Wind / Hail Deductible
A separate, often percentage-based deductible just for wind and hail claims, common in storm-prone states.
Most home policies carry one deductible that applies to any covered loss. In storm-prone parts of the country, insurers often add a second one that applies only when the damage came from wind or hail. It sits on the declarations page as its own line, and it is usually the larger of the two.
The part that catches people out is how it is calculated. A wind and hail deductible is frequently written as a percentage — 1%, 2%, 5% — and that percentage generally applies to the dwelling limit, not to the size of the claim. On a home insured for $400,000, a 2% deductible is $8,000 whether the roof damage comes to $9,000 or $90,000.
Some states and coastal areas use a related version tied to named storms or hurricanes. Those usually switch on only when a storm is officially named or a hurricane warning is issued, and they can stay in effect for a set window afterward. The trigger language lives in the policy form, and it varies by state and insurer.
Because the dwelling limit drives the math, raising the rebuild limit also raises the dollar deductible. Some insurers offer a flat-dollar option instead of a percentage. In certain regions and wind zones, state rules or insurer guidelines make the percentage version the only one on the table.
Roof payouts can also be handled differently for wind and hail. Some policies pay replacement cost on a roof, while others switch to actual cash value on older roofs, subtracting depreciation by age. That is a separate provision from the deductible, and both can land on the same claim.
In real life
A hailstorm cracks the shingles on a house insured for $400,000. The roof estimate comes in at $11,000. The policy carries a $1,000 deductible for most losses and a 2% wind and hail deductible, which works out to $8,000 — two percent of the dwelling limit, not of the repair bill. The insurer pays $3,000. A kitchen fire with the same $11,000 estimate would have paid $10,000.
Common questions
What does a 2% wind and hail deductible mean?
It generally means 2% of the dwelling limit on the policy, not 2% of the repair bill. If the home is insured for $300,000, the deductible on a wind or hail claim is $6,000, and the insurer pays only the damage above that figure. The everyday deductible for other losses, such as fire or theft, is usually a smaller flat amount listed on the declarations page.
Why is my hail deductible higher than my regular deductible?
Insurers in hail-prone and hurricane-prone regions separate storm losses because those losses tend to arrive all at once across thousands of homes in a single afternoon. A higher deductible on those specific perils shifts part of that cost. State rules also shape what insurers may use, and in designated wind zones a percentage deductible is often a condition of writing the policy at all, so the higher number is not always optional.
Does a wind deductible apply to every claim?
No. It generally applies only to losses caused by wind or hail, and on some policies only to storms that get named or trigger a specific weather warning. Everything else — fire, theft, a burst pipe, a guest injury — falls under the standard deductible. The declarations page lists both amounts, and the wording that triggers the storm version sits in the policy form.
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Definitions describe how these terms are generally used across the U.S. market. Wording, limits and exclusions vary by insurer, policy form and state — the policy you hold is what controls. See the full Insurance Glossary.