The income of Independent Adjusters can vary significantly. Some adjusters earn between $70,000 and $100,000 monthly, while I have personally earned up to $45,000 in a single month.
Independent Adjusters tend to be entrepreneurial, often preferring the potential for higher earnings over the stability of a regular salary. This approach allows them to maximize earnings quickly and dedicate their free time to family, travel, or side projects.
There are two main types of independent adjusters, each with significantly different earnings potential.
Desk adjusting, often the first choice for newcomers, doesn’t require extensive investment in equipment and travel expenses. They typically handle property or auto damage claims, but some specialize in areas like workers’ compensation or commercial claims. Desk adjusters work in an office or at home using a company-appointed laptop.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, remote desk adjusting jobs became more prevalent, enabling work from home or internationally (usually done with company permission). However, post-COVID, companies have reduced remote opportunities and tightened regulations to prevent international access to their systems.
The pay for independent desk adjuster varies by employer but typically ranges from $24 to $35 per hour, with overtime paid at time and a half. A common schedule is six days a week, ten hours daily, known as “six 10s” or a 60-hour week.
To calculate weekly pay, you multiply $35 per hour for 40 hours equals $1,400. For 20 overtime hours at $35, it’s $700, which becomes $1,050 with the 1.5 overtime rate. Adding the regular and overtime pay gives a weekly total of $2,450, or $9,800 every four weeks.
Annual income calculation considers the 52 weeks in a year, equating to 13 four-week periods, not 12 months, due to the variable length of months. Thus, an annual income would be $9,800 multiplied by 13, totaling $127,400.
Independent desk adjuster income structure is typical of an independent adjusting (IA) firm.
In a subsequent post, I’ll detail the income of a field adjuster, the second type of independent adjuster.
Staff Adjuster Income: https://caneiadjusting.com/2023/11/07/staff-adjusters-income/