Which Xactimate line items actually get paid for restoration?

0:00 Xactimate Pricing Teardown Overview
In this video, we are tearing down the real cost of Zactimate, every subscription tier, every add -on, every line item restoration contractors miss, so you know exactly what you are paying for, and what you are leaving on the table. PushLeads builds the digital presence that gets restoration companies found. This is the Pricing Tear Down, a quick word on who I am. I’m Jeremy, I run PushLeads, and I’ve built my career on getting restoration estimators and owners ranked and called. Two decades of search work taught me what actually moves rankings and what’s just noise. In this one, we’re walking through which Zactimate line items get approved, which get kicked back, and how to document the difference.

0:42 Why Carriers Mandate Xactimate
80 % of insurance carriers in North America have standardized on Zactimate. That number is not a marketing claim. It is why the platform has survived nearly 40 years. Before Zactimate, adjusters spent hours comparing estimates for identical work. One contractor billed $800 to demo a water damaged bedroom, another billed 1400 for the same scope. When you speak the same language as the adjuster, the friction disappears. Here is what skipping Zactimate actually cost you. The Property Loss Research Bureau found that non -standardized estimates slow payment cycles by 20 to 40 days and push dispute rates up by 35%. Insurance companies using Zactimate reduce claim cycle times by 35 % and cut disputes by 28%. Those efficiency gains save the industry an estimated $2 .1 billion in 2024. That savings figure is precisely why carriers mandate it.

1:40 Subscription Tiers and Real Monthly Cost
Zactimate offers four tiers. Zact analysis desktop at $70 a month gives you full desktop access the entire pricing database over 40 ,000 line items, monthly zip code updates, but no mobile app. Zact analysis mobile at 85 adds field estimating on your phone or tablet. Zactnet at 155 includes everything, direct carrier integration, collaboration tools, and project management features. Zactnet enterprise is custom priced at $300 or more for large multi -estimator teams. Now let us line item the real monthly bill because the advertised tier price is never the whole number. The base desktop tier is $70. Mobile access bumps that to 85. If your team handles contents cleaning or pack out, exact contents adds $55 on top, full reconstruction work adds exact remodel at 75 more. Zactnet bundles most of these at 155, which is actually cheaper than stacking all the add -ons. And if you outsource estimates, budget $75 to $300 per job on top of your subscription, the gap between the quoted entry price and what you actually spend matters. The advertised mobile tier is $85. A water damage company that also handles contents realistically pays $140 a month. Add reconstruction capabilities and you hit 155 to 215 depending on how you stack add -ons. Budget the real number before you commit to a tier.

3:12 RCV vs ACV What Estimators Miss
The $70 gap between mobile and exactnet is irrelevant compared to a single missed supplement. One of the most expensive mistakes in restoration estimating has nothing to do with software. It is misunderstanding replacement cost value versus actual cash value. Your estimates should always be written at full RCV. That is what it costs today to restore with new materials at current market prices. Insurance pays actual cash value upfront, RCV minus depreciation, and releases the recoverable depreciation after you complete the work. The National Association of Public Insurance Adjusters found that misunderstanding this structure causes 40 % of contractor homeowner payment disputes. Clarify it before starting every job.

4:00 Water Mitigation Line Items That Get Missed
Exactimate contains over 40 ,000 line items. The average restoration company uses 200 to 300 of them regularly. The gap between what you use and what the database offers is costing you $400 to $1 ,200 per job in missed revenue. Review your last 10 completed jobs. Ask whether you charge for emergency response. Ask whether you documented all drying time and equipment. Ask whether you included haul away. If the answer is no on any of those, you left money on the table. Let us walk through the specific water mitigation line items that disappear most often. Emergency response fees and including after hours call out and trip charges are standalone codes that adjusters expect to see. Structural drying equipment is billed by class and daily rate, not as a flat number. Moisture testing at baseline and completion is billed per location and per visit. Subfloor assessment and drying is separate from surface flooring. Anti -microbial treatment is a distinct billable line item if you applied it. And project management markup for supervising your crew exists in the database and belongs on every estimate.

