as follows:

Doing the Simple Math

Once you've calculated what you spend each month on debt payments and what you receive each month in income, you have the numbers you need to calculate your debt-to-income ratio. To calculate the ratio, divide your monthly debt payments by your monthly income. Then, multiply the result by 100 to come up with a percent.

Example

In our example, Sam's monthly debt payments total $1,540 and his monthly income totals $4,000. So, divide $1,540 by $4,000 and then multiply by 100:

$1,540 / $4,000 = 0.385 X 100 = 38.5%
Sam has adebt-to-income ratio of 38.5%.

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What Your Debt to Income Ratio Means

Your final result will fall into one of these categories.

36%or less is the healthiest debt load for the majority of people. If your debt-to-income ratio falls within this range, avoid incurring more debt to maintain a good ratio. You may have trouble getting approved for a mortgage with a ratio above this amount.
37%to42%isn't a bad ratio to have, but it could be better.If your ratio falls in this range, you should start reducing your debts.
43%to49%is a ratio that indicates likely financial trouble. You should start aggressivelypaying your debtsto prevent an overloaded debt situation.
50%or more is an extremelydangerous ratio. This means that more than half of your income goes toward debt payments each month. You should be aggressively paying off your debts. Don't hesitate to seek professional help.

Example

In our example, Sam has a debt-to-income ratio of 38.5%. While this isn't a bad ratio, it could become worse if Sam were to increase his monthly debt payments without increasing his income.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Why is gross income used in determining DTI?

Gross income is your income before taxes and other deductions. Since taxes and deductions can vary greatly, depending on many factors, it's fairer to use gross income when determining DTI.

Why does my DTI matter?

Your DTI shows how likely you are to be able to make your mortgage or other loan payment successfully. Some lenders believe that the higher your DTI, the more trouble you will have paying back your loan. A lower DTI signifies that you have a good handle on your finances.

Will a high debt-to-income ratio hurt my credit rating?

DTI is one of the factors that does not impact your credit score. While income is used to determine DTI, income is not part of your credit score.