English
Start free

Debt-to-income, both ratios

An embeddable DTI calculator: two ratios, one assessment, delivered with the lead

The DTI calculator divides a borrower's housing payment, and then housing plus all other monthly debts, by gross monthly income to produce front-end and back-end ratios, with a plain-language lending assessment. It is the fastest qualifying check in a pre-qual funnel, and the lead tells you immediately whether debt is the problem.

Three inputs, two ratios and an honest assessment, so the first thing you know about a lead is whether the numbers work.

  • 3 inputs
  • 4 results
  • Included on every plan
  • 6 languages
Start free on Originator What the numbers tell you about the borrower
Live calculator

This is the calculator your visitors use. Enter numbers to see it work.

Buying & Pre-Qualifying

Why do borrowers check their debt-to-income ratio on their own?

Often because someone has already said the phrase to them. A lender, an agent or a forum thread mentioned "your DTI is too high", and they want to see the number themselves before they hear it from a lender again.

Others are deciding between paying down a car loan and saving more for the down payment, and want to see which moves the ratio. The worry underneath is almost always the same: that their existing payments rule them out. Three inputs and an instant result feel safe. Seeing a label such as "well within limits" or "likely declined" gives them either reassurance or a clear reason to ask for help, and both are good moments for a loan officer to step in.

How do loan officers turn a DTI check into a qualified conversation?

Put the DTI calculator where borrowers are already worried: credit and debt articles, "can I qualify" pages, and the qualify stage of your funnel after the payment calculator. Its short form makes it the right tool for mobile and for paid traffic, where long forms lose people.

The lead you receive is compact but telling. Gross Monthly Income, Monthly Housing Payment and Other Monthly Debt Payments are all there, along with Back-End DTI, Front-End DTI (Housing), Total Monthly Debt and the Lending Assessment label. You can triage in seconds. Below about 36% back-end, the borrower is likely a straightforward conversation. Between 36% and the 43% line, the details of income and debt matter. Above it, the lead is not dead, but it needs structure: debt payoff, a co-borrower, a different program or compensating factors.

Pair the ratios with what the borrower entered as the housing payment. If they typed only principal and interest, their real ratios are worse than shown, and your first job is to add taxes, insurance and mortgage insurance. Route high-DTI leads to a different follow-up than low-DTI ones; they need a plan, not a rate.

What arrives in your CRM

What the numbers tell you about the borrower

  • Back-End DTIYour triage number. Under the mid-thirties suggests a clean file on the debt side; near or above 43% means you need to understand every debt and whether income is fully counted before you talk price.
  • Monthly Housing PaymentCheck whether it looks like full PITI or just principal and interest. A suspiciously low figure for the borrower's market means the real ratios will be higher once taxes and insurance are added.
  • Other Monthly Debt PaymentsA high figure relative to income is where restructuring happens. Ask what it is made of: a car with a few payments left, a card balance or student loans can each be handled differently.
  • Lending AssessmentThe label the borrower saw shapes their mood. Someone told "likely declined" may be discouraged and needs a constructive, specific next step from you rather than a generic sales message.

A first message that uses their numbers

What should you say to a borrower who just saw their DTI?

Hi [Name], thanks for checking your debt-to-income ratio on our site. You came out at [Back-End DTI] on the back end. Lenders count some debts differently from how they look on a statement, so it is worth a quick review before you decide anything. Can I ask you three short questions by phone or text?

Keep the tone neutral about the borrower's debts and never suggest that qualification or a credit repair outcome is assured.

Where this calculator earns its place

  1. 01

    Credit and debt education pages

    Readers already worried about debt want a number, and the calculator converts that worry into a contact you can help.

  2. 02

    Mobile ad landing pages

    Three inputs finish quickly on a phone, so fewer people drop off before they see the result and the form.

  3. 03

    Second step of a pre-qual widget

    After a payment calculator, the DTI check tells the borrower whether that payment fits their income and debts.

Limits worth knowing

  • Borrowers often enter take-home pay instead of gross income, which makes their ratio look worse than a lender would calculate.
  • The Monthly Housing Payment is whatever they type; leaving out taxes, insurance, HOA or mortgage insurance understates both ratios.
  • Lenders use the minimum payments on the credit report, which may differ from what the borrower pays or remembers.

Calculator disclaimer: Estimates only. Lenders calculate DTI using verified income and the debts on your credit report, and program limits vary. Confirm your ratios with a licensed lender.

