Use this DTI calculator to work out your debt-to-income ratio and see where you stand against each program ceiling.
Written by Renzo Johnson, Licensed Mortgage Loan Originator · Last updated: August 2026
- Enter: gross monthly income, housing payment, and every other monthly debt
- See: your front-end and back-end ratios, side by side
- Compare: the maximum each program will accept
- Interactive calculator coming soon.
The two ratios a DTI calculator produces
Front-end is your housing cost divided by gross monthly income, with a conventional target under 28%. Back-end is every monthly debt payment divided by the same income, with a target under 43%.
Housing cost means PITIA: principal, interest, taxes, insurance and association dues. Other debts mean car payments, student loans, credit card minimums and child support. Utilities, groceries and insurance premiums you pay directly do not count.
What each program actually allows
| Program | Back-end maximum | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Conventional | Generally 50% | Needs strong compensating factors at the top |
| FHA | Up to 57% | With compensating factors such as reserves or residual income |
| VA | No formal cap | Residual income test, though most lenders stop near 60% |
| USDA | Around 41% | Higher with an approved exception |
Notice how far apart those ceilings are. A borrower declined on one program frequently qualifies on another with no change to income or credit, which is why the ratio alone never settles the question.
Why your ratio moves in Florida
Insurance sits inside the housing figure, alongside principal and interest. A windstorm or flood premium several hundred dollars a month above the national norm pushes the front-end ratio up before you have borrowed a dollar more.
Run your ratio with a real insurance quote for the actual address. An estimate built on a national average will read comfortable and then fail underwriting.
Improving the number
Paying down a small revolving balance often helps more than paying down a large one, because the ratio counts the minimum payment rather than the balance. Read DTI ratio explained for the full treatment, then check your eligibility and we will run the real ratio for you.