Debt Ratios for Residential Lending
Your ratio of debt to income is a formula lenders use to calculate how much of your income is available for your monthly mortgage payment after all your other recurring debts are met.
Understanding the qualifying ratio
Typically, underwriting for conventional loans requires a qualifying ratio of 28/36. An FHA loan will usually allow for a higher debt load, reflected in a higher (29/41) qualifying ratio.
The first number in a qualifying ratio is the maximum percentage of gross monthly income that can go to housing costs (including mortgage principal and interest, private mortgage insurance, hazard insurance, property taxes, and HOA dues).
The second number in the ratio is what percent of your gross income every month that can be spent on housing expenses and recurring debt together. Recurring debt includes credit card payments, auto/boat payments, child support, and the like.
Some example data:
28/36 (Conventional)
- Gross monthly income of $8,000 x .28 = $2,240 can be applied to housing
- Gross monthly income of $8,000 x .36 = $2,280 can be applied to recurring debt plus housing expenses
With a 29/41 (FHA) qualifying ratio
- Gross monthly income of $8,000 x .29 = $2,320 can be applied to housing
- Gross monthly income of $8,000 x .41 = $3,280 can be applied to recurring debt plus housing expenses
If you want to calculate pre-qualification numbers with your own financial data, we offer a Mortgage Loan Qualifying Calculator.
Guidelines Only
Remember these are just guidelines. We'd be happy to go over pre-qualification to help you determine how large a mortgage loan you can afford.
At Bright Vision Mortgage, we answer questions about qualifying all the time. Give us a call at (904) 342-3622.