Debt to Income Credit Reports | Prequalify Your Customers

Debt-to-Income (DTI) Ratio Tools for Smarter Lending Decisions

Soft Pull Solutions provides income estimates in addition to credit reports.

Our income estimator enables lenders to evaluate consumers based on more than just their credit scores. Income checks also help calculate debt to income and increase confidence the borrower will pay back on their loan. A debt-to-icome ratio (DTI) is a reflection of how well a consumer is currently doing at managing their debt and income. Debt-to-income compares consumers' monthly debt payments they owe versus their monthly income. Analyzing these two factors helps lenders and businesses understand the risk a potential borrower may pose. Our income report allows you to see job history, employer name, annual income, and job tenure.

How do you provide income estimates?

Income checks are designed to be fast and more accurate than manual processing.

No more waiting to get this information!

Don't slow down the process while you wait for another source to verify the income for you!

What Is a Debt-to-Income Ratio?

Debt-to-income ratio (DTI) measures how much of a borrower's gross monthly income goes toward paying existing debt. It is one of the most reliable indicators of a borrower's ability to take on and repay a new financial obligation — and one of the first numbers lenders and brokers look at during the prequalification process.

DTI is calculated by dividing total monthly debt payments by gross monthly income. For example, a borrower with $2,000 in monthly debt obligations and $6,000 in gross monthly income has a DTI of 33%.

Two versions of DTI are commonly used in lending:

  • Front-End DTI — covers only housing-related expenses such as mortgage principal, interest, taxes, and insurance (PITI). Typically used in mortgage underwriting.
  • Back-End DTI — covers all monthly debt obligations, including housing, auto loans, student loans, credit cards, and other installment or revolving accounts. This is the figure most lenders use to assess overall borrower risk.

How Soft Pull Solutions Calculates DTI

Soft Pull Solutions generates a DTI estimate directly from credit report data — no additional forms or manual income entry required. The report pulls outstanding balances and minimum payment obligations from the credit file and compares them to an estimated gross monthly income derived from employment and income data.

The result gives lenders and brokers an objective, data-driven snapshot of a borrower's financial capacity at the point of prequalification — before a hard pull is ever run.

Reports include:

  • Mortgage and housing debt
  • Installment accounts (auto loans, student loans, personal loans)
  • Revolving accounts (credit cards, lines of credit)
  • Estimated gross monthly income
  • Calculated front-end and back-end DTI ratios

Why DTI Matters at Prequalification

Running a DTI estimate early in the applicant pipeline helps lenders and brokers:

  • Filter out applicants who are unlikely to qualify before spending resources on a full application
  • Identify borrowers who may qualify for a different loan amount or product
  • Reduce underwriting surprises late in the process
  • Have more informed conversations with applicants about their financial position
  • Comply with ability-to-repay requirements under applicable lending regulations

Because Soft Pull Solutions' DTI tool is built on top of a soft pull, none of this analysis impacts the applicant's credit score.

Debt-to-Income Frequently Asked Questions

DTI thresholds vary by loan type and lender guidelines. For conventional mortgages, most lenders prefer a back-end DTI at or below 43%, though some programs allow up to 50% with compensating factors such as strong credit or significant reserves. For personal loans and auto financing, acceptable DTI ratios vary more widely by lender. As a general rule, borrowers with a back-end DTI below 36% are considered lower risk and tend to qualify for more favorable terms.

Front-end DTI — sometimes called the housing ratio — includes only housing-related expenses such as mortgage principal, interest, taxes, and insurance. Back-end DTI includes all monthly debt obligations: housing, auto loans, student loans, credit cards, and any other installment or revolving accounts. Lenders typically evaluate both, but back-end DTI is the more comprehensive measure of a borrower's overall debt load.

No. Soft Pull Solutions' DTI report is built on a soft pull credit inquiry, which does not impact the applicant's credit score and does not appear on their credit report as a hard inquiry.

