The income landlords ask you to prove
Most landlords in the United States require gross monthly income of at least three times the rent. This calculator turns a rent figure into the salary you will be asked to document, or a salary into the rent you can expect to be approved for.
The rule
It is applied to gross income, before tax. That distinction matters more than it sounds, and the section below shows why.
Worked example: $1,500 a month rent
- Gross monthly income required: $4,500
- Gross annual: $54,000
- Take-home on that salary: roughly $3,500 a month
- Rent as a share of what actually arrives: 43%
The rule passes, and the tenant is still spending 43% of real income on rent. Three times gross is a landlord's screening threshold, not a statement that the rent is affordable.
What the same rent looks like on different multiples
| Multiple | Gross needed | Rent vs take-home |
|---|---|---|
| 2.5× | $3,750 | ~52% |
| 3× | $4,500 | ~43% |
| 3.5× | $5,250 | ~37% |
| 4× | $6,000 | ~32% |
The widely quoted guidance that housing should stay under 30% of income only holds at roughly four times gross, not three.
If you do not meet the threshold
Landlords commonly accept a guarantor, several months of rent paid upfront, or a larger security deposit. Some count a roommate's income toward the same threshold, some require each tenant to qualify independently — ask which before applying.
Documented freelance income is usually assessed on the last two years of tax returns rather than recent months, which can work either way.
What this calculator leaves out
Utilities, renter's insurance, parking and any move-in fee, plus your existing debts. Two applicants with identical salaries and different student loan payments are not equally able to pay this rent.
Where the rule does not apply
Three times gross is an American convention. In the United Kingdom, letting agents typically use an annual figure of 30 times the monthly rent, which is 2.5 times monthly — a looser test. Germany works from the Schufa score and a net-income calculation rather than a multiple.
Within the United States, high-cost cities frequently apply 40 times the monthly rent as an annual income requirement, which is the same as this 3× rule expressed differently, while some markets have moved to 3.5× or higher as rents outpaced wages.
Check the local convention before assuming the figure this calculator produces is the one you will be measured against.
Applying with a roommate
On a $1,500 apartment shared by two people, some landlords require the combined income to reach $4,500 and some require each applicant to reach it independently. The two policies produce very different outcomes for the same pair of tenants.
Ask which applies before viewing. If it is the stricter version, a guarantor for the lower earner is usually accepted, and arranging one in advance is faster than discovering the requirement at signing.
Related calculators
- Rent calculator — affordable rent from your actual budget rather than a multiple
- Debt-to-income calculator — the ratio that accounts for existing obligations
- Salary calculator — gross against take-home