How Much Does an Adjuster Make?

Insurance Claims Mentors and Trainers

In the summer of 2010 I was teaching a Texas All-Lines Adjusters licensing course in New Orleans, LA. At that course was a young lady that several years earlier had gone to school and earned a beauticians license. During the meet and greet portion of the class I asked her why she was working at attaining an adjusters license. She told me that after having accomplished her goal of becoming a beautician, she found that her earning potential was significantly less that she had expected.

She also told me that in order to become a beautician she had completed 1400 classroom hours of instruction at a cost of over $10,000. I asked her what she had expected her earning potential to be and was told that she had been made to believe that it was possible to make as much as $40,000 a year.

All of a sudden I was struck again by what an incredible opportunity is available through the Adjuster Training Academy and their licensing program.

It is currently possible to earn a Texas All-Lines Adjuster License with as little as 30 hours classroom study and 10 hours of self study and the earning potential is significantly more than $40,000.

The adjuster career path is typically divided between staff adjusters, who work for insurance companies as employees, and independent adjusters that work on an ‘as needed’ basis, either as staff assist or catastrophe adjusters. Both paths have positives and negatives.

A staff adjuster has a full-time job usually with benefits and reliable income. Depending on the area of the country and line of insurance, an entry level position will begin between $32,000 and $45,000. Staff adjusters enjoy guaranteed income, paid vacations and expenses and all the typical cooperate environment opportunities. Probably because of these inherent guarantees and benefits, the potential for earning, while steady, will rarely be aggressive.

In contrast to that is the independent adjuster who rarely enjoys that same level of guarantee but almost always enjoys potential for significantly higher income. In my years of experience I have personally had months where I have earned in excess of $30,000 and years in excess of $200,000. All income is dependent on weather activity and size and scope of damage; however independents more rapidly gain experience and expertise and can quickly add to their future value and marketability.

It is not unreasonable to expect that an independent adjuster can earn a dependable income in the $65,000 to $80,000 a year.

The big difference is that it will probably be accomplished in 8 months or less!

When work is required an independent is busy, very busy! But when things are slow you have the opportunity to focus on other things like family and hobbies.

The insurance adjuster career path is also extremely diverse giving value to whatever your prior work experience had been. Contractors tend to gravitate to the Property and Casualty side of the industry, the mechanically toward Auto or Marine Policies and if you have a little detective in you there are always Liability Claims. Whatever your background and experience there is an opportunity waiting for you to make your own.

About the author:

Lane Johnson has personally inspected, estimated and closed over 8000 claims in his multi-decade career and managed adjusters in numerous catastrophes and events. He has been a builder throughout the Midwest and Texas and has taught construction and estimating for the real estate industry as well and the insurance industry. He is a respected and registered Texas Department of Insurance educational provider.

Lane is the president and founder of Adjuster Training Academy which provides instruction in the Texas All-Lines Adjuster License, Xactimate 27 and Adjuster 101 Career Prep.

Why should I get a Texas license? Does it work for other states – read here

 

 - Lane Johnson

     Adjuster Training Academy

Comments { 0 }