Income is estimated using employment and income data sourced from the credit file, including employer information and tenure. Because this is an estimate rather than a verified income figure, lenders should supplement it with additional income documentation such as pay stubs, W-2s, or tax transcripts for final underwriting decisions. Soft Pull Solutions also offers IRS 4506-C tax transcript verification and SSA-89 Social Security income verification for lenders who need confirmed income data.

Yes. DTI report data is available through the Soft Pull Solutions API, making it easy to incorporate debt-to-income analysis directly into loan origination systems, CRMs, and custom lending workflows.

The DTI report pulls debt obligations directly from the credit file, including mortgage and housing payments, auto loans, student loans, personal installment loans, credit card minimum payments, and other revolving lines of credit. Obligations not reported to the credit bureaus — such as informal arrangements or certain utility accounts — will not be reflected in the estimate.

General FAQ

Yes. Reports can be configured to match the credit scoring model used by your lender, and it is recommended as a best practice.

Yes. If the same bureau and scoring model are used, the credit score from the soft pull will be identical to that from the hard pull.

Yes, the soft pull report includes the same data and information as a hard pull. The score is also the same.

You need to complete an inspection at your business, and there will be a few documents we request from you, such as articles from the Secretary of State and a utility bill. (An inspection and submitting documents is not necessary if you will only be getting setup for business credit reports.

We’ve seen some businesses get set up with services in just a couple of days, but it typically takes 1-2 weeks.

Yes, you can set up credit report services if you work from a home office. However, you will likely need a commercial office if you plan to use Experian. (business credit reports are even easier and do not have office requirements).

Yes, you can do a virtual inspection with TransUnion and Equifax, but Experian will likely require an on-site inspection. (No inspection needed for business credit reports).

You will only need to complete one inspection, and we can then get you set up with access to each of the three credit bureaus.

No, we can get you set up with business credit reports the same day. You do not need to complete an inspection.

In the U.S., you generally do not need permission to access a business credit report. Unlike consumer credit reports, business credit information is largely based on public records and voluntarily shared data. Public records may include details from government sources like Secretary of State filings, while shared data is often contributed by vendors and lenders who report payment histories to help provide a clearer picture of a company’s financial health.

FICO scores are still the most commonly used scores for lender underwriting. VantageScores, which was developed more recently by the credit bureaus, is often more cost-effective and can provide insight across all three bureaus even when only a single bureau is pulled.

The right scoring model depends on your industry and lender requirements. If you are not a lender, then we recommend getting set up with the same scoring model that your lender uses.

Some industries use specialized scoring models, such as auto-specific, mortgage-specific, or credit card-specific scores, tailored to predict risk for those loan types.

Yes. Each bureau supports different scoring models, and scores can vary based on the bureau and model.

Yes. Multiple credit scores can be included on a single report, we do not see this often, but there could be situations where a business might want to see two or even three credit scores on the same report.

Yes. You can review the credit report data first and then decide if you want to see the credit score. This approach is not common, but it can help reduce costs and we have seen some businesses do it.

Yes. Consumer credit scores evaluate an individual’s personal credit history, while business credit scores focus on a company’s credit activity and financial behavior.

No. Scores can vary by bureau because each bureau has different data, and scores also depend on the specific scoring model used.

Additional Reports & Features

When you sign up with Soft Pull Solutions, you’ll have access to a variety of other detailed reports and services designed to meet your specific business needs. Click the button to view a full list of reports available to your account or to schedule a meeting.

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Difference Between Soft & Hard Pulls

What Is Different? Soft Pulls Hard Pulls
Impact on consumer credit? No Yes
Social Security Number required? No Yes
Date of Birth required? No Yes
Does running an inquiry create trigger leads? No Yes
Do you need to print a Risk-Based Pricing Notification and give it to the consumer after you pull the report? No Yes
Is it a full credit report? Yes Yes
Is a FICO Score included with the report? Yes Yes
Is the report sufficient for tenant screening purposes? Yes Yes
Can I get consent over the phone? Yes Yes

See the Difference Firsthand

Click below to view a sample of a soft pull credit report

View Our Soft Pull Credit Report

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