Guides
Homeowners insurance discounts to ask about
Which homeowners insurance discounts exist, what each rewards, where state law requires them and how to get every one you qualify for credited on your policy.
Nearly every homeowners insurer sells a menu of discounts: a second policy with the same company, a monitored alarm, a roof built to resist wind or hail, several claim-free years, a newer home, paying in full. But each company decides which ones to offer, how large they are and which part of the premium they touch, so the only reliable move is to ask for the full list on your own policy. The Texas Department of Insurance's consumer guide puts it plainly: each company decides what discounts to offer and the amount of each.
How a discount actually works
Insurers file their rating plans with the state, and discounts live inside those filings as factors applied to a base rate (see rate filing). That has three practical consequences.
First, a discount is a percentage of something, and the "something" varies. A multi-policy discount may reduce the whole premium. A wind-mitigation credit usually reduces only the wind or hurricane portion. A protective-device credit may touch only the theft or fire portion. When a friend says a roof saved them 30%, find out 30% of what.
Second, discounts rarely add up the way the quote screen suggests. Many rating plans multiply the factors one after another, so three discounts of 10%, 5% and 5% are worth less than 20%.
Third, availability depends on state and underwriting. Travelers' own discount page says its discounts are "subject to individuals meeting underwriting criteria and state availability," and State Farm's says discount names and availability vary by state. Surplus lines carriers, which operate outside the filed-rate system, are not bound by state discount rules in the same way; see admitted vs surplus lines home insurers: what you give up.
The discounts, by family
| Family | What the insurer is rewarding | What to have ready |
|---|---|---|
| multi-policy discount | Home plus auto, umbrella or other lines with one company | Current policy numbers; see bundling home and auto insurance: when it pays |
| protective device discount | Smoke and fire alarms, sprinklers, burglar alarms, central monitoring, smart-home alerts | A monitoring certificate or installer invoice; see security systems, smart devices and discounts |
| claims-free discount | No claims for a set number of years | Nothing, but check your claims history; see claims-free discounts and when to skip a small claim |
| Newer home or recent updates | Building age, new roof, updated wiring, plumbing or HVAC | Permits, contractor invoices, a four-point inspection; see new-home and renovated-home discounts |
| Roof | Impact-resistant or fire-rated roofing, newer roof | Roofing product label or class rating; see Impact-resistant (Class 4) roofs and hail discounts |
| Wind and hail mitigation | Roof-to-wall connections, opening protection, FORTIFIED designation | A wind mitigation inspection report or FORTIFIED certificate |
| Wildfire mitigation | Class A roof, ember-resistant vents, vegetation clearance | Photos, local fire authority or program documents |
| Water protection | Leak sensors, automatic shutoff valves, new supply lines | Device receipt and app screenshot; see water leak sensors and shutoff valves: discounts and value |
| Loyalty, retiree, affinity | Years with the insurer, retirement, employer or alumni group | Date of birth, retirement status, membership proof |
| Payment and policy management | Paying in full, automatic payments, paperless billing, shopping before the old policy expires | Nothing, but ask what each choice is worth |
| Green home | Certified energy or environmental design | Certification; Travelers lists up to 5% for LEED-certified homes |
Most of these are described in more detail in neighboring guides. This table is for checking that you have not missed a category.
What the figures look like
Specific percentages differ by company and are filed state by state, so treat any number as a range. The Triple-I (the Insurance Information Institute) gives general figures on its guide to lowering homeowners insurance costs, an undated page that carried a 2026 copyright when read in October 2026:
- 5% to 15% off for buying two or more policies from the same company
- At least 5% for a smoke detector, burglar alarm or deadbolt locks
- As much as 15% or 20% for a sprinkler system combined with a fire and burglar alarm that rings at a monitoring station
- 5% after three to five years with an insurer and 10% after six or more years
- Up to 10% for retirees age 55 and older at some companies
- As much as 25% for raising the deductible to $1,000 (covered in should you raise your deductible to lower your premium?)
Read those as what some insurers do, not a promise about yours. Loyalty discounts in particular deserve a comparison quote; see shopping your policy at renewal: how often and how.
