The 17 Line Items Insurance Carriers Always Leave Off Hail Claims

Carriers rarely write a complete scope on the first pass. After auditing more than 14 million approved Xactimate line items across thousands of storm restoration jobs, the same 17 omissions show up again and again. Each one is small in isolation. Together they add up to an average of $4,820 per claim a contractor has to fight to recover.

This is the field guide for every estimator, project manager, and supplement coordinator who is tired of leaving real money on the table. We'll walk through every category, give you the exact Xactimate code to cite, and show you how to back it with the IRC, manufacturer specs, or photo evidence that gets carriers to approve without a fight.

Why carriers leave money off the scope

Insurance adjusters are not roofers. They are claims handlers measured on three things: cycle time, leakage (paying more than the loss notice), and re-open rate. Every adjuster is trained to write a defensible minimum scope. That means the original estimate is almost always missing the items that take experience or local code knowledge to spot.

This isn't malicious. It's structural. Carriers know that 60–70% of contractors won't supplement. The ones who do supplement are paid because the carrier's exposure on a denied legitimate item is worse than just paying it. Your job as the contractor is to make denial more expensive than approval.

The four buckets of missed items

• Code upgrades — items required by the locally adopted IRC/IBC version that the original roof predates.
• Accessories — flashings, boots, vents, drip edge, ice & water that the carrier 'doesn't see' from satellite imagery.
• Labor multipliers — steep charge, two-story charge, detach & reset for solar/satellite/HVAC.
• Waste, dump & overhead — actual disposal cost, debris haul, OH&P at correct percentages.

Code upgrade line items (the biggest leakage)

Every state that has adopted the IRC requires roofs to be brought into current code when they are replaced. The carrier owes the difference between the existing condition and current code. These are the five most-missed code items.

1. Ice & water shield to code (RFG IWS)

Code: IRC R905.1.2 requires ice & water shield from the eave to a point 24" inside the exterior wall line in any climate zone where the average January temp is 25°F or below.

What gets paid: RFG IWS at the linear foot of eave required by code, not just the area the carrier eyeballed. On a 30-square house with 120 LF of eave, this is typically $480–$720 the original scope missed.

2. Drip edge (RFG DRIP)

Code: IRC R905.2.8.5 requires drip edge at eaves and rakes on asphalt shingle roofs. Yet carriers routinely write the scope without it because the original roof didn't have it. Pre-existing condition is irrelevant — code requires it on the replacement.

What gets paid: Linear foot of eave plus rake. On a typical 30-square gable, that's 240–280 LF at $1.40–$2.10 per LF installed.

3. Starter strip (RFG STARTER)

Code & spec: Manufacturer installation instructions (which become code under IRC R905.2.1) require a manufactured starter course at eaves and rakes. Cutting tabs off a 3-tab does not satisfy modern manufacturer specs for laminate shingles.

4. Ridge vent (RFG RIDGV)

If the existing roof had ridge vent, IRC R806.2 plus manufacturer warranty language require it on the replacement. Carriers often write 'gable vent' or 'box vents' as the cheaper substitute. You owe the customer like-kind-and-quality plus code.

5. Re-decking for non-compliant sheathing (RFG SHTHG)

If you find 1×6 plank decking, ½" board with gaps, or rotted OSB during tear-off, current IRC requires re-decking with 7/16" or ½" CDX/OSB. Document with photos. This is one of the largest single-line supplements you'll write.

Accessory line items carriers omit

6. Pipe jack flashings (RFG VPJ)

Every penetration needs a new flashing. Carriers will sometimes write 'reuse existing.' Manufacturer warranty voids if you reuse old neoprene-collared jacks. Always supplement for new jacks, sized correctly (1.5", 2", 3", 4").

7. Step flashing & counter-flashing

RFG FLSTP per LF where roof meets vertical wall (chimneys, dormers). Code requires new step flashing on a re-roof — old galvanized flashing is rarely reusable and is almost never on the carrier's first scope.

8. Dormer & chimney saddle flashing

9. Off-ridge / box vent replacement

10. Gutter apron (where no drip edge is present)

Items 7–10 individually look small ($40–$120). On a typical claim with one chimney, two dormers, and four off-ridge vents, the total comes to $680–$1,100 almost every time.

Labor multipliers carriers underwrite

11. Steep charge (RFG STP)

Anything 7/12 pitch or steeper triggers steep charge in Xactimate. Carriers regularly write 6/12 to avoid it. Pull the EagleView or measurement report — if you are 7/12 or above, supplement the steep charge across all affected squares.

12. Two-story charge (RFG 2STR)

13. Detach & reset solar, satellite, HVAC

If the homeowner has rooftop solar, the panels must be detached, the underlying roof tarped during tear-off, and the system re-installed and re-commissioned. This is a $1,800–$4,500 line item carriers consistently omit. Same applies to satellite dishes, snow guards, decorative cupolas, and rooftop HVAC condensers on commercial.

14. Detach & reset gutters

Required to install drip edge correctly per code. Use RFG DRGUT per LF.

Waste, dump fees, and overhead

15. Actual dump fees (FCL DUMP)

Xactimate's default dump fee is regional and almost always under-priced. Pull receipts from your last three jobs and supplement to actual cost. Document with the disposal facility's posted tipping fee.

16. Debris waste percentage (15% standard)

Standard waste is 15% on cut-up roofs, 17–20% on hip roofs with multiple valleys. Carriers default to 10%. The math difference on a 30-square hip roof is roughly 1.5–3 squares of material — $300–$700.

17. Overhead & profit at 20%

OH&P at 10/10 is industry standard for repair work involving three or more trades. On a full re-roof with siding, gutters, and paint involvement, you owe OH&P. Document the trades touched. Reference the 'three-trade rule' in your supplement letter.

How to write the supplement letter

A supplement that gets approved on the first pass has five elements:

1. Claim number, date of loss, insured name, and property address at the top.
2. Itemized list with Xactimate code, quantity, and unit price for each line.
3. Code citation (IRC section or manufacturer spec) next to each code-driven line.
4. Photo references (Photo #1 — south elevation showing failed step flashing).
5. Total of supplement and a polite request for revised ACV/RCV with payment timeline.

What this looks like in dollars

On a typical claim where you supplement all four categories with proper documentation, expect $4,000 – $10,200 in recovered scope. Even a conservative $4,820 average across 8 claims a month is $38,560 monthly recovery for a single estimator.

Doing this at scale

Manually checking 17 line items against IRC, manufacturer specs, and photo evidence takes 2–4 hours per claim. RoofGenius does it in 60 seconds. Upload the carrier's estimate, attach field photos, and the AI cross-references every line against current code, manufacturer NOA, and 14M+ approved historical line items, then writes the supplement letter for you.

If you're running 8+ claims a month, the math on automating the audit step pays back in less than two weeks. Run the numbers in our calculator.