Insurance sent me the FULL payout on my totaled car but I kept the vehicle — do I just cash it?

Do NOT just cash it and hope for the best. Insurance companies audit these payments, sometimes months later, and if they overpaid you they absolutely will come after you to recover the difference. It puts you in a way worse position than just calling and asking the adjuster to confirm the number before you accept. Take 10 minutes, make the call, get the clarification in an email. Done.

This is almost certainly a processing error on their end. When a vehicle is switched to an owner-retain settlement, there's usually a separate salvage deduction applied before the payment is generated — and sometimes that step gets missed or entered wrong in the system. The original ACV figure just flows through without the deduction.

From my time working inside a claims department, I can tell you these errors DO get caught, usually during a file audit or when the salvage unit flags that no title was transferred. They will send you a letter asking for the overage back. Save yourself the headache and call now while the file is fresh and easy to correct.

The fact that you have a written document showing both numbers — the full value and the owner-retain value — is actually really important here. That's essentially a record of what was agreed to. If you accept the higher amount, that written doc could be used to show you knew there was a discrepancy. I'd get the adjuster to send you a corrected payment confirmation in writing before accepting anything. Phone conversations are really hard to prove either way.

I'd be cautious but also wouldn't assume this benefits you. Sometimes they send the "wrong" amount and then use the acceptance of it as a reason to close out your claim entirely and deny anything else — like if you later find hidden damage during repairs. Make sure you're not signing away any rights when you accept that payment link. Read whatever agreement is attached to it very carefully.

Something similar happened to me after my accident — not with the retain thing but with a rental reimbursement they overpaid. I just spent it without thinking and like four months later got a formal letter demanding the money back. It wasn't a huge deal but it was annoying and stressful. Just flag it now, honestly. You'll sleep better.

Not legal advice, but accepting a payment you have documented reason to believe is incorrect can create real problems — including allegations of unjust enrichment in some states. The safer move is to contact the adjuster in writing (email is fine), note the discrepancy, and ask them to confirm the correct amount before you accept. That paper trail protects you if anything gets messy later.

At least you caught it before hitting accept! The fact that you paused and asked questions means you're handling this way better than most people would. Call it in, get the right number confirmed, and then you can move forward cleanly without anything hanging over you while you get the truck fixed.