Insurance Appraisers, Auto Damage
Appraise automobile or other vehicle damage to determine repair costs for insurance claim settlement. Prepare insurance forms to indicate repair cost or cost estimates and recommendations. May seek agreement with automotive repair shop on repair costs.
- Median pay
- $78,240
- Doing it now
- 13,500
- By 2035
- Down 8.7%
- Usually needs
- Postsecondary nondegree award
a year
across the country
700 openings a year
to get in
What the work involves
- Estimate parts and labor to repair damage, using standard automotive labor and parts cost manuals and knowledge of automotive repair.
- Review repair cost estimates with automobile repair shop to secure agreement on cost of repairs.
- Examine damaged vehicle to determine extent of structural, body, mechanical, electrical, or interior damage.
- Evaluate practicality of repair as opposed to payment of market value of vehicle before accident.
- Determine salvage value on total-loss vehicle.
- Prepare insurance forms to indicate repair cost estimates and recommendations.
- Arrange to have damage appraised by another appraiser to resolve disagreement with shop on repair cost.
What to study
The fields of study the Department of Education links to this occupation, most widely taught first.
- InsuranceSee 60 colleges that teach it
- Vehicle Maintenance and Repair Technologies/TechniciansSee 24 colleges that teach it
Who it suits
O*NET scores every occupation on six interest dimensions. This one leans hardest on these three.
Organised and precise
Hands-on and practical
Leading and persuading
Careers like this one
Where this comes from: the description and the task list are O*NET, which the Department of Labor maintains. Pay, workforce size, outlook and the education normally needed are the Bureau of Labor Statistics Employment Projections programme, 2025 wages and 2025 to 2035 projections. Half of them earn more than $78,240 a year, which means half earn less, and what you would earn depends on where you work and how long you have been doing it. The fields of study come from the National Center for Education Statistics crosswalk.