A body shop working with an insurance company will not pay off or discount your deductible amount. It would be unethical.
If you read through your insurance policy, you will see that it says that you are responsible for paying the first portion of a repair bill as a deductible. If the cost of repairs comes in less than the estimate, you are still responsible for the deductible amount. Any savings legitimately belongs to the insurance carrier.
Repair shops should not try to hide or pay your deductible for you. This would be considered insurance fraud and penalties for insurance fraud are usually quite severe.
To find out about a specific situation and your state’s insurance laws regarding this topic, contact your state’s insurance regulator.
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Laura Longero
Executive Editor
Laura is an award-winning editor with experience in content and communications covering auto insurance and personal finance. She has written for several media outlets, including the USA Today Network. She most recently worked in the public sector for the Nevada Department of Transportation.
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John McCormick
Editorial Director
John is the editorial director for CarInsurance.com, Insurance.com and Insure.com. Before joining QuinStreet, John was a deputy editor at The Wall Street Journal and had been an editor and reporter at a number of other media outlets where he covered insurance, personal finance, and technology.
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Leslie Kasperowicz
Managing Editor
Leslie Kasperowicz is an insurance educator and content creation professional with nearly two decades of experience first directly in the insurance industry at Farmers Insurance and then as a writer, researcher, and educator for insurance shoppers writing for sites like ExpertInsuranceReviews.com and InsuranceHotline.com and managing content, now at CarInsurance.com.
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Nupur Gambhir
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Nupur Gambhir is a content editor and licensed life, health, and disability insurance expert. She has extensive experience bringing brands to life and has built award-nominated campaigns for travel and tech. Her insurance expertise has been featured in Bloomberg News, Forbes Advisor, CNET, Fortune, Slate, Real Simple, Lifehacker, The Financial Gym, and the end-of-life planning service.
