Mortgage Borrowing Calculator Ireland

What this calculator is for

This calculator estimates the standard mortgage and purchase-price ceiling suggested by Ireland’s Central Bank loan-to-income and loan-to-value rules before a lender carries out its own affordability and credit assessment.

It brings two constraints together:

• the mortgage amount suggested by the standard loan-to-income (LTI) multiple; and
• the maximum property price your deposit can support under the standard 90% loan-to-value (LTV) limit for a principal home.

The lower of those two purchase-price limits is the important number. The calculator also tells you which constraint is binding.

Switch to Advanced calculation to enter a target property price. The calculator then shows the mortgage that price would require after your deposit, the gross income implied by the standard LTI multiple, the 10% minimum deposit and any gap between the target and your current standard-rule maximum.

The current Central Bank mortgage limits

For ordinary principal-home lending, the Central Bank’s current framework generally sets:

• first-time buyers: maximum LTI of 4 times gross income;
• second and subsequent buyers: maximum LTI of 3.5 times gross income;
• principal-home mortgages: maximum LTV of 90%, implying a 10% minimum deposit.

These are macroprudential limits, not promises of credit.

Lenders may allocate a limited proportion of lending above the standard limits. That flexibility belongs to the lender’s overall lending book; an individual borrower should not budget on the assumption that an allowance will be available.

In 2026 the Central Bank also introduced a targeted LTI exemption for qualifying principal-home bridging loans. Those are specialised short-term loans linked to the sale of an existing principal home. This calculator models an ordinary purchase mortgage and does not apply the bridging-loan exemption.

How the calculator combines income and deposit

The standard income-based mortgage ceiling is:

Gross household income × LTI multiple

The calculator then adds the deposit you entered to show the purchase price supported by that income-based mortgage.

Separately, a 10% deposit implies that the property price supported by the deposit alone is:

Deposit ÷ 10%

The indicative purchase-price ceiling is the lower of those two figures.

That distinction matters because adding more deposit does not always increase the maximum purchase price. If income is already the binding constraint, the extra cash may reduce the mortgage required rather than increase the amount a bank can lend under the standard LTI rule.

Worked example: first-time buyers on €80,000

Assume a first-time-buyer household has:

• gross household income of €80,000;
• a deposit of €40,000.

At 4 times income, the standard LTI mortgage ceiling is €320,000.

Adding the €40,000 deposit gives an income-supported purchase price of €360,000.

The same €40,000 deposit could support a €400,000 purchase under a 10% deposit rule.

The lower figure is therefore €360,000, so income is the binding standard constraint.

This is why simply saying “I have a 10% deposit for a €400,000 home” is not enough. The mortgage needed for that purchase would also have to fit the income and lender-affordability tests.

Advanced target-home example

Using the same €80,000 income and €40,000 deposit, suppose the target home costs €400,000.

The purchase would require a €360,000 mortgage if the full €40,000 deposit were used against the price.

For a first-time buyer, a €360,000 mortgage corresponds to €90,000 of gross income at the standard 4-times LTI multiple.

The calculator would also show a €40,000 gap between the €400,000 target price and the €360,000 standard-rule purchase-price ceiling from the original inputs.

That gap is not necessarily the same as “cash you must save”. A higher income, a larger deposit, a lower target price, a lender allowance or an eligible housing support can affect the funding structure in different ways.

Why lender affordability can be lower

The Central Bank limits set an outer framework. A lender still has to decide whether the mortgage is affordable and suitable under its own credit policy.

Factors that may affect an actual offer include:

• existing loan and credit-card repayments;
• childcare and dependant costs;
• age and proposed mortgage term;
• employment type and stability;
• treatment of bonuses, overtime or variable income;
• credit history;
• demonstrated repayment capacity and savings;
• stress testing at higher interest rates;
• lender-specific underwriting rules.

For that reason, the result should be read as a standard-rule ceiling, not mortgage approval.

Use the Mortgage Affordability Calculator to add a monthly-payment constraint and stress-test the rate.

