Excess flood insurance
An excess flood policy pays above the limit of your primary flood policy. If the building would cost more to rebuild than the primary policy will pay, excess covers the difference.
Free quotes from FEMA’s NFIP and private flood carriers. Prefer to talk? Call 888-546-1099.
How excess fits together
- Sits on top of
- An NFIP or private primary flood policy
- Starts paying
- Where the primary limit ends
- On a home insured through NFIP
- Above the $250,000 building limit
- On a commercial building insured through NFIP
- Above the $500,000 building limit
- Condition
- The primary policy has to stay in force
Excess limits and terms are set by the excess carrier.
What to know before you buy
- A worked exampleA home that would cost $600,000 to rebuild is insured through NFIP for the $250,000 maximum. An excess policy with a $350,000 limit covers the rest of the building.
- One policy may do the job of twoSome private carriers write a single policy with a limit high enough that no excess layer is needed. Ask us to price it both ways.
- Lenders and larger loansSome lenders ask for flood coverage above the NFIP maximum when the loan is larger than that limit. Excess is the usual way to meet it.
- Contents can be layered tooExcess can extend contents coverage as well as the building limit.
Common questions
Do I need a primary policy first?
Yes. Excess only pays after the primary policy has paid its limit, so the primary policy has to be in place and stay in force.
Does excess follow the same terms as the primary policy?
Many excess policies follow the terms of the policy underneath, but not all do. Read the excess quote for its own exclusions and deductible.
How much excess should I buy?
Start from what it would cost to rebuild the building, not from its market value or the loan balance, and subtract the primary limit. We can help you work out the rebuild figure.
The other programs
FEMA flood insurance (NFIP)
The National Flood Insurance Program, run by FEMA and backed by the federal government. Every mortgage lender accepts it.
Private flood insurance
Written by insurance companies instead of the federal program. Each carrier prices the property itself, so the same home can cost less than NFIP, or more.
Commercial flood insurance
Storefronts, offices, warehouses, mixed-use and rental buildings. NFIP stops at $500,000 on the building, so we also shop private and excess flood.
See what your address would cost
Free, online, no obligation. Prefer to talk? Call 888-546-1099 (Mon–Fri, 9am–5pm ET), or call or text Roxy, our AI assistant, any time at 833-366-3991.