Under homeowners policies, following an unfortunate total loss, the deductible amount shown on the declaration page is waived.  You will not be required to “pay” it.

Since the loss almost always exceeds the insurance coverage, the deductible amount is subtracted from the total loss and gets absorbed in the balance above your coverage limit.

For example, you have $250,000 Coverage A limit with $1,000 deductible. You incur a loss to your dwelling of $300,000.  The adjuster will subtract your deductible, $1,000, from $300,000. Since the remainder, $299,000 is greater than your coverage, the adjuster will pay you $250,000 and your deductible simply goes away. (Ironically, in this example, or in any underinsurance situation, the amount unpaid above your coverage is a “hidden” deductible. In this example, while $1,000 deductible is shown on the declaration page, the “hidden” deductible is another $49,000. This is why we encourage homeowners to get full coverage and “insure to value” to avoid the devastating “hidden” deductible.)

However, if the loss to your dwelling was exactly $250,000, then the adjuster would apply the deductible, in this example, $1,000, and pay you only $249,000.

The general rule is that following a catastrophic or total loss, your deductible will get absorbed and all your policy limits will be paid, upon satisfactory proof.