What Is an Xactimate Estimate — and Why Does It Matter for Your Roof Claim?

After your adjuster inspects your roof, they produce an estimate. That estimate almost certainly came out of a software platform called Xactimate. It looks like a spreadsheet, the line items have codes you don't recognize, and the totals may or may not match what a contractor would actually charge.

Knowing how Xactimate works — even at a basic level — is useful when you're navigating a claim. Here's what matters.

What Xactimate is

Xactimate is property claims estimating software made by Verisk (formerly Xactware). It's the industry standard used by most property insurance carriers in the US. Adjusters, public adjusters, independent adjusters, and a lot of contractors all work in Xactimate or a compatible format.

The software generates estimates using:

• Line item pricing updated by region and market
• A standardized set of scope codes ("RFG" for roofing, "GUT" for gutters)
• Labor, material, and equipment rates that vary by ZIP code
• Overhead and profit based on project complexity

When your carrier sends you "the estimate," they mean an Xactimate report. The total represents what the carrier thinks it should cost to restore your home based on their system.

Why everybody uses the same software

Xactimate exists to create a common language between carriers and contractors. Same codes, same pricing database, makes it easier to compare estimates, reconcile scope, and process claims consistently.

In practice:

• Your contractor's estimate should match the Xactimate format so the carrier can review it quickly
• Supplements have to be submitted in Xactimate format to get processed
• Line-item disputes can be worked out because both sides are pulling from the same pricing data

A contractor who doesn't work in Xactimate is at a real disadvantage when supplementing. They can't communicate cleanly with the carrier's team, and their estimates may get dismissed or sit.

Why the first estimate is a starting point

The initial estimate is produced fast, often after a quick visual inspection. Common reasons it comes up short:

Scope errors:

• Missing gutters and downspouts
• Missing HVAC fins or condenser damage
• Missing siding or fence damage
• Wrong measurements (roof squares, linear feet of gutters)

Code upgrades omitted. Most local codes require upgrades when you replace a roof — new drip edge, ice and water shield in valleys, ventilation improvements. Insurance covers those as part of bringing the structure back to code. Adjusters often skip them because they're not obvious in a photo scan.

Low line item pricing. Xactimate pricing is regional but it isn't always current. In a tight post-storm labor market, actual labor costs often exceed what's in the regional database. Contractors often document actual local labor costs when supplementing for the adjuster's review.

Missing depreciation release. If your policy pays RCV, the carrier holds back depreciation until work is complete. That release doesn't always happen automatically. It takes follow-up documentation.

What supplementing actually looks like

When a contractor supplements, they're submitting a revised Xactimate estimate that includes the missing items with documentation for why they should be covered.

Good supplement documentation:

• Photos of damaged or code-required items
• Xactimate line items with the right codes
• Manufacturer documentation for code-required items
• Notes explaining the scope justification

Carriers are experienced at reviewing and often initially declining supplements. The back-and-forth is normal. Contractors who know how to document and keep pushing recover more items.

Why your contractor should know Xactimate

A contractor who builds estimates outside of Xactimate — custom quotes in Excel or Word — can't communicate efficiently with your carrier. The carrier's team has no clean way to compare scope, and the supplement process gets painful.

Bigger issue: a contractor who doesn't supplement at all is just accepting whatever the adjuster approved. Which is often incomplete.

When you're vetting a contractor for a storm claim, "do you work in Xactimate and do you supplement?" is a good question. Answer should be yes.

What Xactimate doesn't do

It doesn't evaluate whether your roof actually qualifies for a claim. That's a judgment call based on the damage, and that judgment can be wrong or incomplete. A contractor's independent inspection, with photos and measurements that tie damage to a specific storm date, is what makes the scope dispute possible in the first place.

Xactimate also doesn't evaluate material quality. Two contractors with the same Xactimate total may be planning to install very different shingles. The estimate tells you the scope. The contract and material spec tell you what you're actually getting.

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Bottom line: Xactimate is the language of insurance claims. Your carrier is fluent. Working with a contractor who's fluent too means you're not walking into the adjuster process with a language barrier.