Does New Hampshire Allow UM/UIM Stacking? What RSA 264:15 Says

By the FigureMyTax Editorial Team · How we calculate

New Hampshire's statutes neither permit nor bar stacking. They require UM equal to your liability limits, treat underinsured drivers as uninsured to the extent of the shortfall, and leave stacking to your policy and to court decisions.

Required UM

RSA 264:15(I) says no policy under the financial responsibility chapter may be issued for a vehicle registered or principally garaged in the state without UM and hit-and-run coverage at least equal to the bodily injury limits for a liability policy. If you buy more liability than the minimum, your UM automatically equals it. Umbrella and excess policies must provide UM equal to the limits purchased unless the named insured rejects it in writing, and that rejection applies to all insureds and vehicles and survives renewal unless requested in writing.

What counts as uninsured

RSA 259:117 includes an insured vehicle whose liability insurer is insolvent, and an insured vehicle if and to the extent that, at the time of the accident, the applicable liability limits are less than your UM limits, or the available liability insurance has been reduced by payments to others injured in the accident to less than your UM limits.

The release warning

Paragraph V requires every document tendered to settle a claim that may involve UM coverage to prominently carry a warning, which you read and sign, that signing may forfeit your UM benefits from your own insurance, and to consult your agent, insurer or attorney first.

What it leaves open

Nothing in these sections bars or allows adding limits across vehicles or policies. Summaries of New Hampshire Supreme Court decisions say a clear anti-stacking clause is enforceable. We did not read the opinions. Ask an attorney before assuming your limits add up or do not.

How to use this

Compare the results in the New Hampshire UM/UIM stacking calculator, start with the plain-English stacked versus single-limit explainer, and read how New Hampshire UM covers underinsured drivers.

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