DSCR Loan Calculator: Does the Deal Qualify?
Enter the rent, the price, and the financing — see your debt service coverage ratio the way a DSCR lender computes it, plus cap rate, cash flow, break-even points, and a five-year wealth projection. Every number updates live.
DSCR Details
$75,000 on a $300,000 property
Auto-calculated (1% of price/yr)
5-Year Projection Assumptions
DSCR Ratio
2.00
Cap Rate
11.3%
Cash on Cash
18.8%
Monthly Cash Flow
$1,248
DSCR Qualification
Your DSCR: 2.00 — Qualifies for best rates and terms
Break-Even Points
Minimum Rent per Unit
$751 above the 1.25 threshold
Maximum Purchase Price
$195,068 under the 1.25 limit
Monthly Cost Breakdown
$2,752
per month
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This calculator estimates. Run your numbers with us and your rent, payment, and price carry over — no retyping, no documents, no tax returns.
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How do you calculate DSCR?
One division: DSCR = gross monthly rent ÷ monthly PITIA. Gross rent is the property’s total monthly rent across all units. PITIA is the all-in monthly payment — principal, interest, property taxes, insurance, and association dues. A property renting for $4,000 against a $2,000 all-in payment carries a DSCR of 2.00: the rent covers the payment twice over. A property renting for $1,800 against that same payment carries a 0.90 — the rent doesn’t fully service the debt, and the deal needs restructuring or a no-ratio program.
That’s the entire qualification engine behind DSCR lending: no W-2s, no tax returns, no debt-to-income worksheet. The property’s cash flow does the qualifying, which is why the calculator above asks about the deal — and never about you.
What is a good DSCR ratio?
Lenders read the ratio in zones, and the calculator’s gauge mirrors them. 1.25 and above is strong — the property produces 25% more rent than it owes each month, which unlocks the best rates and terms. 1.0 to 1.25 qualifies at standard terms: the property covers itself with a thinner cushion. 0.75 to 1.0 is marginal — options narrow and compensating factors (more equity, stronger credit) carry weight. Below 0.75, most DSCR programs decline, and the calculator switches to telling you exactly what would need to change: the rent that reaches 1.0, the price that gets you there, or the structure (interest-only, larger down payment) that lowers the payment.
What counts in PITIA — and what doesn’t?
PITIA is principal, interest, taxes, insurance, and association dues — the payment obligations attached to the loan and the property. It deliberately excludes management fees, repairs, and utilities: those are operating expenses that affect your profit, not the lender’s coverage test. That’s why the calculator shows two different totals — the DSCR runs on PITIA, while the cash-flow panel subtracts everything to show what actually hits your bank account. A deal can qualify beautifully and still cash-flow thin; seeing both numbers side by side is the point of the tool.
The dues line matters more than most investors expect: a condo with $400 in monthly assessments carries that $400 inside PITIA, directly lowering the ratio. It’s the silent DSCR killer in condo markets — our Florida page covers the state where it bites hardest.
How is the rent documented in a real loan?
Two paths. An in-place lease is the cleanest evidence. Without one, the appraisal includes a market-rent analysis(the 1007 schedule) — the appraiser’s documented opinion of what the property rents for. That second path is why expected rent counts on a purchase: you don’t need a tenant in place to qualify, and the number you should test in the calculator is the rent a lease or appraisal would actually support, not the most optimistic listing you saw. Short-term rentals document differently — booking history or market STR data — through STR programs.
How this calculator models the deal — honestly
The engine follows residential DSCR lender conventions precisely: gross rent over PITIA (not effective rent, not NOI), vacancy as an income haircut rather than an expense, management fees applied to post-vacancy rent, and repairs auto-estimated at 1% of the property value per year unless you enter your own figure. The break-even card solves the qualification equation algebraically — the minimum rent and maximum price that hit 1.0 and 1.25 are exact, not trial-and-error.
The five-year projection is deliberately simple, and it says so on its face: debt service is held constant (optimistic for post-interest-only years), the projected ratio holds PITIA flat while rent grows, and the post-IO balance is approximated on the full amortization curve. The footnotes under the projection spell out all three simplifications — because a tool that hides its assumptions isn’t analysis, it’s marketing. When you’re ready for underwritten numbers instead of estimates, that’s what the desk is for.
Put this calculator on your website
Agents, property managers, turnkey operators, investor educators — if your audience analyzes rental deals, embed the calculator free with one line of HTML. It sizes itself, matches any page, and keeps working as we improve it.
Embed this calculator on your site
<script src="https://onemoredoor.com/omd-embed.js" data-calc="dscr"></script>Free to use — paste it where the calculator should appear and it sizes itself. Attribution stays part of the tool. Want it in your brand colors with your name on it? A partner program is coming — watch this page.
Why does this DSCR differ from calculators that divide NOI by debt service?
Two conventions exist. Commercial underwriting divides NOI by debt service; residential DSCR lenders divide gross rent by PITIA. This calculator uses the residential lender convention because that is how the loan you would actually apply for gets underwritten — so the ratio here matches the conversation you will have with a lender.
What interest rate should I enter?
Use a real quote if you have one. DSCR pricing varies by leverage, credit, property type, and program — there is no single posted “DSCR rate,” which is why this calculator does not auto-fill one. Testing your deal across a range of rates takes seconds and shows you exactly how sensitive the ratio is.
Can I analyze an Airbnb or short-term rental with this calculator?
Yes — enter the property’s average monthly revenue as the rent figure and the math holds. Note that STR lending programs document income differently (booking history or market STR data instead of a lease), so treat the result as deal analysis and see our short-term rental loan page for how qualification actually runs.
Does a bigger down payment always fix a failing DSCR?
It always helps and rarely finishes the job alone. Down payment only shrinks the principal-and-interest slice of PITIA — taxes, insurance, and HOA don’t move. On a thin deal, watch the break-even card: if the required rent stays out of reach even at 40–50% down, the deal needs a better price or more rent, not more equity.
Can I model a cash-out refinance here?
Yes — switch the toggle to Refinance. The loan becomes your current balance plus the cash-out amount, the ratio recomputes against the new payment, and cash-on-cash return is measured against the cash you are extracting plus fees. It is the fastest way to see how much equity you can pull before the ratio tightens.
Estimates are free. Real numbers are too.
Run your deal with the desk — your rent, payment, and price carry straight into the form. Priced on the property's cash flow, never your tax returns.
2 minutes · No documents · No tax returns