Guide
How much life insurance do you need?
Our calculator walks through the logic step by step: how many years of income to replace, debts to cover, education funding to set aside, and current savings or group coverage to account for.
The straightforward way is to sum what your income supports minus existing protections and savings. Perfect accuracy isn't necessary—term policies come in round dollar amounts, and the real goal is a benefit level that maintains household stability during the critical years.
Coverage estimate
Formula: (annual income × years needed) + outstanding debts + education savings target − existing coverage and savings = needed amount (rounded to the nearest five thousand dollars). This is a rough guide only, not personalized advice.
Why those inputs
A household with young children in Pacifica often chooses the longer end because childcare, housing and schooling costs peak together. Income years. Ten to twenty years of income is the range most planners use; the right number depends on how long your dependents would need support.
Outstanding debts. For many families, a mortgage is the single largest financial obligation. A death benefit large enough to eliminate it gives the surviving household real choices about staying in the home without being forced by financial pressure.
Children's education. Estimate an amount per child in current dollars. Including this figure upfront is simpler than buying additional coverage later.
Existing resources. Cash savings available for emergencies, plus any group term coverage your employer provides. Keep in mind that group coverage typically stops when employment ends, so it's prudent to count only a portion of it in your planning.
Buying a little more than the estimate is common because the monthly difference is small at younger ages. When you have a number, the quote tool shows what that amount costs for 10 to 30 years from each carrier.