Hurricane deductible calculator for Florida homes
A Florida hurricane deductible is the amount you pay toward covered hurricane damage before your homeowners policy pays. It is usually a percentage of your dwelling coverage, such as 2%, 5% or 10%, and it applies on an annual basis. Enter your coverage below to see each option in dollars.
Calculate your hurricane deductible
Enter your dwelling coverage to see what each option would be in dollars.
The dwelling limit on your declarations page, between $50,000 and $10,000,000.
Add a number to see how much you would pay and how much the insurance company would pay.
With $400,000 of dwelling coverage: 2% is $8,000, 5% is $20,000, 10% is $40,000, the $500 flat option is $500.
What you would pay out of pocket before the policy pays on a covered hurricane claim, with $400,000 of dwelling coverage
2% option
2% of dwelling coverage
$8,000
You pay this first
5% option
5% of dwelling coverage
$20,000
You pay this first
10% option
10% of dwelling coverage
$40,000
You pay this first
$500 flat option
Flat amount
$500
You pay this first
Insurers do not have to offer this option at this coverage amount, so it may not be available.
The deductible is a percentage of your dwelling coverage; the $500 option is a flat amount. Bars compare each option with the largest one. Policy limits, other terms and your actual policy wording still apply. Nothing you enter here is saved or sent anywhere.
How does a hurricane deductible work in Florida?
A hurricane deductible is a separate deductible on a Florida homeowners policy. When a covered loss is caused by a hurricane, it takes the place of your regular deductible: when a hurricane deductible is applied, no other deductible under the policy may be applied. It is usually a percentage of the policy’s dwelling limits (Coverage A) rather than a flat amount.
The math is simple: multiply your dwelling coverage by the percentage. On $400,000 of dwelling coverage, 2% is $8,000, 5% is $20,000 and 10% is $40,000. If a hurricane causes $30,000 of covered damage and your deductible is 2%, you pay the first $8,000 and the policy pays the remaining $22,000, subject to your policy limits and terms.
You do not have to work it out yourself. Florida law requires an insurer to show the actual dollar value of your hurricane deductible on the declarations page, and a policy with a separate hurricane deductible must carry a warning on its face that the deductible may result in high out-of-pocket expenses. For the wider picture, see homeowners insurance in Miami and South Florida.
What hurricane deductible options must Florida insurers offer?
Before issuing a personal residential property policy, a Florida insurer must offer hurricane deductibles of $500, 2%, 5% and 10% of the policy dwelling limits, with exceptions that depend on the dwelling limit. The insurer must also state which deductible applies if you do not choose one, and must tell you about the options again at each renewal.
| Dwelling coverage | What the statute requires or allows |
|---|---|
| Under $100,000 | $500, 2%, 5% and 10% options. |
| $100,000 to under $250,000 | 2%, 5% and 10%. In place of the $500 option, an insurer may offer a policy with up to a 2% deductible and a guarantee not to nonrenew for reasons of reducing hurricane loss for one renewal period. |
| $250,000 to under $1 million | 2%, 5% and 10%. The $500 option does not have to be offered. |
| $1 million to under $3 million | 5% and 10%, plus 2% or, in its place, 3%. The $500 option does not have to be offered. |
| $3 million or more | 5% and 10%. The 2% and $500 options do not have to be offered. |
For a risk valued under $500,000, a hurricane deductible above 10% of the dwelling limits is allowed only if the policyholder personally writes or types and signs a statement that they will pay those costs and, when there is a mortgage or lien, the lender approves in writing.
If you have made appropriate hurricane mitigation improvements to your home, Florida law requires the insurer to give you the option of a reduced hurricane deductible or a premium discount. Ask your agent which improvements count with each company.
When does the hurricane deductible apply?
It applies to covered windstorm loss during a hurricane. Florida law defines a hurricane as a storm system that the National Hurricane Center has declared a hurricane. The period starts when the Center issues a hurricane warning for any part of Florida and ends 72 hours after the last hurricane watch or warning for any part of Florida ends. A tropical storm that is never declared a hurricane does not meet that definition.
