Supplement
A supplement is a formal request to increase the payout on an existing insurance claim when the original scope of loss misses damage, underestimates quantities, or excludes code-required work. Supplements average a 34.4% increase in RCV on residential claims (The Supplement Experts).
The Difference Between Getting Paid and Getting Underpaid
A supplement is a formal request submitted in Xactimate to increase the payout on an existing insurance claim when the carrier's original scope of loss misses damage, underestimates quantities, or excludes code-required work. You file a supplement when the scope of loss does not reflect the actual cost of repairs. Supplements are written in Xactimate with supporting documentation - photos, measurements, code citations, manufacturer specifications. If you are not supplementing, you are accepting 50-65% of what the repair actually costs.
How Much Money Is on the Table
The Supplement Experts report averaging a 34.4% increase in RCV on residential claims after supplementing. On a $15,000 initial scope, that is roughly $5,000 in recovered revenue. On a $30,000 scope, it is $10,000. Supplementing is not optional - it is the single most important revenue recovery activity in insurance restoration.
| Initial Scope | Average Supplement (34.4%) | Total After Supplement |
|---|---|---|
| $10,000 | $3,440 | $13,440 |
| $15,000 | $5,160 | $20,160 |
| $25,000 | $8,600 | $33,600 |
| $40,000 | $13,760 | $53,760 |
What Makes a Supplement Win or Lose
Documentation determines everything. A supplement backed by photos of every missed item, accurate measurements, code citations, and manufacturer specifications gets approved. A supplement that says "additional work needed" with no supporting evidence gets denied.
Build your supplement in Xactimate with proper line items, correct trade groups, and accurate Sketch measurements. Attach photos organized by line item. Reference local building codes for any code-required work the adjuster excluded. The more professional and specific your supplement, the harder it is for the carrier to deny it.
The Supplement Workflow
The standard supplement process follows a predictable path:
- Receive the carrier's initial scope (PDF or ESX file)
- Compare the scope against your own property inspection
- Identify missed items, measurement discrepancies, and excluded code requirements
- Build the supplement in Xactimate with supporting documentation
- Submit through XactNet to the carrier's XactAnalysis platform
- Carrier reviews - may approve, partially approve, or request re-inspection
- Negotiate any remaining disputes
The bottleneck is step 2: comparing the carrier's scope against reality. When the carrier sends a PDF scope and you need to analyze it line by line against your Xactimate file, the manual comparison process is where most contractors lose time and miss supplement opportunities.
Further reading
Frequently asked questions
The Supplement Experts report averaging a 34.4% increase in RCV on residential claims after supplementing. On a $15,000 initial scope, that is roughly $5,000 in recovered revenue.
A supplement requires an Xactimate estimate with the additional line items, supporting photos documenting the missed or underestimated damage, measurements, and code citations for any code-required work. The more documentation, the harder it is for the carrier to deny.
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