What Do Insurance Adjusters Do?

All insurance adjusters have similar goals: to settle insurance claims. But the daily routine and specific responsibilities can vary, depending on the type of insurance adjuster.

There are three main types of insurance claims adjusters:

1. Staff adjusters work exclusively for a specific insurance firm. Staff adjusters are usually salaried employees who receive benefits including health insurance, retirement plans, and continuing education training. Staff adjusters respond only to claims for the insurance company with whom they’re employed. These types of insurance adjusters typically cover car accident claims.
2. Independent adjusters work as contract employees, usually for several different insurance firms or third-party administrators. Independent adjusters often work with catastrophe insurance claims and subsequently have to travel to areas impacted by tornados, hurricanes, earthquakes, or other major natural disasters. Insurance companies hire independent adjusters if they do not have an in-house adjuster of their own in the area.
3. Public adjusters are usually contract workers (but can also be salaried) who work directly on behalf of insurance policyholders, as opposed to working for the insurance company. Public adjusters are employed to help individuals or businesses file their insurance claims if their insurer proposes a settlement that seems insufficient. It’s a public adjuster's job to help the policyholder obtain the highest possible settlement from their insurer.

Staff adjusters are able to enjoy a 40-hour-week, 9-to-5 job, while independent adjusters and public adjusters have more flexible schedules. Independent adjusters and public adjusters can sometimes work well over 40 hours a week during a busy season but fewer hours during less busy seasons.

After an insurance claim is filed, the insurance company calls in either their own staff adjuster or an independent adjuster to handle the claim. This always involves some degree of investigative work, and all insurance claims adjusters — whether staff adjusters, independent adjusters, or public adjusters — spend a large amount of their time on investigative work.

Insurance adjusters begin by preparing a claim file including information about the incident provided by the claimant and from the adjuster's own investigation. During their investigation, insurance adjusters collect information and details about the incident to work out what happened. For example, if an adjuster is investigating a car accident, they may gather photos of the damage, photos of the accident scene, police reports, and witness statements. In some cases, they may even include testimony from relevant experts or expert sources.

Different types of insurance claims adjusters have different goals. Staff adjusters and independent adjusters work on behalf of the insurance company, while public adjusters try to get the highest possible settlement on behalf of the claimant.

If you want to become an insurance claims adjuster, now may be the perfect time. Insurance claims adjusters are in high demand. While the need for adjusters remains steady, a large number of claims adjusters are at retirement age and are leaving the industry.

To be an insurance adjuster, you need a high school diploma or equivalent GED. Depending on your employer, you may also need an associate’s degree or bachelor’s degree, but these aren’t required to receive your insurance adjuster license.

Depending on what state you live in, you may have to complete an insurance licensing course and pass a licensing exam. If your state requires insurance claims adjusters to have a license, then your focus should be on obtaining your home state’s license.

Even if you work in a state not requiring an insurance adjuster license, many insurance professionals want to be able to work in states requiring licenses. Adjusters can receive a DHS (Designated Home State) license, which means, if an adjuster resides in a state not requiring a claims adjuster license, they can designate another state as their “home” state and receive that state’s license. This qualification can then be used to work in other states.

If your state requires a license or if you’re obtaining a DHS license, you will likely need to complete continuing education (CE) credits each year. Check to see what your state requires to maintain your license and what CE is required.

If you have a good work ethic and enjoy investigative work and negotiating, a career as an insurance claims adjuster may be a great choice. If you need to take a licensing exam and aren’t sure where to start, WebCE offers online prep courses and study tools written by industry experts with decades of experience.

WebCE’s interactive, online adjuster licensing courses for Texas and Florida also satisfy the adjuster requirements for 30 other reciprocal states, meaning you can obtain your insurance adjuster license without ever stepping foot in a classroom or testing facility.