Windstorm includes wind, wind gusts, hail, rain, tornadoes and cyclones caused by or resulting from the hurricane, plus rain damage inside the building when the wind first opens a hole in it.
The deductible applies on an annual basis. All covered hurricane losses in the same calendar year, under policies from the same insurer or insurer group, share one hurricane deductible. If an earlier hurricane used part of it, the insurer may charge a later hurricane the greater of what remains of the hurricane deductible or your deductible for other perils.
Example with an $8,000 deductible: a first hurricane causes $3,000 of covered damage, so you pay it and $5,000 of the deductible remains. A second hurricane later that year causes $20,000 of covered damage. If your regular deductible is lower than $5,000, you pay $5,000 and the policy pays $15,000, subject to your policy limits and terms.
Insurers may require you to report hurricane losses that fall below the deductible, or to keep receipts for them, so those losses count toward later claims. A separate roof deductible, where a policy has one, does not apply to a roof loss resulting from a hurricane.
Does a condo (HO-6) policy have a hurricane deductible?
It can. Florida defines personal residential coverage to include condominium unit owner policies, which is what an HO-6 is, and mobile home owner policies. The hurricane deductible options an insurer must offer, and the annual application described above, are written for personal residential property policies. Your declarations page shows whether your own policy has a separate hurricane deductible.
The percentage is based on the policy’s dwelling limits, so enter the dwelling limit shown on your own condo policy’s declarations page, and check the dollar amount printed there. More on condo insurance for unit owners.
Your association’s master policy is different. It is commercial residential coverage, and the insurer must offer both a hurricane deductible that applies on an annual basis and one that applies to each hurricane. Boards and property managers can read condo and HOA insurance.
Frequently asked questions about hurricane deductibles
What does a 2% hurricane deductible mean?
It means you pay 2% of your policy's dwelling coverage before the policy pays on a covered hurricane claim. With $400,000 of dwelling coverage, a 2% hurricane deductible is $8,000. A 5% deductible would be $20,000 and a 10% deductible $40,000. The percentage applies to your dwelling coverage, not to the size of the claim.
Is the hurricane deductible charged per storm or per year?
Per year. Under Florida law, a homeowners hurricane deductible applies on an annual basis to all covered hurricane losses in a calendar year with the same insurer or insurer group. If an earlier hurricane used part of it, a later hurricane that year can be charged the greater of the remaining balance or your deductible for other perils.
Where can I find my hurricane deductible in dollars?
On your declarations page. For a personal residential policy with a separate hurricane deductible, Florida law requires the insurer to show the actual dollar value on the declarations page when the policy is issued, and on the renewal declarations page or the premium renewal notice at renewal. A licensed Assure US agent can read it with you.
Can I choose a $500 hurricane deductible in Florida?
Maybe. Insurers must offer $500, 2%, 5% and 10% options before issuing a personal residential policy, with exceptions. At $250,000 or more of dwelling coverage they do not have to offer the $500 option, and from $100,000 to under $250,000 they may offer a policy with up to a 2% deductible and a one-renewal nonrenewal guarantee instead.
Sources
- Florida Statutes §627.701, Liability of insureds; coinsurance; deductiblesSubsection (3) options an insurer must offer; (4) declarations page and warning; (5) annual application; (9) mitigation; (10) roof deductible.
- Florida Statutes §627.4025, Residential coverage and hurricane coverage definedSubsection (1) types of residential policies; (2) what counts as a hurricane and how long it lasts.
- Florida Department of Financial Services, Florida's hurricane deductibleConsumer explanation of the options, the annual application and when the deductible applies.
Statute text checked against the 2026 Florida Statutes on flsenate.gov in October 2026.
General information, not a coverage recommendation. Your policy’s declarations page shows your actual deductible; a licensed Assure US agent can review it with you.