Find your policy's deductible and the rules that go with it
The deductible is the amount you pay toward covered costs before the insurer starts paying, and a policy can have more than one: per person and per family, per year or per claim, inside and outside a network. The amount is usually on the declarations page or schedule, while the rules about what counts toward it sit in the wording. Ask Search+ "What is my deductible and how does it apply?" and the answer cites both, so you can read the exact terms.
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Last updated October 2026
How to pin down a deductible with Search+
- Upload the schedule, the wording and recent statements
Add the declarations page or schedule of benefits for the amount, the policy wording for the rules, and, for health cover, a recent explanation of benefits that reports progress toward the deductible. A mailed EOB can go in as a scan, and a sheet where you track medical spending can go in as an Excel file. Together they show the figure, how it works and where you stand.
- Ask about each deductible the policy sets
Ask whether there is an individual and a family deductible, separate ones for in-network and out-of-network care, or different ones for different kinds of loss. Ask about each in its own question so the citations do not blur two figures together.
- Ask what counts toward it and when it resets
Open the citation, then ask which payments count toward the deductible, which services the policy pays before it is met, and when it starts again. Those rules are often in definitions or a cost-share section rather than next to the amount.
Questions to ask about a deductible
What deductible does the schedule list for me, and is there a separate family amount?
Does the deductible apply once per policy period or separately to each claim or event?
Is there a different deductible for out-of-network care, and do the two count toward each other?
Which services does the policy say are paid before the deductible is met?
Do copays or coinsurance count toward the deductible under this policy?
According to the latest EOB in this workspace, how much of the deductible has been met this year?
What to look for in a deductible
Deductible amounts usually appear on the declarations page or schedule of benefits. They vary widely by insurer, product and plan, so the only reliable figure is the one printed in your own documents.
A deductible can apply once per policy period, per claim or event, or per condition. Some property and travel policies express it as a percentage or vary it by type of loss. Read which basis your policy uses.
Health policies may set an individual deductible inside a family one, and a separate deductible for out-of-network care. Check how the policy says these interact before reading any one figure on its own.
Some policies pay particular services before the deductible is met, or apply a copay instead. Ask which services are treated this way in your policy rather than assuming.
Ask across the policy and your statements at once, or narrow the question to one document. Each answer cites the excerpt it used, so you can tell the schedule figure from the EOB's running total.
Deductible wording you may see, and a follow-up question
| Wording you may see | What it usually signals | A follow-up question |
|---|---|---|
| "annual deductible" or "per policy period" | One deductible for the whole period | When does the period start, and when does the deductible reset? |
| "per claim" or "per occurrence" | A deductible on each claim or event | Does each separate event carry its own deductible? |
| "individual" and "family deductible" | Separate thresholds for one person and the household | How does meeting the individual deductible affect the family one? |
| "in-network" and "out-of-network deductible" | Different deductibles depending on the provider | Do payments toward one count toward the other? |
| "deductible waived" or "not subject to the deductible" | Services paid before the deductible is met | Which services does the policy list this way? |
| "percentage deductible" | A deductible stated as a share of a value, common in some property cover | What value is the percentage applied to? |
| "carryover" | Amounts from one period credited toward the next | Does this policy describe any carryover? |
What is a deductible in an insurance policy?
A deductible is the amount of covered cost the insured pays before the insurer begins to pay its share. The policy states the amount, the period or event it applies to, and what payments count toward meeting it.
Deductible questions
Can Search+ find my deductible amount?
Can it tell me whether I have met my deductible?
My policy seems to have two deductibles. How do I make sense of that?
Does the deductible apply to every claim?
Can I see the deductible terms of two plans next to each other?
Is a figure in an answer reliable enough to budget with?
Know your deductible before the bill
Start a workspace, upload the policy schedule and a recent statement, and ask how your deductible works.
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