---
title: Police Officer Or Firefighter Life Insurance Calculator
url: https://coverfolk.com/jobs/first-responders/calculator
updated: 2026-10-08
---

# Police officer or firefighter life insurance calculator

How much coverage the family of a police officer or firefighter may need, and how much your work plan leaves out.

Updated October 8, 2026[Fact checked](/editorial-standards)

Your family may be short

$925,000

Pay for 10 years**$773,100**

Mortgage**$190,000**

Car and other loans**$20,000**

Funeral (national median)**$8,300**

Minus work coverage**-$77,310**

Minus savings**-$10,000**

If you leave this job, your work coverage likely ends and the gap grows to $1,000,000.

Rounded up to the nearest $25,000. A starting point, not advice.

## How this works

It adds your pay for the years you pick, your mortgage, your car and other loans and $8,300 for a funeral. Then it takes away coverage you have and savings you could use. What is left is the gap.

Many employers give a small plan, often 1 or 2 times your pay. It usually ends when you leave the job.

Want the full picture? Read [what your family gets if you die on the job](/jobs/first-responders/on-the-job-death).

## Common questions

How much life insurance does a police officer or firefighter need?

A common rule is 10 years of pay plus your mortgage and debts, minus what you already have. At the BLS median pay of $77,310, 10 years of pay alone is $773,100.

Is my work life insurance enough?

Many employers give a small plan, often 1 or 2 times your pay. It usually ends when you leave the job. Most families need much more than 1 or 2 years of pay.

Does my job raise the price?

It can. Some insurers add a charge or ask more questions for risky work. Others treat many jobs like any other. An agent who knows your job can find the company that is fair to it.

## Sources

1. [BLS: Police and detectives](https://www.bls.gov/ooh/protective-service/police-and-detectives.htm)
2. [59 percent of private industry workers had access to life insurance through work (March 2026)](https://www.bls.gov/news.release/ebs2.nr0.htm)
3. [2023 NFDA General Price List Study Shows Inflation Increasing Faster than the Cost of a Funeral (NFDA)](https://content.nfda.org/news/media-center/nfda-news-releases/id/8134/2023-nfda-general-price-list-study-shows-inflation-increasing-faster-than-the-cost-of-a-funeral)

[Back to life insurance for police and firefighters](/jobs/first-responders)