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What share of your income already goes to debt?
Two numbers and a straight answer — plus where you sit against 1,174 real debt review applications. Nothing is sent anywhere.
Your month
What actually lands in your account
Every credit instalment — not rent, food or electricity
Nothing you type is transmitted or stored. This calculator runs entirely in your browser — move a slider and the answer recalculates on this device.
Your debt-to-income ratio
41.7%
How that compares — our own data
Your debt-to-income ratio is lower than the median applicant for debt review through DS4U, which is 58.4%.
Benchmarked against 1 174 real debt review applications, June – August 2026, from the South African Financial Pressure Index. The base is people already applying for debt review — not the South African population.
Questions about this calculator
What is a debt-to-income ratio?
The share of your take-home pay that goes to debt repayments every month. If you earn R18,000 and pay R7,200 towards debt, your ratio is 40%. It is the single most useful number for judging whether your debt is manageable.
What counts as a debt repayment?
Every credit agreement instalment: personal loans, credit cards, store and clothing accounts, vehicle finance, your bond and any arrears arrangements. Not rent, not groceries, not electricity — those are living costs.
What is a healthy ratio?
There is no statutory threshold, but lenders generally get uncomfortable above 40% and most affordability models break down well before 60%. What matters more is what is left afterwards: a 45% ratio on a high income is survivable, the same ratio on R6,000 is not.
Does this decide whether I qualify for debt review?
No. Over-indebtedness is assessed by a registered debt counsellor under Regulation 24(7), from your actual credit agreements and real living costs. This ratio is a strong signal, not a determination.
Other DS4U tools
All free, all run in your browser, none of them ask for an email.
Want the real number?
A calculator works from what you type. A registered debt counsellor works from your actual credit agreements. The assessment is free and commits you to nothing.
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