What your storm deductible actually comes to in dollars, and whether raising your regular deductible is worth the exposure. Estimates only — not a quote.
A typical 2% catastrophe deductible on $300,000 of coverage means you pay the first $6,000 of storm damage yourself — 6x the $1,000 deductible that applies to everything else. That is $5,000 more you would need on hand after a named storm than after a kitchen fire.
Shown on South Carolina’s reference coverage level of $300,000. Enter your own coverage above for your number.
On the South Carolina coast a separate named-storm (hurricane) deductible is the norm, expressed as a percentage of the dwelling limit rather than a flat dollar amount, and it replaces the ordinary all-perils deductible for that one event. Typical range is 1% to 5%; South Carolina Wind and Hail Underwriting Association policies specifically use 2% in Zone 2 and 3% in Zone 1, with higher percentages available in exchange for premium credits. On a $400,000 dwelling limit a 2% named-storm deductible is $8,000 out of pocket before the insurer pays anything. The trigger is a storm the National Hurricane Center has officially named, not merely high wind - ordinary thunderstorm wind or hail damage still falls under the flat deductible on most policies. S.C. Code Regs. 69-56 requires an insurer writing a hurricane, named-storm, or wind/hail deductible to disclose it clearly and to show the policyholder a worked dollar example rather than only a percentage. Geography matters more here than in most states: the percentage deductible is close to universal in the shoreline counties, common in the rest of the eight-county seacoast region, and largely absent in the Upstate, so the statewide picture is genuinely bimodal. Insurify's May 2026 measurement of South Carolina's AVERAGE wind/hail deductible - 1.25% of dwelling coverage - reflects that mix of coastal policies with percentage deductibles and inland policies without.
This needs your two real quoted premiums. We deliberately don’t apply a “typical savings” percentage: deductible credits vary by carrier, state, and filing, so a made-up multiplier would give you a break-even that looks precise and isn’t. Ask your insurer to quote both deductibles — it takes one phone call, and the answer is specific to you.
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