PITI Workbench method
How we research
In short
The method behind PITI Workbench is simple to state: find the governing document, quote it accurately, explain it plainly and link it. Property tax, insurance and escrow rules drive most of the monthly figure here, so CFPB escrow guidance and IRS mortgage-interest rules are rechecked first.
Last reviewed against the primary sources listed below.
Where questions come from
Search suggestions show how people phrase their questions. We collect those for free, group them and answer the ones inside this site's scope.
Sources we rely on
Pages cite these primary sources, among others. Each guide lists the exact sources it used at the bottom of the page.
How a page is checked
- Each factual statement is matched to a primary source.
- Plain-language wording is compared back to the source so meaning is not lost.
- A page shows a new review date only after it has been rechecked.
Pages written this way
- What PITI means: principal, interest, taxes, insurance
- How to estimate property tax for a mortgage payment
- Estimating homeowners insurance in a mortgage payment
- Mortgage insurance types: PMI vs government loan insurance
- HOA and condo dues in your monthly housing budget
- Escrow analysis: why your mortgage payment changes
- Why did my mortgage payment change if my rate is fixed?
- Do lenders count HOA dues in your mortgage payment?
About the PITI Workbench monthly cost calculator
The PITI Workbench monthly cost calculator runs in your browser on the numbers or answers you enter. Nothing is prefilled, stored or sent.