Home · Updated September 2026
Replacement cost. The policy pays what it costs to replace the damaged roof with like kind and quality, subject to your deductible. Age is not deducted.
Actual cash value. The policy pays replacement cost minus depreciation for the roof's age and condition. On a fifteen-year-old roof this can be a fraction of the replacement price, and the homeowner funds the rest.
Roof payment schedule. A table in the policy states what percentage is paid based on roof age and material. A ten-year-old architectural shingle roof might settle at one figure, a twenty-year-old three-tab at another. The schedule is in the endorsement, and most homeowners have never read it.
Functional or limited settlement. Some forms pay to restore function rather than to replace with matching materials, which can mean a repair rather than a new roof.
Hail is frequent and expensive across Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma, and a large share of roof claims involve roofs already near the end of their service life. Carriers responded by tying settlement to roof age, which keeps coverage available and premiums from climbing further.
The practical effect is that two policies with nearly identical premiums can settle the same hail claim very differently. Which one you have is worth knowing before hail season, not after.
Separately from settlement, carriers apply age rules to whether they will write the house at all. Roofs past a certain age may be ineligible, eligible only at actual cash value, or eligible only with an inspection. The thresholds differ by carrier and by roof material, and they tighten after heavy storm years.
This catches people buying an older home. The quote they received before closing can change once an inspection reports roof age, and the options narrow. Worth checking early in a purchase rather than the week of closing.
Pull the declarations page and the endorsement list. Look for wording about roof surfacing, cosmetic damage exclusions, and any schedule tied to roof age. Then ask two questions: how would this policy settle my roof today, and what deductible applies to hail?
Combine the answers. A policy that settles an older roof at actual cash value and applies a two percent wind and hail deductible can produce a claim payment that barely exceeds the deductible. That is not a coverage failure, it is a coverage design — but it should be one you chose.
Keep the invoice from your last roof replacement, with the date and material. Photograph the roof every couple of years and after any major storm. If a roof is re-covered or replaced, tell us, because it may change both your eligibility and your settlement terms — usually in your favor.
Replacement cost pays to replace the roof without deducting for age. Actual cash value deducts depreciation, so an older roof pays out well below replacement price and the homeowner covers the gap. On a fifteen-year-old roof that gap is often five figures.
It depends on the carrier and the material, and thresholds tighten after heavy storm years. Older roofs may be ineligible, eligible only at actual cash value, or eligible subject to inspection. If you are buying a home with an older roof, check before closing.
Yes, hail is a covered peril on standard policies. How much you receive depends on your settlement basis and your wind and hail deductible, which is where the real differences between policies appear.
A table in the policy that sets the payable percentage based on the roof's age and material. It is a middle ground between full replacement cost and actual cash value, and it is easy to miss unless you read the endorsement.
Often yes, because a newer roof widens your carrier options, can qualify you for replacement cost settlement, and frequently earns a discount. Call us first and we will tell you what your options look like as it stands today.
Questions about your own situation? Call 417.623.8300 or send us your current policy. We are licensed in Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma.
Questions about your own policy? Send it over and we will go through it with you.