Home Insurance Deductibles: FAQs | Liberty Mutual (2024)

FAQs

How does deductible work on home insurance claims? ›

Your deductible is paid before the insurer pays its part. That means if the cost of damage to your home is less than your deductible, the insurance company wouldn't pay anything. In that case, you wouldn't go through the work of filing an insurance claim. Instead, you would just pay the amount due.

Understanding your deductible

In most cases, you'll need to pay your deductible up front, even if the claim wasn't your fault. Auto customers may enroll in the Liberty Mutual Deductible Fund® and receive as much as $70 annually towards their deductible.

If you're more likely to get into an accident, you won't want to pay out a higher deductible. However, if you're generally a safer driver, your car insurance premiums will be lower with a $1,000 deductible.

It depends on your insurance policy. Some insurance policies require you to pay your deductible even if you are not at fault, while others do not. Reviewing your policy or speaking with your insurance agent to understand your coverage is important.

You're responsible for your policy's stated deductible every time you file a claim. After you pay the car deductible amount, your insurer will cover the remaining cost to repair or replace your vehicle.

You choose your deductible at the time you purchase home insurance, but you can change it at any time during your policy term. The amount you pay in homeowners insurance premiums is directly correlated with how high or low you set your deductible. The higher your deductible, the lower your premiums — and vice versa.

Waivers of deductibles are common in homeowners insurance policies. Check your policy to see if you have one.

Under California law, an insurer cannot increase your premiums when you aren't at fault.

You choose your deductible amount when you buy the policy and typically must cover your deductible every time you file a claim. (You can change your deductible, but the change won't apply to existing claims.) The most common car insurance deductible is $500.

Who pays my deductible if I'm not at fault? If another person is found to be at fault for the accident, we'll work with you to make sure either they or their insurance company pays for your damages and losses and recover any money you may have paid toward your deductible or repairs.

What is too high of a deductible? ›

The deductible is separate from the monthly premiums. For individuals, a health plan can qualify as high deductible if the deductible is at least $1,350, and the max out-of-pocket cost (the most you'd pay in a year for medical expenses, with insurance covering everything else) is at least $6,750.

Many plans pay for certain services, like a checkup or disease management programs, before you've met your deductible. Check your plan details. All Marketplace health plans pay the full cost of certain preventive benefits even before you meet your deductible.

If you cannot pay the full deductible up front after an accident, some repair shops may work with you on a payment plan. If you cannot pay the whole deductible, some shops may not start the repairs right away. Depending on your policy, your insurance company could also refuse to pay until you have paid your portion.

What if my car repair costs less than my deductible? There may be times when your car insurance deductible is more than the cost of the damage to your vehicle. Unfortunately, in these cases, you'll need to pay for all repairs out-of-pocket. This is because insurance only pays for damages that are above your deductible.

If you file a claim with your carrier when you are not at fault, your carrier will eventually begin a process called subrogation. Essentially, this means that once liability is determined, your insurance carrier will send a demand to the at-fault party's carrier to pay back the damages that were paid out to you.

A higher-deductible option can help you save on monthly premiums, but make sure you can afford to pay for damage before your insurance starts to cover repairs. For example, if you have a $5,000 deductible and your home gets $4,500 in hail damage, you will have to pay for the repairs out of pocket.

Opting for a higher deductible generally results in lower premiums, with a lower deductible resulting in higher premiums. You won't need to pay a deductible for all claims. It usually only applies to dwelling coverage and property damage.

The amount you pay for covered health care services before your insurance plan starts to pay. With a $2,000 deductible, for example, you pay the first $2,000 of covered services yourself. A fixed amount ($20, for example) you pay for a covered health care service after you've paid your deductible.

How deductibles work. A specific amount would be subtracted from your claim payment if you have a dollar amount deductible. For example, if your policy states a $500 deductible, and your insurer has determined that you have an insured loss worth $10,000, you would receive a claims check for $9,500.