What is disposable income? Calculate your real number, ready for the bank

What is disposable income?

Disposable income is the difference between your deposits and your fixed expenses. It shows what you have left for variable expenses like food, clothes, and leisure, as well as potential savings.

Many confuse disposable income with their account balance. But the balance fluctuates daily and doesn't reflect your actual situation over time.

What counts as fixed expenses, and how does the bank work it out?

Fixed expenses are payments that recur every month, largely regardless of what you do. The bank, and Reelt, subtract them from your deposits to find your disposable income:

• Rent or mortgage payment, including any shared building costs
• Insurance: contents, car, accident, life
• Fixed loan instalments: car loan, consumer loan, student loan
• Subscriptions: phone, internet, streaming, union and unemployment fund
• Childcare: daycare or after-school care

What doesn't count is spending that varies month to month, food, clothes, gifts, experiences. Those are variable expenses and aren't subtracted in the disposable-income figure itself, even though they obviously still have to be covered by what's left.

Guideline amounts in 2026

There's no single right answer for how large your disposable income should be. There are, however, two official sets of rates, and they are routinely confused. One sits in the debt-collection order (gældsinddrivelsesbekendtgørelsen) and applies when the Danish Debt Agency collects a debt, for example through wage garnishment. Those are the rates in the table below. The other sits in the debt-relief order (gældssaneringsbekendtgørelsen) and applies when the bankruptcy court hears a debt-relief case. The Danish FSA (Finanstilsynet) and the Consumer Ombudsman write, in their joint guidance on creditworthiness assessment (VEJ nr. 10137 of 24 November 2025), that a lender may "for example take as its starting point the rates in the debt-relief order as in force from time to time" when setting a guideline minimum. The two sets are not the same figures, and the debt-relief rates are regulated separately.

Source: Gældsstyrelsen's 2026 disposable-income rates (SKM2025.686.GÆLDST) and the Finanstilsynet/Forbrugerombudsmanden guidance VEJ nr. 10137 (retsinformation.dk). See the full breakdown, plus the bank's other requirements, on the disposable income and the bank page.

Note that this is a statutory floor, not an average of what Danes actually have left. Our calculator instead shows typical ranges observed among households in different situations, a different number answering a different question: 'what do others typically have left', not 'what's the minimum required for a loan or debt relief'.

A concrete example

Here's the math in practice for a single salaried employee: Deposits 32,500 kr. minus fixed expenses 18,200 kr. gives a disposable income of 14,300 kr. That's not the same as your account balance at month's end, it's the average of what's actually available once fixed expenses are counted.

Your own number depends on your own income and your own fixed expenses, not an average from an article. Reelt calculates it automatically from your actual bank statements, so you don't have to guess.

When does disposable income matter?

Your disposable income becomes crucial in several important life situations:

• When you apply for a mortgage or want to buy your first home
• When you want to know if you can really afford a major expense
• When the bank requests documentation for a loan application
• When you want to set a realistic savings goal

Why do budgets often feel wrong?

Traditional budgets are built on assumptions: You guess what you spend on food, estimate your insurance, and hope the numbers add up. The problem is that reality rarely matches the plan.

• You forget irregular expenses like dentist visits or car repairs
• Subscriptions increase without you noticing
• Small daily purchases add up to large amounts

How Reelt helps

Reelt calculates your disposable income from your actual bank statements. No guesswork, only facts.

• Data quality first: We verify your data is correct before showing a result.
• Transparent calculations: You can see exactly how we arrive at the number.
• Documented for the bank: The result can be used when talking to your bank about loans or finances.

Frequently asked questions