Does your insurance deductible reset every year?
Per claim, not per year
On a homeowners policy, your deductible is subtracted from every covered loss. Nothing you pay on one claim counts toward the next. That is the main difference from health insurance, where spending accumulates during the year until the deductible is met.
One storm, one deductible
A single storm that damages the roof, gutters, fence and siding is normally one occurrence with one deductible, even if the items fall under different coverage parts. That is why it pays to include all the damage from a storm in the same claim instead of filing separately for each item.
Two storms, two deductibles
If hail damages the roof in April and wind tears off shingles in June, those are separate losses. Each claim has its own deductible, and if the damage is mixed together, the adjuster will try to separate what happened on each date. Clear records of when damage appeared help.
Exceptions to know about
- Some hurricane or named storm deductibles are written to apply once per season rather than per storm. Your policy wording controls.
- A percentage wind and hail deductible applies to every wind or hail claim, not once a year.
- Your deductible can change at renewal if you or the insurer change it, so check each new declarations page.
See date of loss, percentage wind and hail deductibles and the after a storm checklist.