Human Life Value Calculator
Estimate your economic value to your family — the present value of the income you would earn between now and retirement.
Tell us about your earnings
Human Life Value (HLV) estimates the present value of your future income after the share you spend on yourself.
Gross annual income before taxes.
A common range is 20% to 40%. The remainder is what your family relies on.
How many working years you have ahead of you.
Average annual raise or wage growth over your career.
Long-term rate used to bring future earnings to today's dollars. 4%–6% is common.
What is HLV?
Human Life Value is the present-day dollar amount of the income you would earn between today and retirement, minus what you spend on yourself. It is the economic value your family depends on you to produce.
How it's calculated
We project your after-consumption income each year until retirement, apply expected income growth, and discount each future year back to today using your chosen discount rate.
Why it matters
HLV helps answer a fundamental life insurance question: how much of your future earnings do you want to guarantee for your family, no matter what happens?
Understanding Human Life Value
Is HLV the same as my life insurance need?
Not exactly. HLV represents the maximum economic loss to your family. Your actual coverage need also depends on debts, final expenses, education goals, existing assets, and other resources. Our full needs calculator walks through those details.
What personal consumption percentage should I use?
Advisors commonly use 20%–40% depending on family size and lifestyle. Single earners with dependents often use a lower number; households with fewer dependents may use a higher one.
Why discount future earnings?
A dollar earned 20 years from now is worth less than a dollar today because money invested today can grow. Discounting converts future income to present value so the number reflects a lump-sum amount today.
Educational disclaimer. This calculator provides a general educational estimate and is not a guarantee, insurance quote, underwriting decision, tax recommendation, investment recommendation, or personalized financial advice. Actual life insurance needs depend on income, family responsibilities, debt, inflation, taxes, health, policy type, existing benefits, budget, and long-term goals. Employer-provided coverage may end when employment changes. Life insurance availability, pricing, riders, policy features, and eligibility vary by insurer, state, and individual underwriting. Review your results with a licensed insurance professional and, when appropriate, a tax, legal, or financial professional.
Cash value, policy loans, withdrawals, living benefits, and death benefits depend on policy terms. Loans and withdrawals may reduce available cash value and death benefits, may cause a policy to lapse, and may have tax consequences.