What is an example of a total debt ratio?
If your company has $100,000 in business loans and $25,000 in retained earnings, its debt-to-equity ratio would be 4. This is because $100,000 (total liabilities) divided by $25,000 (total equity) is 4 (debt ratio). This would be considered a high-risk debt ratio and a risky investment.
Let's say you have 600,000$ in total assets and 150,000$ in liabilities. To calculate the debt ratio, divide the liability (150,000$ ) by the total assets (600,000$ ). This results in a debt ratio of 0.25 or 25 percent.
Example: “If a couple with an annual income of $120,000 applies for a mortgage with a monthly payment of $2,000 and the sum of their expected monthly heating, property tax and debt payments is $1,400, their total debt service (TDS) ratio will be 34% ($3,400 monthly expenses divided by $10,000 monthly income).”
The term debt ratio refers to a financial ratio that measures the extent of a company's leverage. The debt ratio is defined as the ratio of total debt to total assets, expressed as a decimal or percentage. It can be interpreted as the proportion of a company's assets that are financed by debt.
For example, say you have two credit cards with a combined credit limit of $10,000. If you owe $4,000 on one card and $1,000 on the other for a combined total of $5,000, your debt-to-credit ratio is 50 percent.
Key Takeaways
In general, many investors look for a company to have a debt ratio between 0.3 and 0.6. From a pure risk perspective, debt ratios of 0.4 or lower are considered better, while a debt ratio of 0.6 or higher makes it more difficult to borrow money.
If the ratio is over 1, a company has more debt than assets. If the ratio is below 1, the company has more assets than debt. Broadly speaking, ratios of 60% (0.6) or more are considered high, while ratios of 40% (0.4) or less are considered low.
You collect all your long-term debts and add their balances together. You then collect all your short-term debts and add them together too. Finally, you add together the total long-term and short-term debts to get your total debt. So, the total debt formula is: Long-term debts + short-term debts.
If there are 2 oranges and 3 apples, the ratio of oranges to apples is 2:3, and the ratio of oranges to the total number of pieces of fruit is 2:5. These ratios can also be expressed in fraction form: there are 2/3 as many oranges as apples, and 2/5 of the pieces of fruit are oranges.
Total debt includes long-term liabilities, such as mortgages and other loans that do not mature for several years, as well as short-term obligations, including loan payments, credit cards, and accounts payable balances.
What is a bad debt ratio?
The bad debt to sales ratio represents the fraction of uncollectible accounts receivables in a year compared to total sales. For example, if a company's revenue is $100,000 and it's unable to collect $3,000, the bad debt to sales ratio is (3,000/100,000=0.03).
Debt-to-Assets Ratio = Total Debt / Total Assets. Debt-to-Equity Ratio = Total Debt / Total Equity. Debt-to-Capital Ratio = Total Debt / (Total Debt + Total Equity)
![What is an example of a total debt ratio? (2024)](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/qluuEhfilhA/hq720.jpg?sqp=-oaymwEcCNAFEJQDSFXyq4qpAw4IARUAAIhCGAFwAcABBg==&rs=AOn4CLA8T5ttXtIi92uEEgPSjiSDQPYHKw)
Your debt-to-income ratio (DTI) is all your monthly debt payments divided by your gross monthly income. This number is one way lenders measure your ability to manage the monthly payments to repay the money you plan to borrow.
Debt ratio = (Total Debts/ Total Assets) * 100
If your debt ratio is 80%, this means that for each $1 owned, you owe 80 cents. A company with a debt ratio higher than 100% has more debts than assets, therefore a lower value is usually recommended.
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. Lenders generally view a lower DTI as favorable.
The debt-to-asset ratio, the debt-to-equity ratio, and the times-interest-earned ratio are three important debt management ratios for your business. They tell you how much of your company's operations are based on debt, rather than equity.
Total liabilities are the combined debts that an individual or company owes. They are generally broken down into three categories: short-term, long-term, and other liabilities. On the balance sheet, total liabilities plus equity must equal total assets.
It's calculated by adding together your current and long-term liabilities. Knowing your total debt can help you calculate other important metrics like net debt and debt-to-EBITDA (earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization) ratio, which indicates a company's ability to pay off its debt.
A ratio is an ordered pair of numbers a and b, written a / b where b does not equal 0. A proportion is an equation in which two ratios are set equal to each other. For example, if there is 1 boy and 3 girls you could write the ratio as: 1 : 3 (for every one boy there are 3 girls)
A ratio shows how much of one thing there is compared to another. If you are making orange squash and you mix one part orange to four parts water, then the ratio of orange to water will be 1:4 (1 to 4). The order in which a ratio is stated is important.
Is total debt just total liabilities?
In summary, all debts are liabilities, but not all liabilities are debts. Debt specifically refers to borrowed money, while liabilities refer to any financial obligation a company has to pay.
