US debt-to-income basics

US educational materials from the CFPB discuss mortgage (front-end) and total (back-end) debt-to-income ideas. A commonly cited educational rule of thumb is keeping housing costs near 28% (sometimes discussed up to the low-30s) and total debts near 36% of gross monthly income — while noting lenders may allow higher or lower figures.

Source example: CFPB debt-to-income calculator tool (PDF). Fannie Mae and FHA publish their own seller/servicer limits that can differ; we do not invent program-specific pass/fail cutoffs in the tool.

Educational only — not advice or an offer of credit.