Does rent count in debt-to-income ratio?
Your debt-to-income ratio (DTI) compares how much you owe each month to how much you earn. Specifically, it's the percentage of your gross monthly income (before taxes) that goes towards payments for rent, mortgage, credit cards, or other debt.
Rent is an expense, and it can be a liability, but it is not a debt unless it is overdue. Rent and mortgage interest are in the same class of expense. But then mortgage interest is not a debt either.
Your debt-to-income ratio (DTI) is all your monthly debt payments divided by your gross monthly income. This number is one way lenders measure your ability to manage the monthly payments to repay the money you plan to borrow. Different loan products and lenders will have different DTI limits.
Back-end ratio: This shows how much of your income goes to cover all monthly debt obligations. This includes the mortgage (if you get it) and other housing expenses, plus credit cards, auto loans, child support, student loans — the predictable, regularly recurring items.
A decent credit score and a track record of making timely payments will increase your chances of being approved for a mortgage. Conversely, paying your rent and your bills on time will positively impact your credit score and heighten your chances of being approved for a mortgage in the future.
The DTI ratio can also be used to measure the percentage of income that goes toward housing costs, which for renters is the monthly rent amount. Lenders look to see if a potential borrower can manage their current debt load while paying their rent on time, given their gross income.
Historically, credit reports don't include rent payments. Why? Because rent isn't considered debt. As we all know, landlords and property managers don't lend us rent money each month to be repaid later with interest.
DTI is one factor that can help lenders decide whether you can repay the money you have borrowed or take on more debt. A good debt-to-income ratio is below 43%, and many lenders prefer 36% or below. Learn more about how debt-to-income ratio is calculated and how you can improve yours.
- Increase the amount you pay monthly toward your debts. Extra payments can help lower your overall debt more quickly.
- Ask creditors to reduce your interest rate, which would lead to savings that you could use to pay down debt.
- Avoid taking on more debt.
- Look for ways to increase your income.
Your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio is how much money you earn versus what you spend. It's calculated by dividing your monthly debts by your gross monthly income. Generally, it's a good idea to keep your DTI ratio below 43%, though 35% or less is considered “good.”
What bills are not included in debt-to-income ratio?
Many of your monthly bills aren't included in your debt-to-income ratio because they're not debts. These typically include common household expenses such as: Utilities (garbage, electricity, cell phone/landline, gas, water) Cable and internet.
High Debt-to-Income Ratio
If your debt-to-income ratio is more than 50%, you definitely have too much debt. That means you're spending at least half your monthly income on debt. Between 36% and 49% isn't terrible, but those are still some risky numbers. Ideally, your debt-to-income ratio should be less than 36%.
Monthly Debt Service is a potentially misleading term, as it is limited to certain monthly debts. It does not include health insurance, auto insurance, gas, utilities, cell phone, cable, groceries, or other non-recurring life expenses.
Lenders will calculate rental income using Schedule E from your latest federal tax returns for most refinances. From your tax filings, they'll take the actual rent received and subtract your total expenses. From there, they'll add back several documented deductions, including: Mortgage interest.
Does rental income count when applying for a mortgage? Generally, rental income can be counted when you're applying for a mortgage or refinancing an investment property. However, like all other sources of income, it must be properly documented and meet specific qualifying guidelines.
Key Takeaways: The rent charged should be equal to or greater than the investor's mortgage payment to ensure that they at least break even on the property. Multiply the purchase price of the property plus any necessary repairs by 1% to determine a base level of monthly rent.
Maximum DTI Ratios
The maximum can be exceeded up to 45% if the borrower meets the credit score and reserve requirements reflected in the Eligibility Matrix. For loan casefiles underwritten through DU, the maximum allowable DTI ratio is 50%.
If you're a cash basis taxpayer, you can't deduct uncollected rents as an expense because you haven't included those rents in income. Repair costs, such as materials, are usually deductible.
Rule of thumb: Don't spend more than 30% of income on rent, to cover expenses and save for the future. Cost-burdened by debt? Consider 43% rule: monthly housing cost + debt payments shouldn't exceed 43% of income.
Overdue rent might appear on your credit reports if the landlord sends the debt to a collection agency. The agency might report the collection account to the credit bureaus. Also, if an eviction appears in the public record, the credit reporting agencies will likely include it on your credit reports.
Is 50% debt-to-income ratio bad?
50% or more: Take Action - You may have limited funds to save or spend. With more than half your income going toward debt payments, you may not have much money left to save, spend, or handle unforeseen expenses.
The Federal Reserve tracks the nation's household debt payments as a percentage of disposable income. The most recent debt payment-to-income ratio, from the third quarter of 2023, is 9.8%. That means the average American spends nearly 10% of their monthly income on debt payments.
Interpreting the Debt Ratio
If the ratio is over 1, a company has more debt than assets. If the ratio is below 1, the company has more assets than debt. Broadly speaking, ratios of 60% (0.6) or more are considered high, while ratios of 40% (0.4) or less are considered low.
Debt-to-credit and debt-to-income ratios can help lenders assess your creditworthiness. Your debt-to-credit ratio may impact your credit scores, while debt-to-income ratios do not. Lenders and creditors prefer to see a lower debt-to-credit ratio when you're applying for credit.
The general rule of thumb is that you shouldn't spend more than 10 percent of your take-home income on credit card debt.
