What Does a Roofing Supplement Company Charge?

The standard model: percentage of supplemental recovery

Most legitimate supplement companies charge a contingency fee — a percentage of the additional amount the carrier approves above their original estimate. Industry range is typically 10% to 20%, with 15% being the most common.

This structure matters because it ties the company's income directly to your outcome. They write nothing, they charge nothing. They recover $6,000 for you, they keep $900. You keep $5,100 you did not have before. The alignment is real.

At The Estimate Company, we operate on this model. We do not invoice until the carrier approves the supplement. You do not owe anything if the carrier does not pay.

What the math actually looks like

These are example supplement recoveries only. Actual results vary by claim, carrier, and scope of damage.

Flat fees: when they make sense and when they do not

Some companies charge flat rates — typically $150 to $500 per supplement regardless of what gets approved. On the surface, that sounds cheaper. In practice, it often is not.

A flat-fee company gets paid the same whether they find two missing line items or twenty. There is no financial reason for them to dig deeper than what is obvious. The percentage model is the opposite: every additional line item they find directly increases their check, so they have a real reason to be thorough.

Flat fees can make sense for high-volume, simple claims where you have a clear scope and just need documentation. For complex claims — steep roofs, multiple materials, code upgrade requirements, carrier negotiations — a contingency model usually results in more money in your pocket even after the fee.

What the fee should cover

Complete Xactimate supplement

Full scope review, line-by-line documentation, code research, and manufacturer requirement justification — formatted for carrier submission.

Carrier follow-up

Active follow-up two to three times per week until the carrier responds. Not submitting and waiting. Pushing.

Pushback handling

If the carrier comes back with a partial approval or denial, a legitimate supplement company responds with documentation, not a phone call asking what you want to do.

Delivery within 24 hours

Standard supplements should be turned in 24 hours. Complex jobs with multiple sections or large commercial roofs may take longer, but that should be communicated upfront.

The return on a supplement fee

At 15%, the contractor keeps 85% of every dollar recovered. If a supplement brings in $8,000 that would have otherwise been left behind, the contractor nets $6,800 after the fee. The ROI on the fee itself is roughly 5.7 to 1 — for every dollar paid in fees, the contractor receives nearly six dollars back.

Run that across two claims per week for a full year and the math becomes substantial. Two claims per week at an average supplement recovery of $6,000 is $12,000 per week in additional carrier payments. At 15%, the contractor keeps $10,200 per week — over $530,000 per year — from claims that were already closed.