Hurricane deductible calculator

It is a percentage of your dwelling coverage, not of the damage. That distinction is worth thousands, and most people only discover it after a storm.

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Your policy

On your declarations page. Not your home's market value.

What applies to a non-storm loss, for comparison.

 

Hurricane deductible—
Your standard deductible—
Extra you absorb because it is a storm—
Insurer pays—
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    The percentage is not applied to your damage

    This is the whole misunderstanding, and it is worth stating flatly before anything else: a hurricane deductible is a percentage of the amount your home is insured for, not a percentage of the loss. The Insurance Information Institute is explicit that these deductibles are calculated against insured value, and gives the arithmetic without softening it — a home insured for $300,000 with a 5 percent hurricane deductible absorbs the first $15,000 of the claim.

    Read that again with your own declarations page in hand. If your dwelling coverage is $400,000 and your policy carries a 2 percent hurricane deductible, your deductible for that storm is $8,000. It is $8,000 whether the storm did $9,000 of damage or $250,000 of damage. On the smaller loss you receive $1,000; on a $7,500 loss you receive nothing at all, on a policy you believed had a $1,000 deductible.

    The reason this catches people is that the standard deductible on the same policy is usually a flat dollar figure, and it is the one homeowners remember. The percentage deductible is a separate line, applies only to a specific peril, and quietly replaces the flat one the moment that peril is triggered.

    Where these deductibles apply

    Nineteen states plus the District of Columbia apply hurricane deductibles: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. The typical range is one to five percent of insured value, and higher in coastal high-risk areas where carriers price the exposure more aggressively.

    Some states constrain what the carrier may write. Florida requires insurers to offer a $500 option alongside 2, 5 and 10 percent. Rhode Island caps hurricane deductibles at 5 percent. Louisiana draws a distinction the rest of the country largely does not: a hurricane deductible triggers at 74 mph winds, while a named storm deductible triggers at 39 mph — which makes the named-storm version the broader and more expensive of the two for a policyholder, because far more weather events reach 39 mph than reach 74.

    What actually switches the deductible on

    The trigger is written into your policy, and it is usually tied to a National Weather Service declaration rather than to the damage itself. A hurricane warning or a tropical storm declaration turns the percentage deductible on, and it commonly stays in force for 24 to 72 hours after that warning ends. Wind speed at your address is not what decides it; the declaration is.

    Two consequences follow, and both are worth money. First, a loss that feels like ordinary wind damage can still be settled under the percentage deductible if it fell inside the window. Second — and this is the one worth arguing — a loss near the edge of that window may not belong under the percentage deductible at all. If your roof failed three days after the warning lapsed, or the morning before it was issued, which deductible applies is a factual question with a documented answer, and the answer is worth thousands. Get the date and time of loss on record early, and ask the adjuster in writing which declaration they applied and what window they used.

    Separate deductibles, separate perils, one storm

    A hurricane deductible is not the only percentage deductible in circulation. Wind and hail deductibles, named storm deductibles and hurricane deductibles are distinct products with distinct triggers, and a policy can carry more than one. They do not stack on a single loss, but the wrong one being applied is a common and correctable error. Check the declarations page for the specific peril named next to the percentage, then check which peril the adjuster recorded.

    Flood is a different matter entirely. Storm surge and rising water are excluded from standard homeowners policies and covered separately, usually through the National Flood Insurance Program, with its own deductible. A hurricane that damages a home by both wind and water routinely produces two claims, two deductibles and two adjusters, and the split between wind and water damage is one of the most disputed determinations in property insurance.

    If the deductible looks wrong

    Start with the declarations page, because the percentage, the peril it attaches to, and the dwelling limit it is calculated against are all printed there. Multiply them yourself. If the adjuster's figure differs from your arithmetic, the disagreement is about the inputs, not the maths, and asking which dwelling limit they used will usually surface it in one email.

    If the dispute is about the amount of loss rather than the deductible, most policies contain an appraisal clause: each side hires an appraiser, the two select an umpire, and the resulting decision binds the amount. It is faster and cheaper than litigation and does not require an attorney. Your state department of insurance also accepts consumer complaints and can compel a written response, which costs nothing and is often the shortest route to a re-inspection.

    Once the deductible is settled, depreciation decides the rest. Run the actual cash value vs replacement cost calculator to see how much of your estimate is being withheld as recoverable depreciation, and how to get it released.

    Frequently asked questions

    Is a hurricane deductible a percentage of the damage or of my coverage?

    Of your coverage. It is calculated against your dwelling coverage limit, sometimes called Coverage A, not against the size of the loss. This is the single most common misunderstanding about these deductibles. Two percent of $400,000 in dwelling coverage is an $8,000 deductible whether the damage is $9,000 or $200,000.

    Which states have hurricane deductibles?

    Nineteen states plus the District of Columbia: Alabama, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia. They typically run 1 to 5 percent of insured value, and higher in coastal high-risk areas.

    What triggers the hurricane deductible instead of my normal one?

    The trigger is usually tied to a National Weather Service hurricane warning or tropical storm declaration, and commonly stays in force for 24 to 72 hours after that warning ends. The exact trigger is written into your policy. If your loss happened near the edge of a warning window, which deductible applies is genuinely arguable and worth challenging.

    Is a named storm deductible the same as a hurricane deductible?

    Not always. Louisiana distinguishes the two: a hurricane deductible is triggered at 74 mph winds, while a named storm deductible triggers at 39 mph. A named storm deductible is therefore the broader and more expensive of the two for a policyholder, because it applies to far more weather events.

    Can my insurer choose any percentage it wants?

    No, some states constrain the terms. Florida requires insurers to offer deductibles of $500, 2 percent, 5 percent and 10 percent. Rhode Island caps them at 5 percent. Elsewhere the range is typically 1 to 5 percent of insured value, set by the carrier and shown on your declarations page.

    Sources & further reading

    This tool's assumptions come from the primary sources below. Last reviewed: September 2026.