Can they afford the rent?
Enter the monthly rent and what an applicant says they earn, and see their take-home pay, the rent as a share of it, and roughly what they'd have left each month. A quick read on whether the numbers stack up, before you shortlist.
What you'll see
Instant, free, and nothing's saved.
How to read it
The ratio is the rent measured against take-home pay, what actually lands in the account after tax, not the headline salary. Around a third is the figure most people reach for, and up to about 35% is widely treated as comfortable. Above that, more of the income is committed to the rent, with less to absorb a change in circumstances.
The "money left" figure is the same idea from the other side: their take-home, minus this rent, is roughly what's there for everything else. It's the number that tells you whether the rent is genuinely sustainable for them, or sustainable only on paper.
How take-home is worked out
Take-home pay in Ireland is the gross salary minus income tax, the Universal Social Charge (USC) and PRSI, with tax credits applied. Income tax is 20% up to the standard-rate band and 40% above it. USC runs from 0.5% to 8% across income bands, and employee PRSI is 4.2% once earnings pass the weekly threshold. Every earner gets the personal and employee tax credits, which is why the take-home is higher than the headline rates suggest.
A couple who are jointly assessed share their bands and credits, so we apply the married figures when you pick that option. Sharers are treated as two separate earners, each taxed on their own income, which is usually the more accurate read for flatmates.
This uses 2026 rates and standard tax credits, with no pension or other deductions, so a real payslip may differ. Employee PRSI rises to 4.35% from 1 October 2026, and very low or irregular earners may pay slightly less than shown.
Is there a right number?
There's no statutory affordability threshold in Ireland. A landlord can let to whoever they judge can pay, and "around a third of take-home" is a guide, not a rule. The closest official benchmark is cost-rental housing, where the rent is set at no more than 35% of net household income, which is why we treat 35% as the comfortable line.
Two things worth keeping in mind. Affordability is about the amount of income, not where it comes from: refusing a tenant because their income is HAP or another social welfare payment is against the law. And the whole calculation rests on the income figure being accurate, which is a separate question from whether the rent is affordable.
Questions landlords ask
How much of their income should go on rent?
A common rule of thumb is that rent should take around a third of take-home pay, and up to about 35% is widely treated as comfortable. There's no legal limit in Ireland, so it's a guide, not a rule. The calculator above gives the figure for the rent and income you enter.
How do you work out take-home pay?
From the gross salary, we take off income tax at 20% and 40%, USC of 0.5% to 8%, and employee PRSI of 4.2%, then apply the personal and employee tax credits. It uses this year's rates and standard credits, so it's an estimate, and a real payslip with pension or other deductions may differ.
Should I use their gross or take-home pay for the ratio?
Take-home. The headline salary overstates what's actually available for the rent, because tax and PRSI come out first. Measuring the rent against take-home is the more honest read, and it's what this calculator does for you.
Can I turn an applicant down because the rent looks unaffordable for them?
Affordability, the amount someone earns, is a legitimate thing to weigh. What you can't do is refuse on any of the protected grounds, and that includes refusing because someone's income is HAP, Rent Supplement or another social welfare payment. That's against the law.
Does a good ratio mean the income is real?
No. The maths assumes the figure the applicant gave you is accurate. Whether it is, whether the stated salary matches the job and the employer, is a different question, and the one that tends to catch people out.
More tools while you're here: work out a rent increase within the caps, see the tax on your own rental income, or run the tenant vetting checklist before you choose between applicants.
The maths is the easy part. Is the income real?
This works out the maths on the income they told you. RightTenantry checks whether that income is real, cross-referencing the stated salary against the job title and employer, on every application. Your first three analyses are free.
Tax figures from Revenue and Budget 2026, current as of 14 June 2026. Take-home is an estimate. See Revenue's pages on income tax and USC.
There's no statutory affordability threshold in Ireland, so this is a rule of thumb and an estimate, not tax or financial advice. It assumes standard tax credits and no other deductions, so a real payslip may differ. Affordability is about the amount of income, not where it comes from.