Human Life Value Calculator

About this calculator

The Human Life Value (HLV) method estimates the economic worth of a person to their family by calculating the present value of the net income they would have contributed — earnings minus their own personal consumption and taxes — from today until retirement. It is one of the two classic approaches insurance professionals use to size a life insurance need, alongside the needs-based DIME method (Debt, Income, Mortgage, Education).

Because HLV discounts future income back to today's dollars, it naturally accounts for the fact that money received decades from now is worth less than money received today, and it produces a single lump-sum figure that represents what a family would need, invested today, to replace that person's future financial contribution if their income stopped.

This calculator projects a person's future net income contribution based on their current income, expected income growth, years until retirement, and a discount rate, giving you an estimate of their human life value in today's dollars — a common starting point when shopping for term life insurance coverage.