Life Insurance Need Calculator
A free, private life insurance need calculator. We estimate your number and never sell insurance.
Enter income, debts, education and existing coverage to get your number in seconds.
Open calculator →Start from a family, single-parent, dual-income or stay-at-home preset and adjust.
Open scenarios →How the number works
The estimate follows the DIME method: Debt, Income, Mortgage and Education. Take your income and multiply it by a factor tied to your remaining working years — most households use 10x to 15x. Add the mortgage and other debts that would survive you, add the education money you plan to set aside, then subtract assets you could liquidate and any life insurance you already hold.
What is left is the gap a policy should fill. A 40-year-old earning $100,000 with a $250,000 mortgage and $100,000 of education money typically lands near $1.4 million on a 12x multiple. Change any line on the calculator and the total moves instantly.
The math never changes with the economy, so the calculator needs no maintenance. It also never asks for a quote: this site estimates how much coverage you may want, not what any policy costs.
Three steps, one number
- §1Income. Multiply your income by a multiple tied to your remaining working years — usually 10× to 15×.
- §2Add what survives you. The mortgage, other debts and the education money you plan to set aside.
- §3Subtract what you have. Savings you could liquidate and life insurance you already hold.
Three questions people ask first
- How much life insurance do I need? Multiply income by 10-15x, add debts and education, subtract assets and existing coverage. This site does exactly that.
- Does my age change the number? Only through the multiple: fewer working years to full retirement age means a smaller multiple does the same job.
- Is this a quote? No. We estimate the coverage amount, never the premium, and we do not sell insurance or refer carriers.
Estimate only — not financial advice, and we do not sell insurance. The result is arithmetic on the numbers you enter, not a recommendation or a premium quote.