The most common rule of thumb is 10 to 12 times your annual income. It's a reasonable starting point, but it ignores the details that actually determine what your family would need: your debts, your children's ages, and the plans you've made for them.
A more useful approach is to add up what you'd want covered: the years of income you'd want to replace, the mortgage or rent you'd want paid off, any other debts, and future costs like college. Then subtract the savings and existing coverage you already have.
Don't forget the non-income contributions you make every week — childcare, cooking, transportation, running the household. Replacing those services has a real price, and families often underestimate it.
Finally, think about what you want the money to do, not just what it needs to do. Some parents want a policy large enough to pay off the house outright; others care most about guaranteeing college funds. Your answer changes the number more than any formula does.
A free 20-minute conversation is usually enough to land on a confident number — and it costs nothing to check your math with someone who does this every day.