What happens if you get sick or hurt and can’t work?
Your ability to earn is likely the largest financial resource your household has. An illness or injury can take it away for years, not months.
Your future paychecks are likely your biggest resource.
For most working households, the paychecks still to come are worth more than everything they own today. “Just under one in four of today's 20-year-olds can expect to be out of work for at least a year because of a disabling condition before they reach the normal retirement age.” Around half of people say they would feel the financial impact within six months if the primary wage earner could no longer work because of a disability (51%). Most long-term disabilities come from illness, not accidents — the leading causes are musculoskeletal disorders and cancer. And it isn't only paid work: if the adult who handles childcare and runs the home can't, that help has to be paid for. Your Protection Map measures what would happen to your household's income if one of you could not work for a long time, counting the disability coverage you already have.
Source: Social Security Administration, 2025 tables · 2026 Insurance Barometer Study, Life Happens and LIMRA · Integrated Benefits Institute, 2024
What families want to know
How long does it look at?
From the first month one of you couldn’t work to age 65. You can choose an age from 55 to 70.
Does disability coverage through work count?
Yes. Your Protection Map counts disability benefits once their waiting period ends, after tax where they would be taxed, along with the income that keeps coming in. Your benefits summary from work usually shows the percentage of pay and the monthly maximum.
What if the adult who can’t work doesn’t earn an income?
The household still loses something real. If that adult provides childcare, caregiving or runs the home, paying for that help is added for as long as you say it would be needed.
What if we have savings?
Your Protection Map shows when your cash and investments would run out. If they would cover the whole shortfall, the result shows no gap.
Three ways to protect against a financial risk
Fund it yourself: set money aside. Reduce the risk: arrange things so you'd need less if it happened. Transfer the risk: pay an insurer a set amount so a large loss doesn't fall on your family alone. Most households use a mix.
Disability insurance protects your paychecks over the rest of your working life. Few households could save enough to replace years of income. Disability insurance pays part of your income if illness or injury keeps you from working.
See where your family stands.
Ability to Earn is one of four financial risks your Protection Map looks at, in dollars, with every step shown.
See all four risks