The Debt Service Ratio (DSR) compares an individual’s income to its liabilities. It is a way to measure an individual’s ability to repay their debt. Banks often calculate this ratio as part of their considerations for your financing approval. It is a way for banks to decide whether or not to allow an individual to take on more debt. The lower your DSR, the better the chance for you to get an approval. The best DSR should always be maintained in the 30-40% range.

Generally in Malaysia, your DSR should be at a maximum of 70% for your Home Financing application to be approved. Some banks may accept a higher or a lower DSR. Note that every bank has its own maximum DSR limit and different requirements, depending on the individual’s levels of income. This formula helps the bank to estimate your monthly instalments. Based on your monthly net income and total debt and obligations, banks can determine whether your application is within your financial limits.

To calculate debt service ratio, divide the debt (including the total monthly commitments like personal financing, car financing, etc.) by the net operating income (after deducting tax, EPF, etc). The result is then multiplied by 100 to receive the DSR percentage (%). To make it simple:

Among the factors that could affect your DSR are unstable monthly income, too many monthly payments or debts, your employment status and also the period of your employment. All these factors may be an alert to the banks that you might have a problem in repaying it.

As mentioned earlier, the 30-40% range is the best to be maintained. You can start improving your DSR by reducing your debt. If you have unpaid debts like personal financing, car financing or unpaid credit cards, it is best for you to clear it up. Alternatively, you can also consider consolidating multiple repayments into one loan. This method simplifies your repayments into one and thus saves your payment on rates too. Another way to improve your DSR is to pay your debts on time. Whenever your bills or credit card is due, always pay it off at full. This will not only affect your DSR, it will also affect your credit score.