Stacked vs. Single-Policy UM/UIM Coverage in Kansas

By the FigureMyTax Editorial Team · How we calculate

Stacking adds the uninsured and underinsured motorist limits of several policies or vehicles together. Kansas bars it by statute: the total limits available cannot exceed the highest limits of any single applicable policy.

What stacking means

A household may have more than one policy or vehicle with UM/UIM. Stacking adds those limits after one injury, so $100,000 and $50,000 become $150,000. Single-policy coverage pays only the highest applicable limit.

What Kansas law says

K.S.A. 40-284(d) provides that coverage is limited to the extent that the total limits available cannot exceed the highest limits of any single applicable policy, regardless of the number of policies involved, persons covered, claims made, vehicles or premiums shown on the policy or premiums paid or vehicles involved in an accident. It does not leave the question to your policy: it applies to the coverage itself.

A worked example

Suppose you are an insured under two policies with $100,000 and $50,000 of UM, and an uninsured driver causes $250,000 of damages. Kansas caps the UM at $100,000, not $150,000, and paying the premium on both vehicles does not change that. For underinsured claims the cap is then reduced by the other driver's limits. Try your own numbers in the Kansas UM/UIM stacking calculator.

Why it still matters to buy higher limits

Because Kansas will not let limits add up, the only way to have more UM/UIM is to buy a higher limit on a single policy. Kansas requires UM equal to your bodily injury liability limits, so higher liability limits also raise your UM unless you reject the excess in writing.

What to check

Look at the declarations page of each policy and find the highest UM limit. See what subsection (d) says and how Kansas UM and UIM work under no-fault.

This is general information, not legal advice, and the state comparisons above are illustrative, not an exhaustive survey. Confirm how Kansas's rules apply to your specific case with a licensed Kansas attorney.