A deductible is the amount of money that you normally pay BEFORE the insurance money is paid out by your insurance company. So at the start of your comprehensive coverage, the part of your insurance policy that would cover you hitting a deer, you chose a deductible which is the amount of money that you agreed to pay as part of a claim, before your insurer pays the remaining amount towards the claim.

So for example, if your vehicle incurred $1,000 worth of damage in the accident with a deer and your deductible is $250, you would pay the first $250 and your insurer would pay the remaining $750.

It is usually recommended that you choose a deductible amount that you will be able to financially pay without difficulty if you need to use the coverage and pay out the deductible. The higher the deductible, the lower the premium costs.

The deductible amount you must pay is generally paid out to the repair shop fixing your damaged vehicle and then your insurance company pays the balance due after your deductible amount is paid. If this is the case in your situation you will need to see if the repair shop and your insurance company will allow you to pay the deductible in payments instead of paying it upfront or if the repair work on the car will wait to start until the deductible amount is paid in full.