House Hacking Calculator
Duplex Triplex Fourplex Analyzer · FHA Self-Sufficiency Test
View on Etsy- Excel + Google Sheets
- Instant download
Find out what living in a duplex, triplex or fourplex really costs you – and whether it beats renting.
Buy a 2-4 unit building, live in one unit and rent out the others. This spreadsheet shows your real monthly housing cost after the other units' rent comes in, how much you save compared with your rent today, the cash flow once you move out and rent every unit, and whether a 3-4 unit building passes the FHA self-sufficiency rent test. Compare up to 3 buildings side by side.
WHAT IT ANSWERS
- How much will I pay each month to live there, after the tenants' rent?
- Is that cheaper than the rent I pay now?
- Will it make money as a rental after I move out? (cash flow, cap rate, cash-on-cash return, DSCR)
- Does my 3-4 unit building pass FHA's rent test? (a duplex or triplex with an ADU counts as 3 or 4 units)
- Over 10 years, how much better off am I than if I had kept renting – including the sale at the end?
HOW IT WORKS
- Type your numbers in the yellow cells: price, loan type (FHA, conventional or other), down payment, interest rate, mortgage insurance, the rent of each unit, your rent today, taxes, insurance and repairs. Common starting points sit next to most cells.
- The Analysis tab calculates everything for you. Green means money saved or earned, red means money out.
- On the Projection tab, pick a building and see each year until you sell: the years you live there, the years it is a full rental, loan balance, equity, and your total gain and IRR when you sell.
WHAT YOU GET
- Excel file (.xlsx), tested in Microsoft Excel for Windows
- Google Sheets version: a PDF with a link to make your own copy (use this one on a Mac or Chromebook if you do not have Excel)
- Start Here tab: step-by-step instructions, the key FHA and conventional loan rules for 2-4 units (including how long mortgage insurance lasts), how the house hacking math works, and the plain-English meaning of every number
- 3 example buildings (a duplex, a triplex and a fourplex) – replace them with your own numbers
GOOD TO KNOW
- Made for a computer screen: the sheets are wide, and it has not been tested on a tablet or phone.
- This is a digital download. Nothing will be shipped.
- Amounts are in US dollars.
- Loan rules in the guide come from the HUD FHA handbook and Fannie Mae's eligibility matrix and servicing guide (2026). Rules change, and your lender has the final word.
- Results are before income tax. Depreciation and tax savings are not included.
- Only the yellow cells can be changed, so the formulas are hard to break by accident.
- For education and planning only. This is not financial, tax, legal or investment advice. Check your numbers with a qualified professional before you buy.
- For personal use. Please do not resell or share the file.
ABOUT THIS TEMPLATE
Designed by SlateTally with the help of AI tools. Every result was checked in Microsoft Excel against an independent calculation, including unusual inputs such as a 0% interest rate, 100% vacancy and no rent at all. The Google Sheets version was checked cell by cell against the Excel file.
Questions? Send a message – happy to help.
