Free tool
Debt-to-income calculator
Updated November 6, 2026. Runs entirely in your browser; nothing you type is sent anywhere.
Enter monthly gross income, housing payment, and other recurring debts. You'll see front-end and back-end DTI sketches plus one calm sentence you can adapt. This is arithmetic only—not a pre-approval, not a lender worksheet, and not financial advice.
How to use the number
- Compare a few realistic income or payment scenarios rather than trusting one rosy month.
- If housing alone pushes the front-end sketch high, look at rent, refinance, or roommate math before stacking new loans.
- When the hard part is the phone call—a bill, a landlord, a raise, or an offer—use a script, not improvisation under stress.
- For payoff timelines on a single card or student loan, see the free credit card payoff calculator and student loan payoff calculator.
What to say when cash or pay is the bottleneck
Knowing the DTI sketch is step one. Saying the next line on a bill, rent, raise, or offer call is where people freeze. The Bills Kit ($19) gives word-for-word lines for bill and landlord moments plus Call Mode. If pay is the lever that improves the ratio, see the Offer Kit ($29). One-time purchase, 14-day refund on both.
Get the Bills Kit, $19 Get the Offer Kit, $29
How is debt-to-income (DTI) calculated?
Front-end / housing DTI is usually housing costs ÷ monthly gross income. Back-end / total DTI is all recurring monthly debt payments (housing plus cards, loans, and similar) ÷ monthly gross income, then × 100 for a percent. This page sketches both from the numbers you type.
What DTI do lenders want?
It varies by product and lender. Many conventional mortgage conversations cite rough back-end sketches near the mid-30s to low-40s percent, with tighter or looser bands elsewhere. Your lender's guidelines control—not this page.
Is this a loan approval or financial advice?
No. It is simple arithmetic on the incomes and payments you enter, plus a sample sentence you can adapt. It is not a pre-approval, credit decision, underwriting result, tax advice, or a substitute for a qualified professional.
What should I include in monthly debts?
Use the recurring minimums or contractual payments you actually send: rent or mortgage, auto, student loans, cards, personal loans, and similar. Do not invent future debts. Utilities and groceries are usually not counted as 'debt' in DTI sketches, but your lender's worksheet controls.
Guidance only, not legal, financial, or tax advice. The calculator does simple arithmetic on the numbers you enter.