Debt-to-Income (DTI) Ratio Calculator
Enter your gross monthly income and debt payments to get your front-end and back-end DTI, with the thresholds lenders actually use.
Before taxes; lenders use gross, not take-home
Back-end DTI (all debts)
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Enter your income
Front-end DTI (housing)
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Debt payments per month
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The number lenders see first
Before anyone admires your credit score, underwriting divides your debt payments by your income. The logic is blunt: payments are promises, and a paycheck can only be promised so many times. The classic guardrails (28% for housing, 36% for everything, 43% as the ceiling) have survived decades because they map to real repayment behavior.
DTI is a flow, net worth is a stock
A quirk worth understanding: a millionaire with a big mortgage payment and a modest salary can have a worse DTI than someone living paycheck to paycheck with no loans. DTI measures monthly obligations, not wealth. That's why it pairs with the net worth calculator: one shows the pressure on this month, the other shows the whole balance sheet.
Bringing it down on purpose
Because DTI counts payments, the fastest improvements come from fully retiring an obligation, which argues for the snowball ordering when a mortgage application is on the horizon. Compare orderings in the debt payoff calculator, and keep the freed-up payment from quietly becoming new spending: that's the part an app that watches your recurring outflows (Stoia, when it launches) makes visible.
Frequently asked questions
What is a debt-to-income ratio?
Your total monthly debt payments divided by your gross (pre-tax) monthly income. Lenders read it as 'how much of this person's income is already spoken for.' It's a flow measure; it ignores balances and savings, which is also its blind spot.
What's the difference between front-end and back-end DTI?
Front-end counts only housing costs (rent or mortgage payment including taxes and insurance). Back-end counts all recurring debt payments: housing, auto, student loans, card minimums. Mortgage underwriting traditionally likes front-end at or under 28% and back-end at or under 36%.
What DTI do I need for a mortgage?
Guidelines vary by loan type, but 43% back-end is a common qualified-mortgage ceiling, with many lenders preferring 36% or less. Below 36%, your ratio generally isn't the obstacle; above 43%, it usually is.
Do rent and utilities count as debt?
Rent counts as your housing payment in this calculator (that's what it competes with when a lender sizes a mortgage). Utilities, groceries, insurance premiums, and subscriptions are expenses, not debts, so they stay out of DTI even though they absolutely belong in your budget.
How do I lower my DTI?
Two levers: shrink the numerator (pay down or pay off a monthly obligation — eliminating a $350 car payment cuts DTI by over 5 points at a $6,500 income) or grow the denominator (raise income). Paying off the smallest loan entirely often beats spreading extra payments, because DTI counts payments, not balances.
Does this calculator save my numbers?
No. Everything runs in your browser and disappears when you leave. Nothing is uploaded or stored.
Want this to update itself?
Stoia connects your real accounts and keeps the full picture current: net worth, budgets, and goals. Launching in 2026.