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What is a debt-to-income ratio?

Short answerDebt-to-income (DTI) is your total monthly debt payments, including the new mortgage, divided by your gross monthly income. Most programs allow 43–50%, and FHA can go higher with strong compensating factors.

Reviewed by Juan Fernando Romero, NMLS 2557318Updated October 14, 2026

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An FHA loan is a government-insured mortgage that allows 3.5% down with a credit score of 580 or higher, or 10% down with a score from 500 to 579.

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A conventional loan is a mortgage not insured by the government that follows Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac guidelines.