What to check before the next estimate
If you make money writing Xactimate estimates for other companies, I’d read your license before taking the next job. The same goes for contractors paying someone else to write estimates for their business.
The Xactimate EULA has a section specifically for “Estimate-as-a-Service.” If you run a remote writing desk, hire offshore estimators or write estimates for multiple clients, you need to know what your Xactimate licensing agreement actually allows.
What the Xactimate EULA says about estimating as a service
The Verisk EULA, updated September 14, 2026, addresses this in Section 3.7. The wording in 3.7(d) is direct: “prohibited unless expressly permitted under the Services Agreement.”
The definition covers work in the listed Verisk estimating products when the estimate is the main thing you deliver to another business, you have no other role in the claim or restoration process, or you’re getting paid specifically to produce the estimate. Per-estimate fees and retainers based on estimate volume are named examples.
Verisk can monitor estimate volume, inspect usage records and restrict access. Section 3.10 also says a breach of Section 3 causes the agreement to terminate automatically. I wouldn’t build more of my business around a setup without checking the terms covering it.
Who needs to look at their Xactimate estimating services?
Freelance Xactimate estimate writers. Remote writing desks. Companies selling supplements. Contractors paying another business to handle their estimates. If that’s how you work, read Section 3.7 against what you’re actually doing.
That includes businesses advertising Xactimate writing services or Xactimate supplement services. Calling it a supplement, charging by the hour or sending the bill through another company doesn’t, by itself, answer the licensing question.
There are exceptions for certain contractors, restoration companies, ladder assists, inspection services and adjusting firms working on separately engaged projects or claims. The conditions include how they’re paid. There are also exceptions for specified insurer and claims-administration uses. Read Section 3.7(b) before assuming your work is either covered or prohibited.
Working remotely doesn’t automatically put a Xactimate estimator in violation. What matters is the work, the business arrangement and the agreement behind it.
What about Wardlaw and companies writing for carriers?
This is worth looking at from the carrier side too. Wardlaw Claims Service advertises desk claims handling, QA reviews, mitigation invoice reviews and TPA services. Its SecondLook program is an emergency mitigation invoice audit service.
You’ll also see companies such as Sedgwick, Crawford & Company and Alacrity Solutions offering property adjusting, claims administration or desk-estimating services. They don’t all provide the same services.
Carrier work has specific exceptions in the EULA. Section 3.7(b) excludes estimates generated for claim settlement, internal review, audit or quality control by an insurer, TPA or claims administrator. It also excludes certain work by an adjusting firm separately engaged on a claim, provided its pay isn’t contingent on the number or content of estimates generated. Those conditions matter.
So “we write for carriers” isn’t enough information on its own. Is the company administering or adjusting the claim? Reviewing an existing file? Or being paid to produce a new or revised Xactimate estimate as the deliverable? Who holds the software agreement, and how is the firm getting paid?
If a writing arrangement falls outside the exceptions, the firm may need express permission for that work. That could affect which jobs it can accept or how an engagement needs to be set up. You can’t tell whether Wardlaw or another firm’s work is covered from its sales page alone.
What carrier-side work can look like
These examples describe advertised services, not a determination about any company’s license.
Wardlaw describes remote claims handling and review. See Wardlaw’s service page
Wardlaw describes SecondLook as a mitigation invoice audit service. See carrier solutions
Crawford describes third-party claims administration. See Crawford’s service page
The role, agreement and payment terms determine how the EULA applies.
Offshore estimators and overseas writing desks need to check this too
Hiring someone overseas doesn’t change what your Xactimate agreement allows. Before giving an offshore writer access, check where the software can be used, who can use the account and whether the estimate-writing work is covered.
Section 3.1 limits the licensed territory to the United States and Canada. Sections 3.2 and 3.5 cover user access and single-user license sharing. Read those sections before handing over your login.
Finding someone on Upwork or Fiverr doesn’t settle any of that. You still need to know what they’ll do, whose account they’ll use and which business is responsible for the work.
The linked Upwork job is for consulting and product review. Paying a desk to write customer estimates is a different arrangement and needs its own review.
Xactimate pricing: know what you’re paying for
When comparing outsourced Xactimate estimating, look past the price per file. Find out which license and Services Agreement cover the work before comparing the writing fees.
Paying for Xactimate software doesn’t mean everyone in your business can share the account. If you’re looking at a Xactimate multi-user license or another team setup, ask Verisk what rights the arrangement actually includes.
Before subcontracting Xactimate estimates, I’d want to know who writes the file, which account they use, whether the setup covers multiple clients and what happens if that service loses access. Get those answers before your next deadline depends on them.
AI estimating and a native ESX handoff
You’ll also come across software from Wave, Rebuild, XBuild and Adjust.ai. Be clear about whether you’re buying a tool for your team or paying someone else to write the estimate.
If you’re comparing Xactimate AI tools or other property claims estimating software, have them show you the whole process and the file you receive at the end.
With Axiom, you start with the job’s photos, notes, measurements and other documentation. Your team reviews the draft, checks the scope and quantities, then approves the native ESX handoff. You open the ESX in Xactimate and check the imported estimate and pricing there.
If you need to keep editing in Xactimate, ask for the editable ESX. A PDF lets you read the report. It isn’t the same file.
From documentation to editable estimate
Gather photos, measurements and notes.
Your team reviews scope and quantities.
Check the imported estimate and pricing in Xactimate.
Illustrative workflow based on Axiom’s description.
Read the agreement before the next estimate
If you’re looking at your remote estimating workflow, hit us up. We can walk through Axiom with your team and show you the draft, review and native ESX handoff.
Before sending the next file to a writing desk, know who’s doing the work, whose license they’re using and what the agreement allows. If estimating is how you make money, I’d actually read the terms before finding out the hard way.
Common questions
- Can I still write Xactimate estimates for other contractors?
- Check the work against your agreement. If it fits the estimate-as-a-service definition in Section 3.7, that clause requires express permission under the Services Agreement. Read the exceptions too.
- Does this ban every remote or offshore estimator?
- No. Working remotely doesn’t automatically mean the work is prohibited. Check the territory, account-access rules and permitted business use for your actual setup.
- Does my own license cover work for multiple clients?
- Don’t assume it does. Having an account doesn’t answer whether your agreement covers the estimate-writing business you’re running.
- What about third-party review companies writing for carriers?
- Their role matters. Section 3.7 includes exceptions for certain insurer, TPA and claims-administration uses, and qualifying adjusting work. A separate paid writing service still needs to be checked against the definition, exceptions and Services Agreement.
- Where can I read the current Xactimate terms of service?
- Start with the current Xactware EULA and your Services Agreement. Section 3.7 covers estimate-as-a-service work. Sections 3.1, 3.2 and 3.5 cover territory and access.
