How much disability insurance coverage might I need? This disability insurance needs calculator estimates your monthly income replacement target, coverage gap, and total shortfall over a disability period — helpful for income protection planning, not a substitute for reviewing your actual policy.
How to use this calculator
- Enter monthly take-home income and essential expenses.
- Enter existing disability coverage from employer or private policies.
- Add emergency savings and expected disability duration.
- Set desired income replacement percentage and review the gap.
Formula
Monthly income needed = Take-home income × Replacement %. Monthly gap = Income needed − Existing coverage. Total gap = Monthly gap × Duration months, reduced by emergency savings.
Example
With $5,200 take-home pay, 70% replacement target, and $2,000/month existing coverage, you may need about $1,640/month more — roughly $19,680 over a 12-month disability before emergency savings.
Frequently asked questions
- Does employer disability coverage count?
- Yes — enter the monthly benefit you expect from work. Review whether it is taxable and how long benefits last.
- What about Social Security disability?
- This calculator does not model SSDI. Add expected government benefits to existing coverage if you want to include them.