Lenders, including anyone who might give you a mortgage or an auto loan, use DTI as a measure of creditworthiness. DTI is one factor that can help lenders decide whether you can repay the money you have borrowed or take on more debt. A good debt-to-income ratio is below 43%, and many lenders prefer 36% or below.
A good debt-to-income ratio is less than or equal to 36%. Any debt-to-income ratio above 43% is considered to be too much debt.
Let's say your gross monthly income is $6,000. Recurring debt ($3,000) ÷ gross monthly income ($6,000) = 0.50 or 50%. That's not a good DTI. If your DTI is higher than 43% you'll have a hard time getting a mortgage or other types of loans.
- Increase the amount you pay monthly toward your debts. Extra payments can help lower your overall debt more quickly.
- Ask creditors to reduce your interest rate, which would lead to savings that you could use to pay down debt.
- Avoid taking on more debt.
- Look for ways to increase your income.
References
- https://www.capitalone.com/learn-grow/money-management/types-of-debt/
- https://selling-guide.fanniemae.com/Underwriting-Borrowers/Liability-Assessment/Monthly-Debt-Obligations/Debt-Paid-by-Others/1032994481/For-debts-paid-by-others-if-only-a-portion-of-the-debt-is-paid-by-another-party-can-that-portion-be-excluded-in-the-DTI-ratio.htm
- https://www.business.com/articles/business-debt-how-much-is-too-much-to-carry/
- https://www.debt-rr.com/2020/08/04/debt-ratio/
- https://www.investopedia.com/articles/07/debt_to_income.asp
- https://www.wellsfargo.com/goals-credit/smarter-credit/credit-101/debt-to-income-ratio/
- https://www.klipfolio.com/resources/kpi-examples/financial/net-debt
- https://www.nirmalbang.com/knowledge-center/debt-to-equity-ratio.html
- https://www.wellsfargo.com/goals-credit/smarter-credit/credit-101/debt-to-income-ratio/understanding-dti/
- https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/accounting/leverage-ratios/
- https://www.fool.com/the-ascent/small-business/accounting/articles/debt-to-asset-ratio/
- https://www.thebalancemoney.com/debt-management-ratios-tutorial-393232
- https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/122414/what-difference-between-operating-income-and-net-income.asp
- https://www.chegg.com/homework-help/questions-and-answers/14-three-components-debt--o-period-interest-capital-b-o-repayment-creditor-debtor-c-o-prin-q85685849
- https://www.deskera.com/blog/debt-ratio/
- https://www.bankrate.com/real-estate/income-needed-for-200k-home/
- https://www.fool.com/the-ascent/research/average-household-debt/
- https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/042415/why-would-you-look-companys-net-debt-rather-its-gross-debt.asp
- https://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-fastest-ways-to-pay-off-debt/
- https://www.upwork.com/en-gb/resources/how-to-calculate-total-debt
- https://www.fortunebuilders.com/what-is-a-good-debt-to-equity-ratio/
- https://www.bostonherald.com/2023/03/14/the-average-millennial-has-nearly-30k-in-debt-here-is-what-they-should-do/
- https://www.moneysense.ca/glossary/what-is-a-total-debt-service-ratio-tds/
- https://bettermoneyhabits.bankofamerica.com/en/credit/what-is-debt-to-income-ratio
- https://www.experian.com/blogs/ask-experian/what-is-the-20-10-rule/
- https://www.coursesidekick.com/finance/309223
- https://www.upwork.com/resources/how-to-calculate-total-debt
- https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/debt-to-equity-ratio
- https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/081214/whats-considered-be-good-debttoincome-dti-ratio.asp
- https://www.wellsfargo.com/goals-credit/smarter-credit/credit-101/debt-to-income-ratio/dti-faqs/
- https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/052515/what-debt-equity-ratio-common-bank.asp
- https://ceopedia.org/index.php/Debt_management_ratio
- https://blog.hubspot.com/sales/debt-equity-ratio
- https://www.incharge.org/debt-relief/how-much-debt-is-too-much/
- https://www.shopify.com/blog/what-is-debt-to-equity-ratio
- https://www.accountingcoach.com/blog/debt-equity-ratio
- https://www.incharge.org/financial-literacy/how-to-calculate-your-debt-to-income-ratio/
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/f/front-end-debt-to-income-ratio.asp
- https://crosscountrymortgage.com/how-to-lower-debt-to-income-ratio/
- https://www.marketwatch.com/picks/i-have-20k-in-credit-card-debt-and-pay-400-a-month-just-in-interest-im-worried-about-this-large-sum-of-interest-im-paying-what-should-i-do-01675358619
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Debt_ratio
- https://byjus.com/commerce/differences-between-debt-and-equity-capital/