Where state law requires a discount
For wind, hail and wildfire mitigation, several states go further than leaving it to the insurer. As of October 2026, these are the requirements we have verified:
- Florida requires every residential property rate filing to include actuarially reasonable discounts, credits or deductible reductions for wind-resistant construction features (Fla. Stat. 627.0629). The discounts apply to the hurricane portion of the premium. See Florida.
- Alabama requires insurers to give discounts for homes built or retrofitted to IBHS FORTIFIED standards, and the state insurance department publishes benchmark discounts. See Alabama and The FORTIFIED Home standard and insurance discounts.
- Louisiana has said since August 1, 2023 that insurers "shall provide" an actuarially justified discount for FORTIFIED homes (La. R.S. 22:1483). See Louisiana.
- Kentucky applies a FORTIFIED discount requirement to policies issued or renewed on or after March 1, 2026. See Kentucky.
- Minnesota requires a discount for homes designated FORTIFIED with the hail supplement (Minn. Stat. 65A.298). See Minnesota.
- South Carolina requires coastal rating plans to include credits for storm shutters, roof tie-downs and similar construction features, and requires insurers to disclose the available discounts. See South Carolina.
- California requires insurers that use wildfire risk in their rates to reflect listed mitigation actions, under the Department of Insurance's Safer from Wildfires regulation (10 CCR 2644.9, operative October 14, 2022). See California.
- North Carolina has coastal wind credits in the Rate Bureau's homeowners manual. See North Carolina.
Most of these require a discount that is "actuarially justified" rather than a fixed percentage, and several apply only to the wind portion of the premium. Use home insurance rules by state for the rules where you live, and the roof and mitigation upgrade payback calculator to see whether an upgrade pays for itself.
How to get every discount you qualify for
- Read the discounts on your declarations page or renewal offer. Some insurers list each credit by name; others fold them into the premium and show nothing. If yours does not list them, ask the agent or call center for the discount list on your policy.
- List what your house has. Alarm, sprinklers, deadbolts, roof type and age, shutters, updated electrical panel, plumbing, a gated community, a retiree in the household. Agents and call-center staff apply what you tell them.
- Gather documents before you call. A monitoring certificate, a wind mitigation report, a roof invoice and a plumbing permit settle a question that a verbal claim does not.
- Ask three questions about each discount. What is it worth, what does it apply to, and what makes me lose it? A claim-free discount disappears with a claim; a protective-device discount may require continued monitoring.
- Ask whether the credit starts when you submit proof or at renewal. Do not assume it is retroactive.
- Repeat at every renewal and after any upgrade. Discounts are added by request more often than automatically.
- Compare the final price, not the discount count. A company with eight discounts and a higher starting rate can still cost more than a company with three.
The homeowners quote comparison worksheet helps keep quotes on equal footing, including the deductible and coverage limits.
A hypothetical stack of discounts
Say a quote shows a $2,400 annual premium before discounts. The insurer applies a 10% multi-policy discount, a 5% protective-device discount and a 5% claims-free discount.
- If the factors were simply added (20%), the premium would be $1,920.
- If each is applied to the result of the one before, the premium is $2,400 x 0.90 x 0.95 x 0.95, or about $1,949.
The difference is small here, but it grows when the discounts are large. And if the protective-device credit touches only the theft portion of the premium, which might be a fraction of the total, its dollar value shrinks again. These numbers are invented to show the arithmetic, not typical prices.
Discounts that cost you something
A few "discounts" are trades.
- A higher deductible lowers the premium and raises what you owe after a loss.
- Smart-home and telematics-style programs may require you to share device data. Read what is collected and who sees it; see your data and your home insurer: privacy rules.
- Lower coverage limits or dropped endorsements reduce the bill by removing protection, which is rarely what a homeowner intends; see cutting coverage to save money: the cuts that backfire.
- Staying put for loyalty can cost more than moving when the insurer's rates have climbed faster than the market.
Key takeaways
- Each insurer decides which discounts to offer, how large they are and which part of the premium they apply to. Ask for the list on your own policy.
- Discounts often multiply rather than add, and mitigation credits often apply only to the wind or hurricane portion of the premium.
- Several states require discounts for wind-resistant or FORTIFIED homes, and California requires credit for listed wildfire mitigation. Check your state.
- Documents win discounts: a monitoring certificate, wind mitigation report or roof invoice.
- Compare the final premium and coverage across companies. The number of discounts listed says little about the price.