Rent to Income Calculator

Screen an applicant or sanity-check your own budget — enter gross income and the rent to see the ratio, the income multiple, and the maximum rent the standards allow.

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Worked example

A $75,000 applicant on a $1,800 unit, checked

Example: $75,000/year gross, $1,800/month rent

An applicant earns $75,000 a year before taxes and applies for a unit renting at $1,800 a month:

Monthly income = $75,000 ÷ 12 = $6,250
Ratio         = $1,800 ÷ $6,250 = 28.8%
Multiple      = $6,250 ÷ $1,800 = 3.47×

28.8% is under the 30% line and 3.47× clears the 3×-rent bar, so this applicant passes both standards. The same income would max out around $1,875/month under the 30% rule — useful for telling a near-miss applicant what price point works.

FAQ

Rent-to-income questions

A long-standing affordability guideline: housing costs shouldn’t exceed 30% of gross (pre-tax) income. It began as a federal housing-policy threshold and became the default screening line for landlords. It’s a guideline, not a law — but ratios far above it correlate with missed payments.
It’s the same idea flipped around: gross monthly income should be at least three times the monthly rent, which works out to a 33% ratio. Landlords often state it this way because it’s easy to check from a pay stub — this calculator shows the multiple directly.
Both standards were built on gross income — before taxes and deductions. Using take-home pay makes the ratio look worse than the standard intends. If an applicant’s income varies (contractors, seasonal work), most landlords average the last several months of gross earnings.
Income screening is generally lawful if applied consistently to every applicant, but some states and cities restrict how income standards are applied — for example, requiring voucher amounts to count toward income. Apply one written standard to everyone and check local rules.

This calculator provides general estimates for planning purposes and is not legal, tax, or financial advice. Income-screening rules vary by state and city, particularly around housing vouchers.

The numbers check out.
Now screen them properly.

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