What is the difference between a retention and a deductible?

Asked by: Dr. Lily Mayert Jr.  |  Last update: February 11, 2022
Score: 4.5/5 (3 votes)

The answer to the question what's the difference between a deductible and a self insured retention is that deductibles reduce the amount of insurance available whereas a self insured retention is applied and the limit of insurance is fully available above that amount.

What is a retention deductible?

Every business or non-profit that purchases a form of liability insurance has seen the term deductible or self-insured retention (SIR). ... The insurer provides immediate defense, pays for any losses incurred and then collects reimbursement from the policyholder after the claims is closed, up to the deductible amount.

What does retention mean in insurance?

An application of retention is a contractual clause included in many insurance policies. The purpose of the clause is to specify what portion of any potential damages will need to be paid for by the policyholder. Damages in excess of this retained portion would then be covered by the insurance policy.

What does retention mean on COI?

In insurance, the word retention is always related to how a company handles its business risk. When you 'retain' risk, it usually means you're not insuring it. The common alternative would be to pay an insurance company an annual premium to take that risk off your hands.

How does self-insured retention work?

What is Self-Insured Retention? The self-insured retention is a specific dollar amount in a liability insurance policy. Before the insurance policy can take care of any damage, defense or loss, the insured needs to pay this clearly defined amount.

What is the difference between a deductible and a self-insured retention?

23 related questions found

Is self-insurance a retention risk?

Risk Retention

A business chooses a self-insured retention because it has opted to retain some risk. The business decides the amount of risk, in monetary terms, and the types of risks it wants to retain. It then creates a fund to pay losses that result from those risks.

What is sum insured retention?

Self-Insured Retention (SIR) — a dollar amount specified in a liability insurance policy that must be paid by the insured before the insurance policy will respond to a loss. ... After the claim is concluded, the insurer will bill the insured for the $25,000 in payments made on the insured's behalf.

Is retention the same as excess?

Definition: The maximum amount of risk retained by an insurer per life is called retention. Beyond that, the insurer cedes the excess risk to a reinsurer. The point beyond which the insurer cedes the risk to the reinsurer is called retention limit.

What does retention and transfer indicate in insurance?

Risk retention is an individual or organization's decision to take responsibility for a particular risk it faces, as opposed to transferring the risk over to an insurance company by purchasing insurance. ... Insurance companies also have to make a decision about which risks to retain.

What does retention mean in a D&O policy?

When you increase your D&O insurance program's self-insured retention (similar to a deductible), you are agreeing that when a claim hits you will spend more of your money before the balance sheet protection of your D&O insurance program (Sides B and C) responds.

What is a retention amount?

What is retention money? Retention money is an amount held back from a payment made under a construction contract. ... It is generally held to ensure that a contractor performs all of its obligations under the contract, and is then released either on practical completion or after the end of a defects notification period.

What is a retention liability?

Retention Liability means any liability incurred by the Borrower (and not guaranteed by any Subsidiary of the Borrower) in connection with a Permitted Acquisition if such liability (a) is contingent upon the revenues earned by the Acquired Entity or Business acquired pursuant to such Permitted Acquisition and (b) is ...

What deductible means?

The amount you pay for covered health care services before your insurance plan starts to pay. With a $2,000 deductible, for example, you pay the first $2,000 of covered services yourself. After you pay your deductible, you usually pay only a copayment or coinsurance for covered services.

Does a deductible reduce the limit?

A Deductible Reduces Your Limit While An SIR Does Not

Deductibles and self-insured retentions are often used in commercial casualty insurance. Both are types of self-insurance. They enable policyholders to retain some of the risk of losses in exchange for a lower premium.

What is the maximum deductible?

This year, the IRS defines high deductible health plans as those having a deductible of at least $1,400 for individuals or $2,800 for families. For 2020, out-of-pocket maximums can't surpass $6,900 for an individual plan and $13,800 for a family plan.

Which is better risk transfer or risk retention?

As a general rule, the only risks that should be retained are those that can lead to relatively small certain losses. Risk may be transferred to someone who is more willing to bear the risk. Transfer may be used to deal with both speculative and pure risk.

When would you retain the risk?

Organizations make decisions to retain risk when a cost analysis review shows that it is cost effective to handle the risk internally as opposed to the cost of fully or partially insuring against it. Companies choose to retain risk when the premium of transferring them is substantially high.

How insurance cost can determine risk retention?

A company's decision to insure or retain risk is guided by the cost of insurance relative to the perceived benefit of the protection purchased, the capacity and appetite of the insurance market to accept the relevant risk, the ability and capacity of the company to retain risk, and the relevance the company assigns to ...

What is cash retention limit?

Cash retention limit is the amount of money a bank certain branch can keep overnight in order to carry on the morning day to day operations. This limit is only decided in the main branch of all banks usually by the higher management.

What is retained limit?

Retained limit is the limit on other policies that the insured is required to carry, or the self-insured retention, for those exposures where primary coverage is not required.

Why do insurance companies reinsure?

The main reason for opting for reinsurance is to limit the financial hit to the insurance company's balance sheet when claims are made. This is particularly important when the insurance company has exposure to natural disaster claims because this typically results in a larger number of claims coming in together.

How do I find out my deductible?

A deductible can be either a specific dollar amount or a percentage of the total amount of insurance on a policy. The amount is established by the terms of your coverage and can be found on the declarations (or front) page of standard homeowners and auto insurance policies.

What is a maintenance retention?

Maintenance/Retention Bond guarantees the Obligee over the ability to repair damages after completion as exchanged in the contract. ... The magnitude of the value of the collateral is 5% or as specified in the contract.

Is self-insurance the same as insurance explain?

Self-insurance involves setting aside your own money to pay for a possible loss instead of purchasing insurance and expecting an insurance company to reimburse you.

Is it better to have a $500 deductible or $1000?

A $1,000 deductible is better than a $500 deductible if you can afford the increased out-of-pocket cost in the event of an accident, because a higher deductible means you'll pay lower premiums. Choosing an insurance deductible depends on the size of your emergency fund and how much you can afford for monthly premiums.