How to estimate your borrowing capacity
- 1.
Choose the loan type
Mortgage (up to 35 years, with a rate buffer) or a personal cash loan (shorter, with a higher DSTI limit).
- 2.
Enter income and household
Type each borrower’s monthly net income and contract type, the number of people in the household and monthly living costs.
- 3.
Add existing commitments
Enter the total installments on other loans and your credit card and overdraft limits, including ones you never use.
- 4.
Set the term and rate
Enter the number of years, the reference rate and the bank margin. Turn off the buffer for a rate fixed for at least 5 years.
- 5.
Read the result
See the maximum loan, installment and DSTI, plus what limits you: the DSTI cap or living costs.
How Polish banks estimate borrowing capacity
Borrowing capacity (zdolność kredytowa) is the largest loan whose installment, together with your other debts, fits within the bank’s limits. This calculator works it out in three steps:
- Maximum installment = the lower of
income × DSTI limit − commitmentsandincome − living costs − commitments. - Test rate = reference rate + margin + a 2.5 percentage point buffer (for variable-rate mortgages).
- Maximum loan = the present value of that installment:
L = P × (1 − (1 + r)−n) / r, where r is the test rate divided by 12 and n the number of payments.
Example: single borrower, PLN 8,000 net on an employment contract
A credit card with a PLN 5,000 limit counts as 3% = PLN 150 a month. Income is above the PLN 6,750 threshold, so the DSTI limit is 50%: maximum installment = 4,000 − 150 = PLN 3,850. With a 6% rate (4% + 2% margin) plus the buffer, the test rate is 8.5%. Over 30 years that supports about PLN 500,707. The real installment at 6% would be about PLN 3,002, a DSTI of about 39.4%.
DSTI limits and the 2.5 pp rate buffer
DSTI (debt service to income) is the share of your net income that goes on all loan installments. The Polish Financial Supervision Authority (KNF) sets upper limits in its recommendations:
| Loan | Income up to average wage | Income above | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mortgage | 40% | 50% | Recommendation S |
| Cash / instalment loan | 50% | 65% | Recommendation T |
The threshold refers to the average wage in your voivodeship. The calculator compares average income per borrower with PLN 6,750 net, the take-home equivalent of the forecast 2026 average gross wage of PLN 9,420. You can enter your own threshold.
Rate buffer: for a variable-rate mortgage, or one fixed for less than 5 years, banks check you could afford the installment at a rate at least 2.5 percentage points higher. That is why a rate fixed for 5 years or more usually raises your capacity. For the single borrower above, removing the buffer lifts it from about PLN 500,707 to about PLN 642,148. Many banks apply stricter internal limits than these maximums.
Contract type, living costs and credit cards
- Employment contract (umowa o pracę): income counts in full; an indefinite contract or one with a few months of tenure works best.
- B2B / sole trader (JDG): the calculator counts 85% of net income. Banks usually want 12-24 months of business history and take income from your tax return or revenue ledger, not from invoices.
- Civil-law contract (umowa zlecenie): counted at 80%. Banks often require 6-12 months of continuous contracts.
Living costs default to PLN 2,000 for the first person and PLN 1,200 for each additional one (2026), which gives PLN 4,400 for a family of three. Banks use their own tables, often depending on where you live.
Credit cards and overdrafts reduce your capacity even if unused, because banks typically count 3-5% of the limit as a monthly payment. Closing an unused PLN 5,000 card in the example above lifts capacity from about PLN 500,707 to about PLN 520,215.
Borrowing in Poland as a foreigner
On top of the numbers, Polish banks look at your residence status. Expect to need a residence card (karta pobytu) or EU registration, a PESEL number, a Polish bank account and income paid in PLN; some banks also require the residence permit to cover a large part of the loan term. If you earn in another currency, many banks will not lend or will cut your capacity because of exchange rate risk. A clean BIK credit history helps, so a small card or loan repaid on time in Poland can make a later mortgage application easier.
Examples: a couple and a cash loan
| Scenario | Income counted | Max installment | Capacity |
|---|---|---|---|
| Couple: PLN 7,000 employment + PLN 6,000 B2B, 3 people, PLN 600 other loan, PLN 10,000 card, 30-year mortgage at 6% + buffer | PLN 12,100 | PLN 3,940 | about PLN 512,411 |
| PLN 6,000 on umowa zlecenie, 5-year cash loan at 9%, no cards | PLN 4,800 | PLN 2,400 | about PLN 115,616 |
For the couple, average income per borrower (PLN 6,050) is below the threshold, so the 40% DSTI applies: 40% × 12,100 − 900 = PLN 3,940. Check the installment and full schedule for a chosen amount in the mortgage calculator for Poland, or the personal loan calculator for a cash loan.
Frequently asked questions
How much can I borrow on PLN 8,000 net a month?
+
According to the calculator, a single borrower on an employment contract with no other loans (and a card with a PLN 5,000 limit) can borrow about PLN 500,000 over 30 years at 6% with the 2.5 pp buffer. A given bank may offer more or less depending on its living-cost tables and your BIK history.
Does a credit card limit reduce my borrowing capacity?
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Yes. Banks treat the granted limit as a commitment even if you never use it, usually 3-5% of the limit per month. Closing unused cards before you apply increases your capacity.
What is DSTI?
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DSTI is the ratio of all your monthly loan installments to your net income. For mortgages it should not exceed 40% (or 50% above the average wage); for consumer loans 50% or 65%.
Why does the bank test my capacity at a higher rate?
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KNF Recommendation S requires banks to check, for variable-rate mortgages, that you could cope with a rate at least 2.5 percentage points higher. The buffer does not apply to rates fixed for at least 5 years.
Can I get a mortgage in Poland on a B2B contract?
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Yes, but banks usually require 12-24 months of business history and calculate income from tax returns. The calculator conservatively counts 85% of B2B net income.
How can I increase my borrowing capacity?
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Choose a longer term or a rate fixed for 5+ years, repay or consolidate other loans, close unused cards and overdrafts, or apply with a second borrower who has stable income.
Is the result binding?
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No. It is an estimate based on a simplified model and the KNF limits. Every bank uses its own method, so you will only know the final amount after the bank assesses your application.
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