“How do you become an independent adjuster? I’m an auto adjuster with 5 plus years of experience and licenses across the East Coast.”

This is a good place to start, because independent adjusting is not a beginner role. It is a transition.

Independent adjusters are not employees. You are a 1099 contractor who is hired by independent adjusting firms to represent insurance carriers during high claim volume events or staffing shortages. Most of the time, that means catastrophes.

Here is the part many people miss.

Being licensed and experienced does not automatically make you deployable.

Carriers care less about how long you have been adjusting and more about whether you can handle their claim volume, systems, documentation standards, and timelines with little supervision. Independence means you are trusted to run a desk or a territory without hand holding.

If you come from auto, the biggest shift is scope and speed. Property claims, especially catastrophe claims, require fast inspections, accurate estimates, solid policy application, and clean file notes. You are expected to manage dozens or hundreds of claims at once while staying within carrier guidelines.

The practical path looks like this.

First, make sure your licenses are current and include major catastrophe states. Texas, Florida, Louisiana, and the Gulf states matter more than having every Northeast license.

Second, get carrier specific systems exposure if you can. Xactimate proficiency is not optional for property. If you are coming from auto, this is usually the biggest technical gap.

Third, apply directly to independent adjusting firms, not carriers. Firms staff events. Carriers hire firms. Your relationship is with the firm.

Fourth, understand that your first deployment is about proving reliability, not maximizing income. Clean files, responsiveness, and compliance get you called back. Sloppy work gets you quietly removed from rosters.

Finally, accept the reality of the business cycle. Independent adjusting is seasonal and event driven. The adjusters who last plan for slow periods and do not treat one deployment like a permanent job.

If you already have five plus years in auto, you are not starting from zero. You already understand liability, documentation, file ownership, and carrier pressure. The transition is real, but it is manageable if you approach it professionally.

Independent adjusting rewards competence, not shortcuts.

If this is a lane you are considering seriously, focus on becoming deployable, not just licensed.

Talk soon,

Stephen

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