Definitions in the calculator

Debt-to-income ratio (DTI)
Monthly debt payments divided by gross monthly income, as a percent. Lenders use it to judge whether a new payment is affordable alongside existing obligations. This calculator reports two versions: front-end, which counts housing only, and back-end, which adds all other recurring debts. Program limits vary, and lenders use verified figures.
Back-end DTI
Housing payment plus all other recurring monthly debt payments, divided by gross monthly income. It is the ratio lenders usually weigh most. The calculator’s assessment uses 43% as the line for most lenders, a common guideline cited by the CFPB rather than a legal cap; some programs allow higher ratios with compensating factors.
Front-end DTI
The monthly housing payment alone divided by gross monthly income, also called the housing ratio. It shows how much of income the home itself would take. Some loan programs set a separate front-end limit, while others focus mainly on the back-end ratio. Both use gross income, not take-home pay.
Gross monthly income
Total monthly income before taxes, retirement contributions and other deductions. Lenders use gross income, not take-home pay, which is why a DTI that looks acceptable can still feel tight in a monthly budget. Income that varies, such as bonuses or self-employment earnings, is often averaged over a documented history.
PITI (housing payment)
Principal, interest, property taxes and homeowners insurance: the full monthly housing cost lenders count, plus mortgage insurance and HOA dues where they apply. This is the figure to enter as the housing payment. Using principal and interest alone understates the ratio, sometimes by several percentage points.
Recurring monthly debts
Minimum required payments on debts that appear on a credit report, such as auto loans, student loans, credit cards and personal loans, plus obligations like child support. Utilities, groceries and insurance premiums are generally not counted. Lenders use the minimum payment shown on the report, not the amount you choose to pay.
Lending assessment
A plain-language label the calculator assigns to your back-end DTI, from well within limits to likely declined. It reflects common guidelines, not any lender’s decision. Actual approval also depends on credit history, down payment, reserves and the loan program, and lenders calculate DTI from verified income and credit-report debts.
Total monthly debt
The housing payment plus other monthly debt payments: the numerator of the back-end DTI. Lowering it, for example by paying off a small loan with few payments left, can move the ratio more than an equivalent increase in income would, since income is the larger number in the division.

Terms on this page

Pairs well with

Affordability Calculator

Buyers type in what they earn and owe; you get a lead that already knows its price ceiling and which ratio set it.

Pre-Qualification Calculator

The calculator that turns "what can I afford?" into "can you pre-qualify me?", with the limiting ratio already identified for you.

FAQ · 8 questions

Questions about this calculator

How is debt-to-income calculated here?

Front-end DTI is the monthly housing payment divided by gross monthly income. Back-end DTI adds the other monthly debt payments to housing and divides that total by the same income. With $7,000 of gross monthly income, a $2,100 housing payment and $900 of other debts, the front end is 30% and the back end is about 42.9%. Both are shown as percentages, and the assessment uses the back-end figure.

What does the Lending Assessment label mean?

It is a plain-language reading of the back-end ratio, from well within limits to likely declined. It uses 43% as the line for most lenders, a common guideline the CFPB cites rather than a legal cap. It is not a lender's decision. Credit history, down payment, reserves and the loan program all affect real approvals, and some programs accept higher ratios with compensating factors.

Which debts should a borrower include?

Minimum required payments on debts that appear on a credit report: auto loans or leases, student loans, credit cards, personal loans, and obligations such as child support. Utilities, phone bills, groceries and insurance premiums generally do not count. Use the minimum payment shown on the statement, not the larger amount the borrower may choose to pay, because that is the figure a lender uses.

Should the housing payment include taxes and insurance?

Yes. Enter the full payment: principal, interest, property tax, homeowners insurance, plus mortgage insurance and HOA dues where they apply. Using principal and interest alone can understate the ratio by several percentage points. If the borrower does not know the full figure, a home loan PITI calculator gives it to them first, and the two calculators work well side by side.

Is a 45% back-end ratio a dead lead?

No. It means the file needs more thought, not that it cannot work. Some programs permit higher ratios with strong credit, reserves or other compensating factors, and the borrower's figures may change once income is fully counted or a nearly paid-off debt is handled correctly. Your job is to find out what is behind the number before you set expectations either way.

Why use a DTI calculator if I already have an affordability calculator?

They answer different questions. Affordability solves for a price; the DTI calculator tests a specific payment the borrower already has in mind, such as a listing they like. It is also far shorter, three inputs instead of sixteen, which suits mobile visitors and ad traffic. Many LOs place the DTI calculator on debt and credit content and keep affordability for homepage visitors.

Can I prioritize leads by their DTI automatically?

Yes, if you use webhooks. On Producer and Brokerage plans the payload includes every result, so a HighLevel workflow can branch on Back-End DTI: below a threshold, create an immediate call task; above it, send an educational sequence about paying down debt. The ratios arrive as data you can filter on, not just text in an email, and the lead stays saved in the CRM even if the webhook fails.

Is it a problem to show a "likely declined" message on my site?

It is an educational estimate with a clear disclaimer, not an adverse action, but tone matters. The label reflects common guidelines and the calculator says so. Pair it with a helpful next step on your page, such as an invitation to talk through options, and avoid any language that could look like discouraging applicants based on anything other than the numbers. Your compliance team can review custom copy.

PrequalFunnel

Put the Debt-to-Income Calculator on your site today

Brand it, embed it with one line, and get every lead with the borrower's numbers attached.

Start free on Originator See pricing

Free forever on Originator. Upgrade when you want webhooks and your own brand. 14-day free trial on monthly and yearly. Cancel before it ends and you pay nothing.