Coverage gap check: where is your insurance thinner than you think?
Most households aren't underinsured on purpose. Limits get set once, life changes, and nobody revisits them. Twelve questions, about three minutes, and you'll know which lines to look at before your next renewal. "I don't know" is a real answer, and usually the most useful one.
Answer twelve plain-English questions about your home, car, assets and family and get a 0–100 coverage score with the likely gaps ranked by what they could cost you, each with the exact question to ask. It runs in your browser; nothing is sent unless you choose to send it. It's educational, not a quote or a policy review.
This is the check I run in my head on the first call with a new household. It doesn't ask for policy numbers, dollar figures or anything identifying; it asks the twelve questions that decide where a personal insurance program usually breaks, and it tells you which ones to look at, in the order they could hurt you.
This check needs JavaScript
Your browser has scripts turned off, so the interactive version can't run here. The twelve questions are listed below; answer them on paper and send me your notes, or call (518) 902-8822.
How the check works
Each answer feeds a live ledger of nine coverage areas: dwelling, flood and water backup, valuables, home business, auto liability, SUM, household drivers, umbrella, and life and income. When you finish, the findings are ranked by how much a gap there could cost you relative to how little it usually costs to close. Every likely gap comes with the question to ask, in the words a carrier's underwriter understands, so you can take it to me or to whoever holds your policies today.
Two things the check does on purpose. It skips questions that don't apply (renters don't see the rebuild-cost question; people without a car skip the driver questions). And it treats "I don't know" as a real answer, because not knowing your liability limits is itself the finding.
The New York rules and figures behind the check
| What the check assumes | The rule or figure | Source |
|---|---|---|
| State-minimum auto liability is thin | New York requires $25,000 per person / $50,000 per accident for bodily injury, $50,000 / $100,000 for death, $10,000 for property damage, plus $50,000 of no-fault (PIP) benefits. One serious injury exhausts the $25,000. | Vehicle and Traffic Law §311; Insurance Law §3420(f)(1); DFS minimum requirements |
| SUM should match your liability limit | Supplementary uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage protects you from drivers with no or low insurance. Since June 2018 insurers must offer SUM at your bodily-injury limits unless you decline in writing; the basic amount is $25,000 / $50,000. | Insurance Law §3420(f)(2), amended by Chapter 490 of the Laws of 2017; 11 NYCRR 60-2 |
| Uninsured drivers are common | About 15.4% of U.S. drivers were uninsured in 2023, and roughly one in three was uninsured or underinsured. | Insurance Research Council, 2017–2023 study |
| Flood is excluded, and not only near rivers | Homeowners policies exclude flood; about 40% of NFIP flood claims come from outside high-risk zones; a new policy has a 30-day waiting period. Sewer and drain backup is a separate endorsement. | FEMA / National Flood Insurance Program |
| Dog breed can't be used against a homeowner | Since 2021 New York insurers can't refuse, cancel, non-renew or surcharge a homeowners policy because of a dog's breed (a specific dog's bite history is still fair game). The rule does not extend to renters policies. | Insurance Law §3421 (Chapter 545 of 2021; amended 2022) |
| Income is the biggest uninsured asset | A 20-year-old worker has about a 1-in-4 chance of becoming disabled before full retirement age; New York's mandatory DBL pays only 50% of average weekly wage up to $170 a week for 26 weeks. | Social Security Administration Publication 05-10029; NY Workers' Compensation Board |
| Non-renewal has notice rules | A personal auto or homeowners policy can't be non-renewed without 45 to 60 days' written notice stating the reason, and once written the policy runs for a three-year required period with limited grounds for cancellation. | Insurance Law §3425 |
Quoted from the New York State Senate's consolidated laws and the Department of Financial Services' consumer pages, linked under Sources below, as of September 2026.
The twelve questions
- Where do you live? House, condo, renting with a policy, renting without one.
- Is your dwelling limit based on today's rebuild cost? Not market value, not purchase price.
- Are you near water or in a flood zone, or do you have a finished basement? Flood and drain backup are both excluded from standard policies.
