Borrowing capacity, income and budget
Borrowing as a couple: the true calculation of your joint borrowing capacity, and how to protect each partner
Borrowing as a couple: what the bank actually adds up, what it examines next, and how to protect an unequal contribution in the deed.
As a couple, the bank calculates a single debt-to-income ratio for the household: it adds up the retained income and all credit charges, regardless of who holds them, then looks at the remaining disposable income and the balance between the two incomes. The co-borrowers are jointly and severally liable: each is responsible for the entire loan, even after a separation. An unequal contribution can only be protected in writing, before the deed.
By Sandy MASCART, mandataire d'intermédiaire en opérations de banque et en services de paiement ORIAS 26000541 sous le mandat de CDV PATRIMOINE & ASSURANCE (ORIAS 14005573)
The update date is the date the content was last checked against its sources.
Key points
- A single debt-to-income ratio for the household: the bank adds up the retained income and all credit charges, regardless of who holds them.
- With equal total income, a household relying on a single salary may be asked for more insurance, more savings or a shorter term.
- Generally jointly and severally liable co-borrowers, both are each responsible for the entire loan, even if separated, until the bank releases them from joint liability.
- The couple's legal status determines the ownership of the property, not the commitment to the bank: marriage, civil partnership and cohabitation distribute it differently.
- An unequal contribution can only be protected in writing, before the deed: corresponding shares, a reinvestment clause or a debt acknowledgment.
Borrowing as a couple results in a single debt-to-income ratio, calculated on the basis of your combined income and expenses. What truly matters is: who is committed to what, who contributed what, and what happens to the whole if you separate. The mechanics: the borrowing capacity file.
Does the bank add your two incomes together?
Yes, income and expenses are combined, with a single rate for the household. However, the disposable income, the stability of each income, and the joint commitment cannot be added together.
35,00 % ()Credit taken out by one person, alone and before the relationship, counts in full. The disposable income follows a grid specific to each bank, depending on the size of the household (the High Council rule).
The debt-to-income ratio of a couple: a single fraction
All the household’s credit expenses over all its retained income. The result says nothing about the household’s balance, which the bank then examines.
A significant income disparity is paid for in insurance proportion, in residual savings, and sometimes in duration. Present it yourself, along with what compensates for it: length of service, stable sector, savings.
An ongoing credit with one partner weighs on both: consumption, car, LOA, student loan, pension paid, loan on a retained property. For that property, sell or let, and decide early (the second acquisition).
Example, without value of an offer: 2,400 € and 1,600 € of retained income, i.e. 4,000 € for the household. The car loan of the person earning 1,600 € takes a quarter of it; reported to the household, it weighs one tenth. The mortgage is no longer entitled to more than the ceiling reduced by ten points, insurance included. Example established on 01/11/2026 on the sole High Council ceiling.
Married, PACS-registered, cohabiting: what changes
For the calculation, almost nothing. For the commitment and ownership, everything. Each person is liable for the full loan; the couple's status determines who owns what.
Joint liability survives separation, unless the lender releases one party.
- Married, default regime: the property is joint; equity remains personal only if a clause of employment or reinvestment is included in the deed.
- Separation of property: each person owns their share.
- PACS-registered: separation by default; have your agreement reviewed.
- Cohabiting: only the shares stated in the deed count.
Unequal contribution: protect each party's equity in the deed
Only the share recorded in the deed counts. A larger contribution that is not written down benefits the other party. This can be corrected before signing.
- Shares corresponding to the contributions.
- A clause of employment or reinvestment for a married couple under the default regime.
- A dated acknowledgement of debt if one party advances funds to the other.
Do not split the shares equally "because it is simpler". Only the notary drafts these clauses.
What level of life insurance for two?
At least the full capital. Then, one question: if one person dies, can the other pay the loan alone?
Full coverage on each life: total protection, maximum cost. The greater the difference in income, the more the main income must be covered (the level of cover). Each person can choose their insurer, and the level of cover can be reviewed afterwards. See also why two lenders respond differently.
A limited company or co-ownership?
For a primary residence, a limited company is rarely the solution: the financing is more complex, and there are no home-buying aids. It serves to organise a portfolio of assets.
A co-ownership agreement governs decision-making and exit. For investment, see the limited company.
In the event of separation
The loan cannot be divided: without a release from joint liability, you remain liable for the whole, even after a departure or a court judgment.
- Sell and settle : the cleanest option.
- Buy out the other party's share : you must be able to borrow alone.
- Remain in co-ownership : this defers the issue, without resolving it.
Selling to a third party incurs no partition duty; a buyout of the balance does.
- Taux de droit commun 2,50 %
- Taux après séparation de corps, divorce ou rupture de PACS 1,10 %
Le taux réduit est réservé aux partages qui suivent un divorce, une séparation de corps ou une rupture de PACS. Des concubins qui se séparent relèvent du taux de droit commun : c'est une différence coûteuse, et elle surprend presque toujours.
- En vigueur depuis le
- Source
- Article 746 du code général des impôts — Légifrance
The duty applies to the entire shared net asset, not to the balance alone (the buyout of the balance).
Before the deed, never after
- The table of contributions, with the origin of each sum understood.
- The draft deed : shares and reinvestment clause.
- The conversation about exit : twenty minutes that avoid years of disagreement.
Put your two situations on the phone : the capacity of the two of you is calculated in the same exchange.
Create your file together: your documents gathered once.
Sources
Read next
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- How much can I borrow alone with €2,500 per month? Alone with €2,500 of income per month: what determines your borrowing capacity, the constraint that decides, and where to find room if the calculation stalls.
- Marital regime and borrowing: who signs, who is bound, and what the bank requires Community of property, separation of property, PACS: how your regime affects the loan. Who signs, which assets secure the debt, and which documents to provide.
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