5:11 Tier Comparison Bundle vs Stacked Add-Ons
When you visualize the monthly cost across tiers, the relationship between the all -in bundle and the stacked add -on approach becomes clear. Desktop is $70. Mobile is 85. Mobile plus exact contents is 140. Stack on exact remodel and you hit 215. Exact net, which includes contents and remodel databases plus carrier integration comes in at 155. For a full service shop, the bundle saves $60 a month over buying everything separately and adds direct carrier integration on top.

5:48 In-House Estimator vs Outsourcing
Should you keep estimating in -house or outsource it? In -house estimators produce same day scopes for emergency jobs, know your market, and catch supplement opportunities because they saw the job firsthand. The salary runs $50 ,000 to $70 ,000 a year and makes sense at 15 to 20 or more jobs per month. Outsourcing costs $75 to $300 per estimate and works for lower volume shops or surge events like hurricane response. The risk is turnaround time. Outside firms typically need 24 to 48 hours, which delays authorization on mitigation work. If you outsource, require that every estimate or reviews your job photos and moisture logs, not just the intake form.

6:31 Drying Systems and Equipment Documentation
Drawing systems are where exactimate reporting gets most abused by carriers flagging inflated claims and by contractors under reporting legitimate work. The brand of equipment you use, dry ease, injected tree, fan tech, does not matter to the adjuster. What matters is how you classify and charge for it. A portable dehumidifier under 100 pints per day builds at a different daily rate than a large commercial LGR unit. Set up labor, daily monitoring, equipment adjustment, and completion testing are each separate line items. An everyday of equipment operation must tie back to your documented moisture readings. If your drawing log shows equilibrium reached in seven days, bill seven days.

7:16 Xactnet Carrier Integration Benefits
Exact nets carrier integration is where the 155 per month cost justifies itself most directly. Estimates submitted through zachnet go straight into the carrier’s claim file. No manual reentry, no line items lost in email, no translation step in the adjusters end, adjusters review in their native format and can approve faster. The exact analysis tracking tool inside zachnet lets you monitor submission status and approval progress without calling the adjuster. For companies working with multiple carriers simultaneously, the time saved on follow up alone offsets the subscription cost.

7:54 AI Estimating Tools and Xactimate
AI estimating tools are entering the restoration market, but none of them replace exactimate. They supplement it. Computer vision cuts floor plan sketch time from 30 to 60 minutes down to under five minutes on most residential jobs. Photo analysis suggests exactimate line items based on visible damage, reducing missed codes. Some platforms analyze historical approval data to flag line items that get disputed frequently in your specific market. Tools like encircle and lead this space. Every one of them still outputs estimates and zachnet format for carrier submission. The platform is not going away.

8:35 Getting on Carrier Vendor Lists
Getting on carrier vendor lists requires active IPC certification for your technicians, general liability and workers compensation at $1 million to $2 million minimum and a clean supplement history. Contact the claims department at each carrier directly and ask for the preferred contractor program application. Contractor connection and alacrity manage vendor panels for multiple carriers. One application puts you in front of several at once. Independent adjusters are another path. They handle a significant share of claims, work across multiple carriers and actively assign contractors. Attend local claims association meetings as a vendor member. Your exactimate proficiency is a selling point every time. Mastering exactimate gets you paid faster once you’re on a job. Getting paid 20 to 30 days faster than competitors with fewer supplements and cleaner approvals is the measurable competitive advantage the platform provides. The monthly cost of $85 for most mitigation shops, 155 for full service, is the smallest line item on your profit and loss statement relative to what it recovers. Exactimate gets you paid faster once you are on the job. Getting the job in the first place requires that adjusters, agents and homeowners can find you when they search. PushLeads audits your Google Business Profile, local search rankings and content gaps so your credentials are visible the moment someone in your market needs a contractor. See exactly where your visibility stands with a free teardown link in the description or call 828 -348 -7686.