How much life insurance does your family actually need?
Most people guess at a coverage number — or inherit a rule of thumb that was never about their family. This free needs analysis uses the DIME method, the same framework licensed agents use, to estimate the coverage your household would need if your income stopped tomorrow. It takes about two minutes.
Debts
Loans, cards, and final expenses your family would face right away.
Income
The paychecks your family counts on, replaced for the years they need them.
Mortgage
The balance on your home, so your family can stay in it.
Education
A fund for each child's schooling, set at the amount you choose.
Your numbers
Slide or type — your estimate updates as you go. Use rough numbers; a licensed agent can refine them with you later.
Based on the numbers above, your family's estimated additional coverage need is
The review is free and there is no obligation — a licensed agent confirms your real number with you, including things a calculator can't see, like employer coverage that ends when a job does.
How this estimate works — the DIME method
DIME is a standard needs-analysis framework used across the life insurance industry. It adds up four things your family would need, then subtracts what you already have:
- D — Debts & final expenses: your non-mortgage debts, plus final expenses (pre-filled at $15,000).
- I — Income replacement: your annual income for the years of support you choose, discounted at the rate shown above (3% to start) so future paychecks are counted in today's dollars. The math is the present value of that income stream.
- M — Mortgage: your remaining mortgage balance, in full, so the home can be paid off.
- E — Education: the per-child amount you choose (pre-filled at $100,000) times your number of children.
From that total, the calculator subtracts your existing life insurance and the savings set aside for your family. If you include a working spouse or partner, their income over the same support years is also counted as an offset, discounted the same way. The result is shown as a range (10% either side) because a needs estimate is a planning figure, not a precision instrument.
Your age doesn't change the DIME math itself — it's collected because term length and product type at review depend on it.
Please read: this calculator provides an educational estimate only. It is not financial, legal, or insurance advice, and it is not a quote, offer, or guarantee of coverage or price. Your actual need depends on facts a calculator can't see — health, employer benefits, other assets and obligations, and your family's goals. A review with a licensed agent confirms the real number for your household. Final approval and rates for any policy are determined solely by the issuing carrier.