Enter your monthly gross income and debt payments to calculate your DTI ratio.
Total Monthly Debt:$0.00
Your DTI Ratio:0.00%
What is Debt-to-Income (DTI) Ratio?
Your Debt-to-Income (DTI) ratio is one of the most critical metrics lenders use to assess your ability to repay borrowed money. It represents the percentage of your gross monthly income that goes toward paying your monthly debt obligations. Unlike your credit score, which measures your credit history, your DTI measures your current financial capacity.
Lenders calculate DTI to determine if you can afford to take on another payment, such as a mortgage or a car loan. A lower DTI ratio demonstrates a good balance between debt and income, while a higher DTI indicates that you may be overleveraged.
While requirements vary by lender and loan type, here are general guidelines for interpreting your DTI score:
35% or less: Generally viewed as excellent. You have manageable debt relative to your income and are likely to be approved for new credit.
36% to 43%: This is often considered the "manageable" range. You may still qualify for loans, but lenders might require more documentation or offer slightly higher interest rates.
43% to 49%: This is considered risky. 43% is typically the highest ratio a borrower can have and still get a Qualified Mortgage. You may need to pay down debt before applying.
50% or higher: You are likely overleveraged. With half your income going to debt, you have limited funds for savings or emergencies. Lenders will likely decline new major loan applications.
Front-End vs. Back-End DTI
There are technically two types of DTI ratios used in mortgage lending:
Front-End Ratio: This only calculates the percentage of income that goes toward housing costs (rent/mortgage, insurance, property taxes). Ideally, this should be under 28%.
Back-End Ratio: This includes housing costs plus all other recurring monthly debts (credit cards, student loans, car payments). This calculator computes your Back-End Ratio, which is the primary figure used for loan qualification.
Example Calculation
Imagine your gross monthly income is $6,000. Your debts are:
Mortgage: $1,800
Car Loan: $400
Student Loans: $300
Credit Cards: $200
Your total monthly debt is $2,700. Dividing $2,700 by $6,000 gives you 0.45, or a 45% DTI ratio. In this scenario, you might need to lower your debt by paying off the credit cards or increasing your income to qualify for a standard mortgage.
function calculateDTI() {
// Get Input Values
var grossIncome = parseFloat(document.getElementById('monthlyGrossIncome').value);
var rentMortgage = parseFloat(document.getElementById('monthlyRentMortgage').value);
var carLoan = parseFloat(document.getElementById('monthlyCarLoan').value);
var studentLoan = parseFloat(document.getElementById('monthlyStudentLoan').value);
var creditCards = parseFloat(document.getElementById('monthlyCreditCards').value);
var otherDebt = parseFloat(document.getElementById('monthlyOtherDebt').value);
// Handle NaN (empty inputs treated as 0)
if (isNaN(grossIncome)) grossIncome = 0;
if (isNaN(rentMortgage)) rentMortgage = 0;
if (isNaN(carLoan)) carLoan = 0;
if (isNaN(studentLoan)) studentLoan = 0;
if (isNaN(creditCards)) creditCards = 0;
if (isNaN(otherDebt)) otherDebt = 0;
// Validation: Income must be greater than 0
if (grossIncome <= 0) {
alert("Please enter a valid Gross Monthly Income greater than zero.");
return;
}
// Calculations
var totalDebt = rentMortgage + carLoan + studentLoan + creditCards + otherDebt;
var dtiRatio = (totalDebt / grossIncome) * 100;
// Display Results
var resultContainer = document.getElementById('dti-results');
var displayTotalDebt = document.getElementById('displayTotalDebt');
var displayDTI = document.getElementById('displayDTI');
var statusMessage = document.getElementById('dtiStatusMessage');
displayTotalDebt.innerHTML = "$" + totalDebt.toLocaleString(undefined, {minimumFractionDigits: 2, maximumFractionDigits: 2});
displayDTI.innerHTML = dtiRatio.toFixed(2) + "%";
// Determine Status Color and Message
var statusColor = "";
var statusText = "";
if (dtiRatio 35 && dtiRatio 43 && dtiRatio <= 50) {
statusColor = "#dc3545"; // Red
statusText = "High Risk: You may have difficulty qualifying for a mortgage.";
} else {
statusColor = "#8b0000"; // Dark Red
statusText = "Critical: Your debt-to-income ratio is very high.";
}
displayDTI.style.color = statusColor;
statusMessage.style.color = statusColor;
statusMessage.innerHTML = statusText;
resultContainer.style.display = "block";
}