Guide
Will a hail claim raise my insurance?
Usually not on its own, but hail raises premiums across a whole area.
Short answer
Usually not by itself. Hail is a weather claim, not an at-fault one, so many insurers do not surcharge an individual policy for a single hail claim, and some states restrict it. What does raise premiums is area-wide: after heavy hail years, insurers raise rates for everyone in the region, claim or not. Several claims in a few years can lead to a surcharge or non-renewal.
What affects your premium after a hail claim
- Claim type. Weather claims such as hail are generally weighed less heavily than claims the insurer sees as within your control, like water damage from a leak.
- Claim count. A single claim is treated very differently from two or three in a few years, which can bring a surcharge or a non-renewal regardless of cause.
- Where you live. In hail-prone areas the risk is already in the base rate, and it rises for everyone after bad seasons. That increase arrives whether or not you file.
- State rules. Some states limit how insurers can use weather or catastrophe claims in pricing and renewal. Your state insurance department publishes the rules.
Your deductible may be a percentage
Many policies in hail country carry a separate wind and hail deductible set as a percentage of the dwelling coverage rather than a flat amount. On a house insured for $300,000:
| Deductible | You pay first |
|---|---|
| 1% | $3,000 |
| 2% | $6,000 |
| 5% | $15,000 |
If a roofer’s estimate is close to the deductible, a claim may cost more in claim history than it pays out.
Your claim history follows you
Insurers share claims through databases such as the CLUE report, which usually keeps home claims for seven years and is checked when you switch insurers or buy a house. You can request your own report free once a year.
Before you file
- Confirm the date of the storm: the ZIP lookup lists dated NOAA hail reports for your county.
- Have the roof inspected, and get a written estimate.
- Compare the estimate with your hail deductible.
- Read how a hail claim works for the process and the documents to keep.