OnlineCalculatorThe income replacement method
The most common approach is to work out how many years of your income your dependants would need, add anything that must be paid off immediately, then subtract what you already have. The result is the gap a policy needs to fill.
Choosing the number of years is the judgement call. A common anchor is the point at which your youngest child would finish education and become financially independent. If your partner works and could sustain the household alone after a period of adjustment, a shorter horizon may be reasonable.
What people forget to include
- Outstanding mortgage — often the single largest item
- Repatriation costs, which matter specifically for expatriate families in the UAE
- School fees already committed to
- Existing employer-provided cover, which usually ends when employment does
Employer cover is not a substituteGroup life cover through your employer terminates when you leave the job. If you are relying on it, you are uninsured on the day you resign.
A note on the result
This is an estimate for planning, not a recommendation of a specific product or sum assured. Premiums depend on age, health and policy type, and the right structure varies considerably between individuals.