Gross income is not mortgage affordability

The LTI rule uses gross income because it is a regulatory ratio. Your mortgage payment, however, comes from net household cash flow.

Two households with the same gross income can have very different comfortable mortgage levels because their tax position, childcare, commuting, loans and other fixed spending can differ materially.

A useful process is to take the indicative mortgage from this calculator and run it through the Mortgage Calculator at:

1. the expected interest rate;
2. the expected rate plus 0.5 percentage points;
3. the expected rate plus 1 percentage point.

The maximum permitted by a rule does not have to become your personal target.

Do not use every euro as the deposit

Your purchase budget also needs to cover costs outside the property price.

Depending on the transaction, these can include Stamp Duty, legal fees, valuation, survey or engineer costs, moving costs, insurance, furnishing and immediate repairs.

If €40,000 is all of your available cash, entering the full €40,000 as the deposit may overstate the amount you can safely commit to the purchase.

Use the House Buying Costs Calculator to build the completion cash budget separately.

Help to Buy and the First Home Scheme

This calculator does not automatically include housing supports.

The Help to Buy Calculator models the numerical Help to Buy conditions for qualifying new homes and self-builds.

The First Home Scheme Calculator models a potential shared-equity funding gap and the applicable price ceiling.

Those schemes have their own eligibility rules. They should not be treated as a generic increase to the Central Bank LTI multiple.

Common mistakes to avoid

Treating the result as approval

A lender can approve less than the standard-rule ceiling.

Assuming a lender allowance is guaranteed

The Central Bank permits a proportion of lending above the limits, but borrowers are not entitled to an exception.

Looking only at the deposit

A 10% deposit can satisfy the standard LTV arithmetic while the required mortgage still exceeds the LTI limit.

Looking only at income

High income does not solve an insufficient deposit under the standard LTV rule.

Ignoring completion costs

Stamp Duty and professional fees can reduce the amount of cash genuinely available for the deposit.

A practical buying-budget workflow

For a more complete picture:

1. Use this calculator to establish the standard LTI/LTV boundary.
2. Use the House Deposit Calculator to test different deposit amounts and LTVs.
3. Use the Mortgage Affordability Calculator to add your own monthly-payment ceiling.
4. Use the Mortgage Calculator to stress-test rates and terms.
5. Use the House Buying Costs Calculator for the cash needed at purchase.
6. Model Help to Buy or the First Home Scheme separately if they may apply.

That sequence separates regulatory capacity, cash capacity and household affordability, which are related but not identical.

Frequently asked questions

Can a bank lend less than the calculator shows?

Yes. The result is based on standard macroprudential and deposit arithmetic. Lender underwriting can produce a lower offer.

Can a bank lend more?

A limited proportion of lender lending can be above the standard limits, subject to the Central Bank framework and the lender’s own policy. Do not assume an exception in advance.

Is the 4-times multiple for everyone?

No. It is the standard LTI limit for first-time buyers. Second and subsequent buyers are generally subject to 3.5 times gross income.

Does this include a 10% deposit?

The calculator uses the deposit you enter and compares it with the standard 90% principal-home LTV constraint.

Does it include Help to Buy?

No. Use the separate Help to Buy calculator.

Does it include the First Home Scheme?

No. Shared equity is a separate funding component with separate scheme rules.

Does it model a bridging loan?

No. The 2026 targeted LTI exemption for qualifying principal-home bridging loans is outside this ordinary-purchase calculator.

Method and limitations

The calculator applies a 4-times LTI multiple for first-time buyers or 3.5 times for second/subsequent buyers, then compares the resulting mortgage-plus-deposit purchase price with the price supported by a 10% deposit.

The advanced target check uses the same standard-rule arithmetic. It does not model lender allowances, detailed affordability underwriting, bridging finance, future income, mortgage rates, housing-scheme eligibility, purchase costs or tax.

Rules and lender policies can change. Check the official sources and a real lender illustration before making a financial commitment.

Useful sources

• Central Bank of Ireland — Mortgage Measures
• Central Bank of Ireland — What are the mortgage measures?
• CCPC — Plan your home-buying budget
• CCPC — Understanding mortgages