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Is retention the same as deductible?

Author

Sophia Edwards

Published Mar 20, 2026

Is retention the same as deductible?

A retention is essentially the same thing. It's the amount of the loss you pay or retain yourself. The words retention and deductible are often used interchangeably, but there is a slight difference between them. You pay a retention up front, whereas you reimburse your insurance company for the deductible.

Also question is, is a retention and deductible the same thing?

Under an SIR, the excess insurer generally has nothing to do with losses that do not penetrate its attachment point. Under a deductible, however, the insurer pays every loss (up to the maximum limit of liability) and is then reimbursed by the insured up to the amount of the deductible.

Subsequently, question is, what is a retention in insurance? Retention — (1) Assumption of risk of loss by means of noninsurance, self-insurance, or deductibles. Retention can be intentional or, when exposures are not identified, unintentional. (2) In reinsurance, the net amount of risk the ceding company keeps for its own account.

Additionally, are deductibles a form of retention?

Every business or non-profit that purchases a form of liability insurance has seen the term deductible or self-insured retention (SIR). While many know the difference between the two, many do not. Deductibles and SIRs, while quite different, are both designed to keep your premiums down.

Are deductibles an example of risk retention?

An insurance deductible is a common example of risk retention to save money, since a deductible is a limited risk that can save money on insurance premiums for larger risks. Businesses actively retain many risks — what is commonly called self-insurance — because of the cost or unavailability of commercial insurance.

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

Deductibles erode the limit of your insurance policy while SIRs don't. Essentially this means your insurer only provides $950,000 in coverage once you've paid your deductible. 3. Under an SIR the insured is responsible for all expenses associated with defending claims until the SIR is exceeded.

What is retention limit?

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 is a self-insured retention deductible?

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.

What is self retention?

A self-insured retention is 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 that point, the insurer would make any additional payments for defense and indemnity that were covered by the policy.

What does retention amount mean?

Retention is a percentage (often 5%) of the amount certified as due to the contractor on an interim certificate, that is deducted from the amount due and retained by the client. The purpose of retention is to ensure that the contractor properly completes the activities required of them under the contract.

What is retention claim?

Retention is the percentage of payment held by the customer to ensure the job is completed to specific standards and to safeguard against defects in workmanship. You would then create a retention claim after the retention period had passed to receive the remaining three percent.

What is D&O retention?

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 retention in risk management?

Retention refers to the assumption of risk of loss or damages. When a business retains risk, they absorb it themselves, as opposed to transferring it to an insurer. A business or individual may assume this risk through deductibles or self-insurance, or by having no insurance at all.

What is a retention limit on an umbrella policy?

If an umbrella policy provides coverage for circumstances that are excluded by an underlying policy (such as Personal Injury under a homeowners policy), the insured pays a selected retention limit, typically between $250 and $10,000 which acts like a deductible, and the insurance company pays the loss over that amount.

Do excess policies have deductibles?

Excess Liability Insurance does not typically have a separate deductible. The deductible is considered to be the limits of your underlying insurance — the entire amount that the primary insurer pays for the claim, plus the deductible your primary insurer required you to cover. There is no additional cost to you.

How do I write a letter of retention?

When writing a retention bonus letter, make sure you keep it short and simple. Start by showing that you value the employee before moving into the details of what the retention bonus is. Offer a way for the person to show interest in the offer so that you can move forward with them signing the agreement.

How can insurance improve customer retention?

How to Retain Clients in Insurance

Optimize Customer Onboarding.
Stand Out in the Industry by Personalizing Service.
Manage Expectations and Overdeliver.
Listen to Customer Needs.
Ongoing Communication.
Use Technology and Automation.
Acknowledge Important Milestones.
Positive Customer Experience = Customer Loyalty.

Who pays an insurance premium?

An insurance premium is the amount of money an individual or business pays for an insurance policy. Insurance premiums are paid for policies that cover healthcare, auto, home, and life insurance. Once earned, the premium is income for the insurance company.

What is a retention risk?

Risk Retention — planned acceptance of losses by deductibles, deliberate noninsurance, and loss-sensitive plans where some, but not all, risk is consciously retained rather than transferred.

What are the 4 risk strategies?

The four types of risk mitigating strategies include risk avoidance, acceptance, transference and limitation.

What is risk retention and how do we retain risk?

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.

When should risks be avoided?

Risk is avoided when the organization refuses to accept it. The exposure is not permitted to come into existence. This is accomplished by simply not engaging in the action that gives rise to risk. If you do not want to risk losing your savings in a hazardous venture, then pick one where there is less risk.

What is risk retention in CMBS?

Prior to the Global Financial Crisis, issuers of commercial mortgage-backed securities (CMBS) passed 100% of the risk to bondholders. This risk retention is designed to give the CMBS issuer an incentive to ensure that the security includes high-quality loans and to align the interests of the issuer with bondholders.

What is employee retention risk?

Employee retention refers to the ability of an organization to retain its employees. Employee turnover is a symptom of deeper issues that have not been resolved, which may include low employee morale, absence of a clear career path, lack of recognition, poor employee-manager relationships or many other issues.

What is avoid risk?

Risk avoidance is the elimination of hazards, activities and exposures that can negatively affect an organization and its assets. Whereas risk management aims to control the damages and financial consequences of threatening events, risk avoidance seeks to avoid compromising events entirely.

Is self-insurance a retention risk?

One self-insurance mechanism used by some businesses is a self-insured retention.

What are goals of risk retention?

The goal of risk retention is to do what is best for everyone involved in your company. That requires careful planning and decision making. Setting up a risk retention group or joining an existing one has steps that rely on state regulations.

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Is retention the same as deductible?