DSTI calculation rules to be updated from 1 April 2026
Banks and microfinance organisations (MFOs) are gradually switching to more accurate methods for assessing a borrower’s income for calculating his/her debt service-to-income ratio (DSTI). In particular, in accordance with Bank of Russia Ordinance No. 7286-U, starting from 1 April 2026, statements of accounts may only be used to confirm salaries, pensions, social payments, and rental income . Other receipts to accounts should be confirmed by additional documents. For example, a borrower may provide an income certificate as regards deposits or securities.
In addition, for payroll customers, banks could use internal models approved by the Bank of Russia to assess sources of income other than salaries. In particular, banks did this taking into account customers’ expenditures. From 1 April 2026, the Bank of Russia will no longer accept such models for checks. Banks may use models approved before this date within one year from the date of their approval. Following this, lenders will need to get supporting documents from payroll customers to factor in other sources of income.
Nevertheless, banks and MFOs will still be able to use a wide range of income documents obtained from government information systems or directly from borrowers, such as personal income tax certificates or statements of payroll accounts.
Starting from 1 April, lenders will no longer be able to use documents to estimate income of individual entrepreneurs, which the latter issue to themselves. However, individual entrepreneurs will be still entitled to issue salary certificates to their employees and confirm their own income using tax returns and ledger books.
Borrowers may also use a simplified approach to declare their earnings by filling in a bank form without providing supporting documents. However, the use of this approach will gradually be limited. Now, lenders may calculate DSTI based on declared income in an amount not exceeding regional per capita income according to Rosstat data. Starting from 1 July 2026, banks will be required to apply an additional 10% discount. From 1 July 2027, it is planned to completely cancel the simplified approach and take into account only the officially confirmed income of borrowers.