There is no single magic number, and the limits are not fixed. Most lending now runs through automated underwriting systems that get refined constantly and quietly, so the ceiling is more of a moving box than a bright line. We have watched a file get approved, lose the property to a low appraisal, and then come back a few months later on nearly identical numbers without an approval, with no rule change we could point to. With that said, the working ceilings by program (confirm current requirements, since they change): - FHA: with an automated approval, up to a 46.99% housing ratio and a 56.99% total DTI. Those are hard maximums, they apply only to AUS-approved files, and they are not available to every borrower; they reflect how the automated system behaves rather than a handbook figure. Manual FHA underwrites run roughly 31/43 at base, up to 40/50 with strong compensating factors. - Conventional: 50% total DTI through automated underwriting. Manually underwritten conventional files cap at 36%, stretching to 45% with strong credit and reserves. - Jumbo: investor-set, so no single figure. Around 43% is a common ceiling, plenty of investors allow 45% or more with reserves and strong credit, and some portfolio lenders go higher. - VA: no stated maximum. 41% is a benchmark, and above it the file needs residual income comfortably clearing VA's regional table (at least 20% above it, plus compensating factors). Residual income is the real test, and any flat VA cap you hear is a lender overlay. - USDA: the most restrictive on the housing ratio, so check its current figure. And yes, the higher your DTI, the less likely the approval, because the hard ceilings are exactly that no matter how strong your credit or reserves. The cleaner move is knowing your real number before you shop, which is what we run on the free Roadmap conversation.