A debt ratio of 75% means that 75% of a company's assets are financed by debt. Whether this is “good” varies based on industry benchmarks and the company's specific circumstances. But generally a debt ratio of 0.4 or below is considered to be favorable and as it suggests a lower reliance on debt.
From a pure risk perspective, debt ratios of 0.4 (40%) or lower are considered better, while a debt ratio of 0.6 (60%) or higher makes it more difficult to borrow money. While a low debt ratio suggests greater creditworthiness, there is also risk associated with a company carrying too little debt.
What if the debt ratio was much higher, like 0.8, or 80%? A debt ratio this high would throw up a red flag to the bank. At this level, the company would appear to have most of their assets funded by debt and would be a high risk for the bank.
Your debt-to-income (DTI) ratio is how much money you earn versus what you spend. It's calculated by dividing your monthly debts by your gross monthly income. Generally, it's a good idea to keep your DTI ratio below 43%, though 35% or less is considered “good.”
Broadly speaking, ratios of 60% (0.6) or more are considered high, while ratios of 40% (0.4) or less are considered low.
A company's debt ratio can be calculated by dividing total debt by total assets. A debt ratio of greater than 1.0 or 100% means a company has more debt than assets while a debt ratio of less than 100% indicates that a company has more assets than debt.
Specifically, a debt ratio of 84 means that 84% of the company's assets are financed through debt. This high debt ratio suggests that ABC Corp has a financial structure that is highly leveraged, meaning it has taken on a significant amount of debt in relation to its equity.
Key takeaways
Debt-to-income ratio is your monthly debt obligations compared to your gross monthly income (before taxes), expressed as a percentage. A good debt-to-income ratio is less than or equal to 36%. Any debt-to-income ratio above 43% is considered to be too much debt.
The bad debt ratio measures the amount of money a company has to write off as a bad debt expense compared to its net sales. In other words, it tells you what percentage of sales profit a company loses to unpaid invoices.
Do I need to worry about my debt ratio? If your debt ratio does not exceed 30%, the banks will find it excellent. Your ratio shows that if you manage your daily expenses well, you should be able to pay off your debts without worry or penalty. A debt ratio between 30% and 36% is also considered good.
What is considered a lot of student loan debt? A lot of student loan debt is more than you can afford to repay after graduation. For many, this means having more than $70,000 – $100,000 in total student debt.
Industry-wise analysis of Bad Debt Ratios
The overall bad debt-to-sales ratio ranged from 0% to 1.38%. On average, this ratio increased by 0.02 percentage points in 2023 from the 2022 levels. Meanwhile, the bad debt-to-accounts receivable ratio rose by 0.15 percentage points to 2.28% in 2023, up from 2.13% in 2022.
How to interpret debt ratio results. As it relates to risk for lenders and investors , a debt ratio at or below 0.4 or 40% is low. This shows minimal risk, potential longevity and strong financial health for a company. Conversely, a debt ratio above 0.6 or 0.7 (60-70%) is a higher risk and may discourage investment.
In accounting, bad debt is the amount owed by a customer that is unlikely to be collected, resulting in a financial loss.
Debt-to-Equity Ratio
A higher ratio indicates a greater reliance on debt and higher potential financial risk. A healthy debt-to-equity ratio varies across industries, but as a general rule of thumb, a ratio above 2:1 is considered excessive debt.
According to Experian, average total consumer household debt in 2023 is $104,215. That's up 11% from 2020, when average total consumer debt was $92,727.
Therefore, the only way to improve your debt ratio is to either reduce your housing expenses, increase your income, reduce your debts, or a combination of these 3 factors. It may be difficult to reduce the cost of rent or mortgage and/or increase your income in the short term.
If your monthly income is $2,500, your DTI ratio would be 64 percent, which might be too high to qualify for some credit cards. With an income of roughly $3,700 and the same debt, however, you'd have a DTI ratio of 43 percent and would have better chances of qualifying for a credit card.
For instance, investors or other businesses interested in acquiring or merging with your company will want to see a debt ratio between 30 percent and 60 percent. If your debt ratio is higher than 60 percent, banks and other lenders may consider your company a risky borrower.
Understanding the Interpretation
This can be interpreted as the company being halfway leveraged, indicating moderate financial risk. On the other hand, a debt ratio of 0.75 or 75% implies that for every dollar of assets, the company has 75 cents of debt, signifying higher leverage and increased financial risk.
Debt-to-asset ratio: This measures the value of a household's debts compared to the value of its assets. A high debt-to-asset ratio is a ratio of 80% or higher.
Total Liabilities ÷ Total Assets
Signal: Under . 5 or 50% is better; over 1.0 or 100% would indicate that liabilities exceed assets, which is not desirable; upward trend may be cause for concern. Calculation: Total liabilities may also be divided by total income or total capital for a different emphasis.
36% to 49% means your DTI ratio is adequate, but you have room for improvement. Lenders might ask for other eligibility requirements. 50% or higher DTI ratio means you have limited money to save or spend. As a result, you won't likely have money to handle an unforeseen event and will have limited borrowing options.