- Do you own any single item worth more than about $2,500? And is it scheduled?
- Do you run a business or side gig from home? Personal policies cap business property low and exclude business liability.
- What are your auto liability limits? New York's minimum is $25,000/$50,000/$10,000.
- What are your SUM limits? Uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage for your own injuries.
- Any driver under 21, or anyone driving for rideshare or delivery?
- Roughly, what are your total assets? What a lawsuit can reach once limits run out.
- Do you have a personal umbrella policy?
- Does anyone depend on your income?
- What life and disability coverage do you have? Your own, employer-only, or none.
What it can't tell you
It can't read your policies, so it can't catch the things that live in the fine print: a roof paid on actual cash value, a dog breed the carrier excludes, a business-use exclusion on the car, an umbrella whose underlying limits you no longer meet. Those turn up only in a real review. Bring your declarations pages and the check's results and that review takes about half an hour.
This check is educational. It's based only on your answers, not on your policies, and it isn't a quote, a coverage recommendation or advice about a specific product. Coverage names, limits and prices vary by carrier; the notes assume New York rules. Answers stay in your browser and nothing is sent unless you choose to send it.
- Minimum auto insurance requirements (NY Department of Financial Services) — $25,000/$50,000 bodily injury, $10,000 property damage, $50,000 no-fault
- Supplementary Uninsured/Underinsured Motorists (SUM) coverage (NY DFS) — basic $25,000/$50,000; since 2018 the default equals your liability limits unless declined
- Uninsured and underinsured motorists, 2017–2023 (Insurance Research Council) — 15.4% of U.S. drivers uninsured in 2023; one in three uninsured or underinsured
- Flood insurance (FEMA) — about 40% of NFIP claims come from outside high-risk flood areas; 30-day waiting period
- Disability Benefits, Publication 05-10029 (Social Security Administration) — a 20-year-old worker has a 1-in-4 chance of becoming disabled before full retirement age
- Disability benefits (NY Workers' Compensation Board) — DBL pays 50% of average weekly wage up to $170 a week for up to 26 weeks
- Help for homeowners and renters (NY DFS)
- Insurance Law §3420, liability insurance; standard provisions (New York State Senate) — (f)(1) minimum uninsured motorist coverage; (f)(2) SUM at liability limits unless declined
- Insurance Law §3421, dog breeds and homeowners insurance (New York State Senate)
- Insurance Law §3425, cancellation and non-renewal of personal lines policies (New York State Senate) — 45–60 days' notice with reason; three-year required policy period
Common questions
Short answers to what people ask before they call.
Still have a question? Call (518) 902-8822 or book a call.
Is this a quote or a policy review?
Neither. It works only from your answers, not from your policies, so it can tell you where to look, not what you have. The real review is the next step: send me the results with your declarations pages and I'll check each item against the actual policy language and price the fixes.
Where do my answers go?
Nowhere unless you choose. The check runs entirely in your browser and remembers your answers on your own device so a refresh doesn't lose them. Only the "Send results" button attaches the summary to a message to me, and only after you add your name and number and press send.
Why does the check assume New York rules?
Because that's where most readers of this site live and where I write policies. The auto questions use New York's $25,000/$50,000/$10,000 minimum, its $50,000 no-fault benefit and its SUM rules; the disability notes use New York's state disability benefit. If you're in another state the principles hold but the numbers differ.
How is the score calculated?
Every finding carries a weight that reflects how much a gap in that area typically costs relative to how cheap it is to close. The score is 100 minus the weights of the gaps found. It's a ranking device, not an actuarial measure: a 70 with one big gap and a 70 with three small ones are different conversations, which is why the findings matter more than the number.
What does it cost to close the gaps it finds?
Usually less than people fear. Raising auto liability from the minimum to $100,000/$300,000, adding water-backup coverage, scheduling a ring or adding a $1 million umbrella are each typically small monthly changes. I quote the exact numbers from the carriers I represent once I've seen your policies.
Get an auto or home quote
Your current declarations page is all I need to compare like for like. If you're already well placed, I'll say so.