Your Arkansas Wind & Hail Deductible: The Number Most Homeowners Don’t Know
You probably know your deductible is $1,000. On most Arkansas policies today, that number doesn’t apply to the claim you’re most likely to file.
Most Arkansas homeowners policies now carry a separate wind and hail deductible, and it’s usually a percentage of your dwelling limit rather than a flat dollar amount. On a home insured for $400,000, a 2% wind/hail deductible is $8,000 out of pocket — not the $1,000 most homeowners think they have. It applies to the exact claims Northwest Arkansas files most: hail, wind, and storm damage. Check your declarations page today, not after the storm.
You have two deductibles. Most people know one.
Open your declarations page and you’ll likely find two separate numbers doing two different jobs.
What the percentages actually cost you
The math is simple once you see it — and seeing it is usually the moment people reach for their policy.
Wind & hail deductible on a $400,000 dwelling limit
The same home. The same storm. Only the percentage on your declarations page changes.
On mobile, swipe right to left across the chart to view the full comparison.
Illustrative math on a $400,000 dwelling limit. Your dwelling limit is not your home’s market value or purchase price — it’s the amount your policy insures the structure for. Deductible options, availability, and structure vary by carrier and by property.
| Dwelling limit | 1% | 2% | 5% |
|---|---|---|---|
| $250,000 | $2,500 | $5,000 | $12,500 |
| $400,000 | $4,000 | $8,000 | $20,000 |
| $600,000 | $6,000 | $12,000 | $30,000 |
| $800,000 | $8,000 | $16,000 | $40,000 |
Note what happens as home values rise: the deductible rises with them, automatically, without anyone calling to tell you. If your dwelling limit was updated for construction costs — and in Northwest Arkansas it likely was — your wind/hail deductible went up at the same time.
The stack nobody explains: deductible and roof settlement
This is the most expensive thing on this page, and it’s the part homeowners almost never see coming. Your percentage deductible is only the first reduction. If your roof is older, your policy may also settle it on an Agreed Roof Payment Schedule rather than at full replacement cost — meaning the payout is reduced by a scheduled percentage based on the roof’s age.
So a hail claim can be reduced twice: once by an $8,000 deductible, and again by a scheduled roof settlement. Both are in your policy right now. Neither shows up on your monthly payment.
How Arkansas roof claims and the Agreed Payment Schedule work.
Why Arkansas policies went this direction
This isn’t carriers being difficult for sport. Arkansas has one of the harder property insurance markets in the country, and the numbers behind it are grim.
Arkansas homeowners rates are among the highest in the United States, with most homeowners paying roughly $3,700 to $5,000 annually. Industry analyses show some Arkansas property insurers running loss ratios above 100% — paying out more in claims than they collect in premium. Several carriers have reduced exposure or left the state entirely. See the full Arkansas homeowners cost breakdown.
Percentage deductibles are how carriers stay in the market. Arkansas has allowed broader use of split deductibles for wind and hail, and carriers use them to keep writing business in a state that gets hit repeatedly. The trade is real: the percentage deductible is part of why you still have options. It’s also why the number on your declarations page deserves an actual decision rather than a default.
In Northwest Arkansas, this is the deductible that matters. Hail and severe storms are routine here — Bentonville, Rogers, Springdale, Fayetteville, Bella Vista, Centerton all sit in it. The AOP deductible covers the claims you might file. The wind/hail deductible covers the claim you probably will.
How to find yours in the next five minutes
1Pull your declarations page
Not the bill — the declarations page, usually the first page or two of your policy packet. Your carrier’s app or portal has it.
2Find the deductible section and look for two entries
You’re looking for language like “All Other Perils” alongside “Windstorm or Hail,” “Wind/Hail,” or “Named Storm.” If the second one shows a percentage instead of a dollar figure, that’s your number.
3Find your Coverage A dwelling limit and do the multiplication
Coverage A is the dwelling limit. Multiply it by the percentage. That result — not your AOP deductible — is what you’d pay out of pocket before a hail claim pays anything.
4Ask yourself the only question that matters
Could you write that check next week? Not theoretically — actually, without borrowing against something. If the answer is no, the deductible isn’t a savings strategy. It’s an exposure.
Should you take a higher percentage?
Sometimes, honestly, yes. A higher wind/hail deductible lowers your premium, and in a state where premiums run $3,700 to $5,000 a year, that’s not nothing. The question isn’t whether higher is bad — it’s whether you’ve chosen it.
| A higher % may make sense if | A lower % is worth pricing if |
|---|---|
| You have real, liquid savings you could deploy tomorrow | The deductible exceeds what you could readily cover |
| Your roof is newer and settles at replacement cost | Your roof is older and may settle on a schedule |
| The premium difference is meaningful and you’d invest it | The premium savings are modest relative to the added risk |
| You’re comfortable self-insuring the first layer | A large out-of-pocket hit would force hard choices |
The mistake isn’t picking 2%. The mistake is having 2% and believing you have $1,000.
Typical annual premium range for a $400,000 Northwest Arkansas home, depending on carrier, deductible structure, and coverage selections. Rates vary dramatically between carriers for the same home. Individual premiums vary by property, roof age, claims history, credit-based insurance score, and coverage selections.
What to do about it
- Know your number before storm season — dollar figure, not percentage.
- Ask what other deductible options cost. Carriers differ enormously on both the options offered and what each one prices at.
- Check your roof settlement terms in the same conversation — the two stack, and you should see them together.
- Confirm your dwelling limit is right. Too low and you’re underinsured; it also drives the deductible. See what your policy doesn’t cover.
- Don’t file a claim below the deductible — you’ll collect nothing and still have a claim on your record.
- Re-check after any dwelling limit increase, because your deductible moved with it.
This is worth a real conversation
Deductible structure is one of the places where carriers differ most, and where a single company’s answer tells you the least. As an independent agency comparing 40+ carriers, Cribb Insurance Group can show you what your wind/hail deductible options actually price at across the Arkansas market — and tell you honestly when your current structure is the right one. We’ve been reading Arkansas declarations pages for 25+ years, and this is the line we look at first.
You can start a personal quote, run a commercial quote for business property, or upload your policy to Coverage Compare — it will find your wind/hail deductible and tell you what it means in plain English.
Frequently asked questions
What is a wind and hail deductible in Arkansas?
How much is a 2% wind and hail deductible?
Why do Arkansas policies use percentage deductibles?
Can I change my wind and hail deductible?
Does my wind and hail deductible affect my roof claim payout?
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This article is general information about wind and hail deductibles on Arkansas homeowners policies, not legal, financial, or coverage advice. Deductible structures, available options, percentage tiers, roof settlement provisions, and eligibility vary by carrier, policy form, and property, and are subject to change — your policy language controls. The deductible figures shown are arithmetic illustrations on stated dwelling limits, not quotes or predictions of your actual out-of-pocket cost. Rate ranges reflect Cribb Insurance Group’s Northwest Arkansas carrier market and publicly reported Arkansas averages; they are illustrative only and not guaranteed. Coverage is subject to policy terms, conditions, exclusions, and underwriting. For guidance on your specific policy, contact a licensed Cribb Insurance Group advisor.