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Debt-to-Income Ratio Calculator: France

Work out your debt-to-income ratio and see it against the rules lenders actually use where you live, from the US 28/36 to Ireland's loan-to-income cap.

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France: 35% of net income, insurance included

France applies the bluntest ceiling of any country here, a single binding percentage, and it is written against take-home pay. The Haut Conseil de stabilité financière caps the taux d'effort, total loan payments as a share of income, at 35% of net income, with a maximum loan term of 25 years. A French borrower on 4,000 euros net has a very different ratio from one entering 4,000 euros gross, and the 35% HCSF cap is written against the net figure.

Two details make the French limit bite harder than the number suggests. The 35% includes the assurance emprunteur, the borrower's insurance that is effectively compulsory on a French mortgage and can add a meaningful amount to the monthly cost, so the payment being measured is larger than the loan's own repayment. And the cap applies to all loan repayments together, not to the mortgage alone: a car loan or a consumer credit eats directly into the same 35%.

The rule is binding rather than advisory, but not absolute. Banks may breach it on up to 20% of their quarterly lending, a flexibility mostly directed at first-time buyers and owner-occupiers.

Worked exampleWorked example: €4,000 net a month

The ceiling is 35% of €4,000, or €1,400 a month for every loan payment combined, insurance included. An existing €250 car loan leaves €1,150 for the mortgage and its insurance, and the 25-year term limit caps how far that payment can be stretched to buy a larger loan.

For how the calculation works, the formula behind it and what it leaves out, see the full guide. For help interpreting a result or comparing it with a quote or statement, read the questions and answers.

Data sources

French HCSF lending conditionsHaut Conseil de stabilite financiereWithin its effective period

Every document each dataset was read from, its notes and how the figures were checked are listed in the guide's data sources.

This calculator in other countries

Each country has its own rates, thresholds and rules, and its own page that runs the calculator on them and cites the official sources they came from.

CentExactCalculator publisher

CentExact publishes the calculation method, worked examples and available data sources. Automated checks cover reference calculations; they do not certify a result for your circumstances or imply approval by a lender or tax authority.

How we build and test our calculators

This calculator is for general information only and is not financial advice. Results are estimates based on the figures you enter and the stated formula; lenders and providers may round or calculate differently. Check any decision with the institution involved or a qualified adviser.