What is a good debt ratio?
A debt ratio between 30% and 36% is also considered good. It's when you're approaching 40% that you have to be very, very vigilant. With a threshold like that, you're a greater risk to lenders. You may already be having trouble making your payments each month.
Total DTI. Add up all your monthly debt payments, including housing and all consumer debt payments, and divide the sum by your monthly gross (pretax) income. Strive to keep this ratio below 43%.
Key Takeaways
Whether or not a debt ratio is "good" depends on contextual factors, including the company's industrial sector, the prevailing interest rate, and more. Investors usually look for a company to have a debt ratio between 0.3 (30%) and 0.6 (60%).
Generally, a good debt ratio for a business is around 1 to 1.5.
A DTI ratio of 35% or less shows you're managing your debt well. This range may increase your chances of getting loans with competitive rates. It also means you likely have money left over for saving and unexpected expenses. If your DTI ratio falls between 36% and 41%, you may still be in good shape.
Generally speaking, a good debt-to-income ratio is anything less than or equal to 36%. Meanwhile, any ratio above 43% is considered too high.
The bad debt ratio measures the amount of money a company has to write off as a bad debt expense compared to its net sales. In other words, it tells you what percentage of sales profit a company loses to unpaid invoices.
High debt ratio: If the result is a big number (like 0.7 or 70%), it means the company owes a lot compared to what it owns. This could be risky.
A debt ratio between 30% and 36% is also considered good. It's when you're approaching 40% that you have to be very, very vigilant. With a threshold like that, you're a greater risk to lenders. You may already be having trouble making your payments each month.
The average American owed $103,358 in consumer debt in the second quarter of 2023, the latest data available, according to credit bureau Experian.
What is the best debt to ratio?
A general rule of thumb is to keep your overall debt-to-income ratio at or below 43%.
The 20/10 rule is a financial strategy to help you avoid dangerous levels of debt. Simply put, the 20/10 rule advises that you should avoid accumulating long-term debt that exceeds 20% of your annual income, and you should avoid debt payments of more than 10% of your monthly income.
The current ratio measures a company's capacity to meet its current obligations, typically due in one year. This metric evaluates a company's overall financial health by dividing its current assets by current liabilities. A current ratio of 1.5 to 3 is often considered good.
What's a good debt-to-income ratio? Ideally, your front-end HTI calculation should not exceed 28% when applying for a new loan, such as a mortgage. You should strive to keep your back-end DTI ratio at or below 36%.
There are some differences around how the various data elements on a credit report factor into the score calculations. Although credit scoring models vary, generally, credit scores from 660 to 724 are considered good; 725 to 759 are considered very good; and 760 and up are considered excellent.
By the time you reach your 40s and 50s, debts should be lower or almost gone. Student loans should be non-existent, you may be paying for cars in cash, you might be pre-paying your mortgage, and credit card debt should not exist.
Bad Debt Percentage Benchmark
The industry standard benchmark for Bad Debt Percentage is typically around 2-3% of net patient revenue. This means that for every $100 in net patient revenue, a healthcare organization should aim to write off no more than $2-$3 as bad debt.
FHA loans for higher DTI
FHA loans are known for being more lenient with credit and DTI requirements. With a good credit score (580 or higher), you might qualify for an FHA loan with a DTI ratio of up to 50%. This makes FHA loans a popular choice for borrowers with good credit but high debt-to-income ratios.
Most mortgage lenders want your monthly debts to equal no more than 43% of your gross monthly income.
Generally speaking, a debt-to-equity or debt-to-assets ratio below 1.0 would be seen as relatively safe, whereas ratios of 2.0 or higher would be considered risky. Some industries, such as banking, are known for having much higher debt-to-equity ratios than others.
What is too high for debt to ratio?
36% to 49% means your DTI ratio is adequate, but you have room for improvement. Lenders might ask for other eligibility requirements. 50% or higher DTI ratio means you have limited money to save or spend. As a result, you won't likely have money to handle an unforeseen event and will have limited borrowing options.
If your business misses payments regularly or runs out of cash before the month is over, that's a sign you have too much business debt. If your business debt exceeds 30 percent of your business capital, that's another signal you're carrying too much debt.
Ideally, financial experts like to see a DTI of no more than 15 to 20 percent of your net income. For example, a family with a $250 car payment and $100 of monthly credit card payments, and $2,500 net income per month would have a DTI of 14 percent ($350/$2,500 = 0.14 or 14%).
Is 0.5 a good debt-to-equity ratio? A 0.5 D/E ratio is good in the sense that the company has more equity than debt financing. This suggests lower risk for creditors and investors. However, it might also indicate the company is missing out on potential growth opportunities that debt financing can provide.
35% or less: Looking Good - Relative to your income, your debt is at a manageable level. You most likely have money left over for saving or spending after you've paid your bills.
