Earthquake deductibles: map the property and the event

Questions covered in this guide

Look for more than one deductible category

NAIC explains that earthquake coverage can use separate property deductibles and that policies define the time span of an event differently. A single percentage copied from an advertisement may miss both questions. Obtain the actual earthquake form and declarations before attempting a comparison with another proposal.

Create a property-by-property table

Use the categories named in the policy, such as the home, belongings or other structures. For each, record the stated deductible, the amount or basis to which it applies and the related limit. Ask the insurer to explain any blank or combined category. Do not add every category into a predicted bill; which ones matter depends on the damage and actual policy terms.

Ask how the event is defined

Record the policy’s event language and ask the insurer how it addresses related shocks over time. Use a hypothetical sequence of dates and times without inventing claim amounts, then ask which terms would need to be examined. Keep the answer attached to the form. Do not assume that every aftershock is one event, or that every policy starts a new deductible on the same schedule.

Keep calculator scenarios explicitly limited

The flat-dollar deductible calculator does not model earthquake percentage bases, separate property categories or event windows. If you use it for a manually confirmed dollar scenario, label those assumptions and retain the category table separately. Ask a licensed professional to explain the actual proposal before changing coverage. This worksheet does not forecast an earthquake, select a deductible or calculate a claim payment. It exposes the two dimensions a quick comparison can miss: which property category bears a deductible and which damage belongs to the same defined event.

Putting it into practice

The comparison separates deductible bases by property category and keeps event definitions on a second axis. It explicitly prevents the flat-dollar calculator from representing a percentage-based earthquake claim.

Sources and supported claims

NAIC describes separate earthquake deductibles for different insured property categories.
Source ↗ · national · Checked 2026-10-12

NAIC says earthquake policies differ in how they group shocks into an event.
Source ↗ · national · Checked 2026-10-12