Check your coverage gap
check_coverage_gapComputes how much life insurance a family needs, whether the coverage they have is enough, and which kind of life insurance fits their family. The computation is detailed and deterministic — the same engines as the Check and the calculator on clearlinefamily.com: a DIME coverage-gap computation over eight money facts (debts + years of pay to replace + mortgage + school costs, minus savings and coverage already held) and the Check's own kind scoring, which points to a product TYPE first (for example level term, convertible term, or a policy of your own alongside work coverage). Every money fact supplied flows into the gap figure, and the result shows the math line by line in plain words. The inputs are six situation answers and eight money numbers, and each one changes the computed number or the kind. The situation answers: household (just me / me and a partner / kids at home / kids grown and parents may need help); who would feel it if the pay stopped (my kids depend on it / mostly my partner / my partner earns and I run the home and the kids / no one depends on my income); what they want handled first (paying off debts / keeping household income going / the mortgage / school costs for the kids / final costs and loose ends); coverage already held (none / only through my job / through my job plus a policy of my own / a policy of my own); how long the protection must last (until the kids are grown / the next 20 to 30 years / my whole life / not sure yet); budget feel (lowest cost that truly covers the need / a middle path / build something long term). The money numbers, in dollars: their yearly pay, a partner's yearly pay, years of pay to replace (the Check's standard guess is 10 when they do not say), the mortgage still owed, other debts, school costs ahead, savings they could use, and the coverage amount already in place. Any fact not supplied is left out of the computation, and the result names what was not counted, money first. The result leads with the computed gap in the caller's own numbers and its method line. Education only, from a Washington practice: the tool names product types, never an insurance company or a specific policy, never says 'you should buy', asks nothing about health, and pitches nothing. Its closing lines separate Washington state rules from federal ones and name their public sources. It was written by an actuary in Redmond, Washington, whose Washington license is in progress. Nothing given to this tool is stored.
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| horizon | No | How long the protection needs to last: until_kids_grown; next_20_to_30_years; whole_life; not_sure_yet. The slot that shapes the kind most. Note: until_kids_grown only applies when the household has kids at home, as on the site. | |
| savings | No | Savings or cash they could use, in dollars. Comes off the need. | |
| household | No | Who is in the household right now (the Check's question, same words): just_me = 'Just me'; me_and_partner = 'Me and a partner'; kids_at_home = 'Kids at home'; kids_grown_parents_may_need_help = 'Kids are grown. Parents may need help from me.' Changes the kind the Check points to. | |
| budget_feel | No | How they think about the budget for this: lowest_cost = lowest cost that truly covers the need; middle_path; build_long_term = build something long term. Changes the kind for blend and permanent-leaning answers. | |
| other_debts | No | Other debts to pay off, in dollars (cards, loans, anything but the mortgage). | |
| coverage_now | No | Life insurance coverage they already have: none; only_through_my_job; job_plus_my_own = through my job, plus a policy of my own; a_policy_of_my_own. Strongly changes the kind: work-only coverage points to a policy of their own alongside it. | |
| income_years | No | Years of pay the coverage should replace. If not given, the Check's standard guess of 10 years is used and marked as a guess in the result. | |
| school_costs | No | School costs ahead they plan to pay, in dollars. Blank counts as $0. | |
| who_feels_it | No | If their income stopped tomorrow, who would feel it: my_kids_depend_on_it; mostly_my_partner; partner_earns_i_run_the_home = 'My partner earns. I run the home and the kids.' (the stay-at-home caregiver case); no_one_depends_on_my_income. Changes the kind and flags the caregiver note. | |
| annual_income | No | Their yearly pay in dollars, before tax is fine. The spine of the gap: pay times years to replace. | |
| first_priority | No | What they would want handled first: paying_off_debts; keeping_income_going; the_mortgage; school_costs; final_costs_and_loose_ends. Sets which part of the DIME method line leads. | |
| partner_income | No | A partner's yearly pay in dollars, if a partner's pay also needs replacing. | |
| mortgage_balance | No | Mortgage still owed, in dollars. | |
| existing_coverage | No | Coverage amount already in place, in dollars (work plus their own). Comes off the need. If they only know a multiple of pay, multiply it out before calling: 2 times a $140,000 pay is $280,000. |