What is a good DTI for a mortgage?

A common target is the 28/36 rule: your housing payment at or below 28% of gross monthly income (front-end) and all your debt at or below 36% (back-end). Many loan programs allow a back-end ratio up to about 43%, and some go higher for borrowers with strong credit or large reserves. A lower DTI generally means easier approval and more room in your budget.

How do I calculate my debt-to-income ratio?

Add up your monthly debt payments and divide by your gross monthly income, then multiply by 100. For the front-end ratio, use only your housing payment. For the back-end ratio, add your other debts such as car loans, student loans, and minimum credit card payments. For example, a 1,800 housing payment and 600 in other debts against 7,500 of gross monthly income is a 24% front-end and a 32% back-end DTI.

What DTI do lenders require?

It varies by loan program and lender. Conventional loans often look for a back-end ratio near 36% but can stretch into the mid 40s with compensating factors; FHA loans commonly allow around 43% and sometimes higher; VA loans focus on residual income and can be flexible. The 43% figure is a widely used qualified-mortgage reference point, not a universal rule, so confirm the limit with your lender.

Debt-to-Income (DTI) Calculator

Calculate your front-end and back-end debt-to-income ratio and see where you fall against the 28/36 rule and the 43% qualified-mortgage line.

X f in

Back-end DTI

32.00%

Front-end DTI: 24.00%
Where this lands: Within the 36% conventional back-end guideline
Room before the 36% back-end line: $300.00

Your ratios against the guidelines

Ratio	Guideline	Your result
Front-end (housing only)	28%	Pass
Back-end (all debts)	36%	Pass
Back-end vs QM ceiling	43%	Pass

Quick answer: With the example inputs this page loads by default, the headline result (Back-end DTI) comes to 32.00%. Calculate your front-end and back-end debt-to-income ratio and see where you fall against the 28/36 rule and the 43% qualified-mortgage line. Change any input above and every figure updates instantly in your browser.

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Your debt-to-income ratio is your monthly debt payments divided by your gross monthly income, shown as a percent. Lenders read two versions: the front-end ratio counts only your housing payment, and the back-end ratio counts all your debt. The common target is the 28/36 rule, housing at or below 28% and total debt at or below 36%, with many programs allowing a back-end ratio up to about 43%. This tool finds both ratios and the room left for a house payment.

What this result means

A back-end DTI at or below 36% sits inside the conventional comfort zone and leaves room in most budgets. Between 36% and 43% you are above the classic guideline but still within the ceiling many qualified mortgages use, so approval is common with steady income or reserves. Above 43% the options narrow, and above 50% the debt load is high enough that most lenders decline without strong compensating factors. Front-end DTI is a separate read: housing alone above 28% can strain a budget even when the back-end ratio looks fine. These limits vary by loan program (FHA, VA, and conventional differ) and by lender, and DTI uses gross income, so a ratio that qualifies can still feel tight after taxes. This is an estimate for education, not a loan approval or financial advice.

Assumptions

Front-end DTI is your proposed monthly housing payment divided by your gross monthly income, times 100. The housing payment should be the full cost (principal, interest, taxes, insurance, plus any PMI and HOA dues), not just principal and interest.
Back-end DTI adds all your other monthly debt payments (car loans, student loans, and minimum credit card payments) to the housing payment, then divides by the same gross monthly income. Because it includes the housing payment, the back-end ratio always equals or exceeds the front-end ratio.
Gross monthly income is income before taxes and deductions. DTI uses gross, not take-home, income, so a ratio that qualifies can still feel tight in practice once taxes and everyday expenses come out.
Neither ratio is clamped: if your total debt exceeds your income the back-end DTI is reported above 100 percent rather than capped. When income is zero the ratios are undefined and shown as not applicable rather than dividing by zero.
The room before the 36 percent line is the allowable total debt at 36 percent of income, minus your existing other debts and your current housing payment. It is not floored, so a negative figure means your back-end DTI is already above 36 percent and you would need to cut debt to get back under it.
The bands used are the 28/36 rule (front-end 28 percent, back-end 36 percent conventional comfort), a 43 percent common qualified-mortgage back-end ceiling, and 50 percent as stretch territory. All ratios are rounded to two decimals.
Actual DTI limits and how each is measured vary by loan program (FHA, VA, USDA, and conventional differ) and by lender, and strong credit, reserves, or a large down payment can push approvals higher. This is an estimate for educational purposes only, not a loan approval, a pre-qualification, or financial, legal, or tax advice.

Key terms

Definitions for the terms this calculator uses, in our finance glossary .

