Calculate in 2 minutes what you can borrow.

Before you really go house hunting, you naturally want to know where you stand. How much mortgage can you get, and therefore: what price range can you look in? With the calculator at the top of this page you can make a first indication in a few minutes. Below we explain how providers determine your maximum mortgage, and what you can do yourself to increase your borrowing capacity.

What does your maximum mortgage depend on?

Your maximum mortgage is limited by two things. First by your income: how much can you carry each month? And second by the value of the property, because your home serves as collateral. The bank uses the lower of these two outcomes. The most important factors at a glance:

• Your gross annual income and that of any partner
• The current mortgage interest rate and the length of your fixed-rate period
• Existing commitments, such as a loan, credit or student debt
• The value of the property (market and appraisal value)
• Your own money and any home equity from your old property
• The energy label of the property and any sustainability improvements

Maximum mortgage based on your income

For the income assessment, providers use the standards of Nibud. These determine what part of your income you can responsibly spend on housing, the so-called financing burden percentage. The higher your income, the larger that percentage usually is.

An important detail is the interest rate used in the calculation. If you fix your rate for less than ten years, the bank assesses you with a statutory assessment rate that is higher than the actual rate. If you choose a fixed-rate period of ten years or longer, the (lower) actual rate may be used. Fixing for longer therefore often gives you more borrowing capacity, in addition to extra certainty about your monthly payments.

Are you buying together? Since 2023, both incomes count in full. So even the lower of the two incomes counts for 100 percent, which can significantly increase your combined borrowing capacity.

Maximum mortgage based on the property value

In addition to your income, the bank looks at the collateral. In the Netherlands you can borrow up to 100 percent of the property value. So you pay the buyer's costs, such as the transfer tax and the notary, out of your own money or from your home equity. The property value is determined with an appraisal.

If you want to make the property more sustainable, you can borrow extra. For energy-saving measures you can finance up to 106 percent of the property value, provided you actually spend that extra amount on sustainability improvements. In addition, for a few years now a better energy label has given you extra borrowing capacity: an energy-efficient home is cheaper to use, and providers factor that into your maximum mortgage.

What lowers your maximum mortgage?

Existing commitments reduce your borrowing capacity, because they come at the expense of the amount you can spend on housing. Keep in mind, among other things:

• A personal loan or revolving credit, which is also registered with the BKR.
• A student debt: this counts based on your current monthly payment.
• A private lease contract or instalment payments on, for example, a phone or car.
• Alimony that you pay to an ex-partner.

Paying off small debts before you apply for your mortgage can noticeably increase your borrowing capacity. Even an unused credit card or credit limit can count, so it is smart to cancel those in time.

How you can actually borrow more

There are also ways to stretch your maximum mortgage. Contributing your own money lowers the amount you need to borrow and therefore your monthly payments. If you sell a property with home equity, you can use that again. And a gift from, for example, your parents counts as your own contribution. If you take out a mortgage with the National Mortgage Guarantee (NHG), you often get a lower interest rate, which reduces your monthly payments.

Maximum mortgage calculation example

An example to get a feel for the amounts. Suppose you buy a house together with a combined gross annual income of 80,000 euros, you have no loans running and you fix the rate for a long period at around 4 percent. Then you can borrow roughly 350,000 to 380,000 euros. This is explicitly an indication: your personal situation, the exact interest rate and the chosen fixed-rate period determine the actual amount. So always check it with the tool above.

Calculating your maximum mortgage with an advisor

An online calculation gives you a good first indication. For an amount you can really rely on, a tailored calculation is wise. An independent mortgage advisor maps out your complete financial situation and compares providers for you. During a first, free consultation you discover, among other things:

• How much you can borrow at most in your situation
• Which interest rate and fixed-rate period suit you
• Whether or not you can or want to take out the National Mortgage Guarantee (NHG)
• Which mortgage type makes sense: an annuity, linear or interest-only mortgage

Frequently asked questions

How much mortgage can I get on an average income?

With an average income of around 45,000 euros, as a single person you can borrow roughly 200,000 to 230,000 euros, depending on the interest rate and your commitments. If you buy together, the combined amount is considerably higher because both incomes count in full.

Does my partner's income count in full?

Yes. Since 2023, both incomes count for 100 percent in the calculation of your maximum mortgage. As a result, dual-income households can usually borrow considerably more than a single person.

How much mortgage can I get with a student debt?

A student debt lowers your borrowing capacity, but less heavily than it used to. Providers look at your current monthly payment on the student loan. A lower monthly payment, for example due to a long repayment period, therefore reduces your maximum mortgage less.

Can I borrow 100 percent of the property value?

Yes, you can borrow up to 100 percent of the property value, and up to 106 percent if you spend the extra amount on sustainability improvements. You do pay the buyer's costs yourself, out of your own money or home equity.

Expert mortgage advice

Want to know more about your options? Calculate your maximum mortgage above and request a free, no-obligation orientation consultation with a mortgage advisor from HypotheekBerekenen.nl.