noun · /ˈa-gri-gət ˈli-mət/
aggregate limit
In plain English
The most your insurance will pay over the entire policy year — total, across all claims combined.
Once your claims have eaten through this number, you're out of coverage until you renew. Even if you've still got nine months left on the policy, even if every individual claim was within the per-occurrence limit.
What it covers
The total dollar ceiling for ALL covered claims, across ALL incidents, during the policy term.
What it does not cover
It is NOT a per-claim limit. That's the per-occurrence limit — the smaller, paired number on your dec page.
Where it trips people up
Multiple small claims can quietly burn through the aggregate. Construction firms with lots of small property-damage claims hit this most often.
The technical version
The maximum amount the insurer will pay during the policy period, regardless of the number of claims, occurrences, or insureds, subject to the policy's other conditions.
Worked example
A roofing contractor with $1M / $2M GL limits.
- April
- Slip-and-fall claim · pays $180K
- July
- Property damage claim · pays $640K
- October
- Second slip-and-fall · pays $390K
- November
- Third claim filed · $850K demand
The result. the November claim is denied. The $2M aggregate is gone. Three claims totaling $1.21M plus the new $850K demand exceeds the cap. The contractor pays the rest themselves.