- https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/030915/what-are-some-examples-current-liabilities.asp
- https://testbook.com/key-differences/difference-between-debt-and-equity
- https://www.debt.org/management-plans/
- https://selling-guide.fanniemae.com/Underwriting-Borrowers/Liability-Assessment/Monthly-Debt-Obligations/Debt-Paid-by-Others/1047098271/When-can-debt-paid-by-others-be-excluded-from-the-DTI-ratio.htm
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/dti.asp
- https://www.chase.com/personal/credit-cards/education/basics/what-is-debt-to-income-ratio-and-why-it-is-important
- https://www.meettally.com/blog/total-debt-formula
- https://www.cbsnews.com/news/how-long-will-it-take-to-pay-off-5000-in-credit-card-debt/
- https://www.lawinsider.com/dictionary/excluded-debt
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/totaldebttototalassets.asp
- https://www.analystforum.com/t/what-is-total-debt/86392
- https://study.com/academy/lesson/three-cs-of-credit-character-capital-capacity.html
- https://www.consumerfinance.gov/ask-cfpb/what-is-a-debt-to-income-ratio-en-1791/
- https://www.citizensbank.com/learning/how-much-debt-is-too-much.aspx
- https://www.investopedia.com/ask/answers/021215/what-good-debt-ratio-and-what-bad-debt-ratio.asp
- https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/valuation/net-debt/
- https://www.theforage.com/blog/skills/quick-ratio
- https://www.bbc.co.uk/bitesize/topics/zsq7hyc/articles/z8kfnbk
- https://www.theforage.com/blog/skills/debt-ratio
- https://www.bankrate.com/real-estate/what-is-the-28-36-rule/
- https://navi.com/blog/debt-to-equity-ratio/
- https://www.equifax.com/personal/education/credit/report/articles/-/learn/understanding-credit-good-debt-vs-bad-debt/
- https://www.highradius.com/resources/Blog/bad-debt-expense-calculation/
- https://arrived.com/blog/debt-to-equity-ratio
- https://pivotlending.com/debt-to-income-ratios/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ratio
- https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/how-strike-perfect-balance-between-debt-equity-capital-sahil-narula
- https://www.equifax.com/personal/education/credit/score/articles/-/learn/debt-to-income-ratio-vs-debt-to-credit-ratio/
- https://corporatefinanceinstitute.com/resources/commercial-lending/debt-to-asset-ratio/
- https://gocardless.com/guides/posts/non-current-liabilities-definition-and-examples/
- https://money.stackexchange.com/questions/115736/is-rent-considered-a-debt
- https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc453
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/n/netdebt.asp
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/total-liabilities.asp
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/debtequityratio.asp
- https://dfh.co.uk/debt-types/consumer-credit/can-i-get-a-credit-card-while-on-a-debt-management-plan/
- https://www.raymondchabot.com/en/articles-and-advice/financial-health/what-is-the-debt-ratio/
- https://www.superfastcpa.com/what-is-the-difference-between-a-liability-and-a-debt/
- https://www.quora.com/I-am-25-and-I-am-in-3-000-worth-of-debt-what-should-I-do
- https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/debt-ratio-types-and-how-to-calculate
- https://www.rocketmortgage.com/learn/debt-to-income-ratio
- https://www.thebalancemoney.com/how-to-lower-your-debt-to-income-ratio-960847
- https://davenport.libguides.com/math-skills-overview/ratios-proportions/understanding
- https://www.quora.com/Is-there-an-optimal-mix-of-debt-and-equity
- https://www.kotaksecurities.com/share-market/what-is-debt-to-equity-ratio/
- https://selling-guide.fanniemae.com/Underwriting-Borrowers/Liability-Assessment/Monthly-Debt-Obligations/Business-Court-Ordered-Debt/1074905301/When-can-business-debt-be-excluded-from-the-DTI-ratio.htm
- https://thinkout.io/blog/how-much-debt-is-too-much-for-your-company/
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/d/debtratio.asp
- https://www.bankatfirst.com/business/resources/commercial/purpose-where-four-cs-credit-worthiness-converge.html
- https://www.fe.training/free-resources/accounting/net-debt/
- https://debitoor.com/dictionary/debt-ratio
- https://stairsfinancial.com/blog/how-much-house-can-i-afford-on-40k-a-year
- https://housenumbers.io/blog/homeowner-lower-dti-debt-to-income-ratio/
- https://groww.in/p/debt-to-equity-ratio
- https://www.cainmortgageteam.com/how-much-house-can-i-afford-with-a-60k-salary/
- https://www.experian.co.uk/consumer/guides/debt-management-plan.html
- https://www.investopedia.com/terms/t/totaldebtserviceratio.asp
- https://www.quora.com/What-is-the-difference-between-debt-ratio-debt-to-equity-ratio-and-debt-to-asset-ratio