Insurance Adjuster (Property/Casualty)
Insurance & Claims
Investigates property damage claims and decides what the insurance company will actually pay to fix it.
What is a Insurance Adjuster (Property/Casualty)?
A Property/Casualty Insurance Adjuster inspects damage from events like fires, storms, and water leaks, then writes a scope of loss, an itemized estimate of repair costs, that determines what the policyholder gets paid. Adjusters sit on the insurer's side of a claim (a separate role, Public Adjuster, represents the property owner instead); construction knowledge is what lets them tell the difference between a reasonable repair estimate and one that's padded or missing damage entirely.
What they do
- Inspect damaged property in person and document the damage with photos and measurements
- Write a detailed scope of loss covering every item that needs repair or replacement
- Interpret the policy to determine what's actually covered and what isn't
- Negotiate the final settlement with the policyholder or their contractor when the two sides disagree on scope or price
- Coordinate with contractors and restoration companies to verify a proposed repair matches the actual damage
- Manage a caseload of claims simultaneously, prioritizing by severity and how long a claim has been open
A typical day
- 8:00 AMReview the day's inspection schedule and prior notes on each claim
- 9:00 AMInspect a storm-damaged roof, photograph the damage, and take measurements
- 11:30 AMWrite the scope of loss for that morning's inspection, itemizing materials and labor
- 1:30 PMCall a policyholder's contractor to reconcile a difference between two competing estimates
- 3:30 PMClose out a finished claim's paperwork and update the file before moving to the next one
Skills
Software
Pay expectations
Pay for this role, nationally
as of October 2026
Source: Payscale's Property Claims Adjuster and Senior Claims Adjuster percentile data and a disclosed Liberty Mutual senior field claims adjuster posting; entry and median pay were already close to accurate, the ceiling needed raising to reflect specialized large-loss/CAT adjusters
Reviewed October 2026. Insurance Adjuster (Property/Casualty) is typically reached through promotion or years of experience in a related role, not a day-one starting point, so this chart shows the pay range for people already working as a Insurance Adjuster (Property/Casualty) rather than entry-level pay. "Lower range" is the lower part of the national wage distribution for this occupation, "typical" sits around the national median, and "top of scale" is the upper part, since pay isn't actually tracked by years on the job. Real pay varies a lot by state, metro area, union status, and employer, so scale these up or down for your market.
What this chart doesn't capture
Going independent or CAT doesn't mean steady raises — it means trading a salary for per-claim contract work that can pay enormous sums during an active storm season and very little in a quiet one.
These figures are wage-and-salary pay only — the Bureau of Labor Statistics excludes independent and catastrophe adjusters from this survey when they work as self-employed contractors rather than company employees, which is how most CAT adjusters are actually paid, a fee per claim during a deployment, not a salary. No reliable published figure captures that income specifically, since it swings heavily with how active a given storm season is and how many claims one adjuster can close. Worth researching current CAT deployment rates before counting on a number.
Education
- Required:
- High school diploma or equivalent, plus a state adjuster license (requirements vary by state, and many states have reciprocity agreements with each other)
- Preferred:
- Bachelor's degree in business, construction management, or a related field
- Helpful:
- IICRC certifications for water/fire/mold restoration knowledge
- Not necessary:
- A construction-specific degree; many adjusters come from an insurance or claims background rather than construction, and pick up the technical side on the job
Career progression
- 1.Trainee or Staff Adjuster
- 2.Independent or Catastrophe (CAT) Adjuster (deployed to disaster areas as needed, often higher-paying but less predictable)
- 3.Senior Adjuster or Claims Manager
- 4.Some adjusters instead move to the policyholder's side as a Public Adjuster
Who hires for this role
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