What DTI means and how it is calculated

Your debt-to-income ratio (DTI) is your monthly debt payments divided by your gross monthly income, shown as a percent. Lenders use it to judge how much new debt you can comfortably carry. There are two versions, and mortgage underwriting looks at both.

Front-end DTI counts only your housing payment:

front-end DTI = monthly housing payment / gross monthly income x 100

The housing payment here is the full cost (principal, interest, taxes, insurance, plus any PMI and HOA dues), not just principal and interest.

Back-end DTI adds all your other recurring debt to the housing payment:

back-end DTI = (housing payment + other monthly debt) / gross monthly income x 100

Other debt means car loans, student loans, and minimum credit card payments, not groceries or utilities. Because the back-end ratio includes the housing payment, it always equals or exceeds the front-end ratio, and it is the number underwriting leans on most.

Both ratios use gross income (before taxes and deductions), so a ratio that fits the guideline can still feel tight once taxes and everyday expenses come out.

The bands

28% front-end and 36% back-end are the two halves of the 28/36 rule, the conventional comfort guideline.
43% back-end is a widely used qualified-mortgage (QM) reference ceiling. FHA loans commonly allow around this level, and sometimes higher.
50% back-end is stretch territory, reached only with strong compensating factors such as excellent credit, large cash reserves, or a big down payment.

These are guidelines, not laws. Limits vary by loan program (FHA, VA, USDA, and conventional differ) and by lender.

Worked example

Using the defaults, a gross monthly income of $7,500, a proposed housing payment of $1,800, and $600 of other monthly debt:

front-end DTI = $1,800 / $7,500 x 100 = 24.00%
back-end DTI = ($1,800 + $600) / $7,500 x 100 = $2,400 / $7,500 x 100 = 32.00%
room before the 36% line = $7,500 x 0.36 - $600 - $1,800 = $2,700 - $600 - $1,800 = $300

Both ratios are inside the 28/36 rule, and there is about $300 a month of additional housing payment before the back-end DTI would reach 36%.

The room before the 36% line

To find how much more housing payment fits before the back-end DTI hits the conventional 36% line, the calculator back-solves that line:

allowable total debt = gross monthly income x 36%
room = allowable total debt - existing other debts - current housing payment

The figure is not floored. If it is negative, your back-end DTI is already above 36% and you would need to reduce debt (or raise income) to get back under it.

What this includes and excludes

It includes your housing payment and your other monthly debt against gross income, and it reports both ratios plus a pass, watch, or fail read against the 28 / 36 / 43 bands. It does not verify how a lender will actually count your income (variable, bonus, and self-employment income are often averaged and can be discounted), and it does not model credit score, reserves, residual income, or program-specific overlays. Neither ratio is clamped, so a debt load above income shows a DTI over 100%. When income is zero the ratios are undefined and shown as not applicable. This is an estimate for education, not a loan approval.

Sources

Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, “What is a debt-to-income ratio?” and the Owning a Home resources, at consumerfinance.gov, on how lenders use front-end and back-end DTI and the common 43% reference point.
Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, Ability-to-Repay and Qualified Mortgage rule background, on the role of DTI in qualified-mortgage standards.

Frequently asked questions

What is a good DTI for a mortgage?: A common target is the 28/36 rule: your housing payment at or below 28% of gross monthly income (front-end) and all your debt at or below 36% (back-end). Many loan programs allow a back-end ratio up to about 43%, and some go higher for borrowers with strong credit or large reserves. A lower DTI generally means easier approval and more room in your budget.
How do I calculate my debt-to-income ratio?: Add up your monthly debt payments and divide by your gross monthly income, then multiply by 100. For the front-end ratio, use only your housing payment. For the back-end ratio, add your other debts such as car loans, student loans, and minimum credit card payments. For example, a 1,800 housing payment and 600 in other debts against 7,500 of gross monthly income is a 24% front-end and a 32% back-end DTI.
What DTI do lenders require?: It varies by loan program and lender. Conventional loans often look for a back-end ratio near 36% but can stretch into the mid 40s with compensating factors; FHA loans commonly allow around 43% and sometimes higher; VA loans focus on residual income and can be flexible. The 43% figure is a widely used qualified-mortgage reference point, not a universal rule, so confirm the limit with your lender.
What does my result mean?: If your back-end DTI is at or below 36% you are in the conventional comfort zone and should qualify broadly. Between 36% and 43% you are above the classic guideline but within the ceiling many mortgages use, so approval is common with steady income. Above 43% your options narrow, and above 50% most lenders decline without strong compensating factors. The room figure shows how much more housing payment fits before you reach the 36% line.

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By Sam Sage Last reviewed July 2026.