Roof Claim Supplement Help: A Line-by-Line Scope Audit
Last updated: October 3, 2026
A supplement is not a second claim. It corrects the scope on the same claim, with the same adjuster and the same claim number, and it exists because the first pass is written fast from a template. The work of building one is an audit: take the carrier's scope, put it next to your measurements and the code the property actually falls under, and list what is missing.
This page is that audit, written out as a checklist you can work a scope against, plus the eight places where the missing lines usually hide.
How do you check a carrier estimate line by line?
Step 1: Read the scope as an assembly, not a total
Walk the estimate top to bottom as a build sequence: tear-off, underlayment, edge metal, field, flashing, ventilation, accessories, disposal. A total tells you what the carrier agreed to pay. The list tells you what the carrier thinks the job is.
Step 2: Reconcile quantities against your own measurements
Compare the scope's quantities against what you measured: squares, ridge length, rake and eave linear feet, penetration counts, ventilation intake and exhaust. Quantity misses are quiet, and they cost the same as a missing line.
Step 3: Apply the code layer
Resolve the property to its adopted code edition and climate zone, then mark every item the current code requires that the scope skipped. A code requirement is the strongest supplement argument there is, because it does not depend on judgment.
Step 4: Add the condition-driven items you found on the roof
Decking, step flashing, dormers, and hidden damage get documented once the roof is open. Photograph before and after, with something for scale, and write the condition into the line's notes.
Step 5: Package it so a desk can approve it in one pass
One line at a time, with the Xactimate code, the quantity, and the citation next to each. Batch the documented items into one supplement instead of mailing them one at a time.
What does the carrier estimate leave off?
When a roof scope comes up short, the missing lines cluster. These are the eight places they usually live. Each one is a code requirement, a manufacturer instruction, a measurement, or plain arithmetic, which is why each one can be documented rather than argued.
1. Code upgrades
The scope is written like-for-like and misses what the current code requires. Ice and water shield where the climate zone triggers it (IRC R905.1.2, or R905.2.7.1 in the 2018 editions many states still use), drip edge at the eaves and the rakes (IRC R905.2.8.5), and re-nailing existing decking on a tear-off are the three that come up most.
2. Accessories and edge metal
Starter course, ridge cap, hip and ridge, pipe boots, step flashing, and counterflashing are separate lines, and they dissolve into the field shingle quantity on a fast scope. Each one is a product, and each carries real quantity.
3. Detach and reset
Anything bolted through the roof or hung off it was taken off before the tear-off and has to go back: solar arrays, satellite dishes, antennas, vents, and gutters. Aerial scopes cannot see most of it, and a solar array also adds the electrician trade.
4. Waste and disposal
A tear-off produces debris, and the dumpster, the haul, and the disposal fee are their own lines. Where the scope pays tear-off but not disposal, the job is carrying a cost that never showed up on the estimate.
5. Overhead and profit
On a loss that involves three or more trades, general overhead and profit is its own line. It gets stripped by default, so the supplement has to make the trade count explicit, with the sub invoices and the trade list to back it.
6. Labor multipliers
The labor setting behind the estimate sets the rate on every labor line at once. A scope written on a rebuild or large-restoration setting, then applied to an occupied-home repair, quietly undervalues the whole job.
7. Permits and fees
Where the jurisdiction requires a permit for the work, the permit and its fee belong on the estimate. They are easy to leave off because the carrier never sees the counter receipt until you attach it.
8. Decking and hidden conditions
Decking is only visible once the roof is open, so it is the classic post-tear-off supplement. Deteriorated sheathing, step flashing at walls, and dormer sections are the same story: documented after the fact, with photos.
What documentation does the adjuster need?
A supplement is approved on its documentation, not on its urgency. For every line you add, attach the code and the proof. Work this list once, before you submit.
- The Xactimate CAT and SEL code for each requested line, so the line maps cleanly on import
- The code section, manufacturer instruction, or measurement that requires it
- Photographs of the condition, with scale, taken before and after the tear-off
- Quantity math: how you measured it, not just the number you measured
- The trade list and sub invoices anywhere overhead and profit is at issue
- A one-line reason per item, written for a desk reviewer who has your photos but not your roof
When should you send the supplement?
Supplements submitted before the work starts approve fastest. Nothing has been built yet, so a reviewer can approve the corrected scope in one pass instead of reconciling work that is already done and invoiced. The exception is anything only visible with the roof open: decking, step flashing, and hidden damage are documented after the tear-off, with photos, and that is the ordinary case rather than a problem.
Related
- Xactimate supplement software for building the corrected scope
- Roofing supplement software for the roof-specific workflow
- Supplement overview and how it connects to the claim
- Roof claim denied or underpaid? the appeal path when the supplement comes back short
- The commonly missed roofing line items with the Xactimate code families behind each one
- Convert the carrier scope PDF to Xactimate so the audit is line by line instead of by eye
Questions
What does it mean to supplement a roof claim?
A supplement corrects the scope on the same claim. It is not a second claim and not a new loss. You keep the claim number and the adjuster, and you present the line items and documentation that move the estimate from what the carrier first wrote to what the job actually requires.
How do I know what the carrier left off a roof scope?
Audit the scope as an assembly list rather than reading its total: tear-off, underlayment, edge metal, field shingles, flashing, ventilation, accessories, and disposal. Then reconcile the quantities against your own measurements and apply the property's adopted code edition and climate zone. The items that most often miss a scope land in eight groups: code upgrades, accessories, detach and reset, waste and disposal, overhead and profit, labor multipliers, permits, and hidden decking.
Should I supplement before or after the work is done?
Pre-build supplements approve fastest. When the documentation exists before the crew starts, the reviewer can approve the corrected scope in one pass instead of arguing about work that is already finished. Decking and hidden conditions are the exception, because they can only be documented once the roof is open.
What documentation gets a supplement approved on the first pass?
One line at a time, with three things next to each item: the Xactimate code, the quantity, and the reason it belongs. The reason is a code section, a manufacturer instruction, or a measurement. Photographs of the condition, before and after the tear-off, close the loop for a reviewer who can see your pictures but never stood on the roof.
Does a supplement need IRC citations?
For code-driven items, a citation is what converts an opinion into a requirement. Ice and water shield turns on the climate zone and the adopted edition (IRC R905.1.2, or R905.2.7.1 in older editions), drip edge is required at the eaves and rakes with a 2 inch overlap (IRC R905.2.8.5), and flashing at walls and chimneys is required (IRC R905.2.8.3). Requirements are harder to decline than preferences.
How do I compare a carrier scope against my own line by line?
Get both onto the same structure first. Convert the carrier's scope PDF into a Xactimate ESX file, open it in your copy of Xactimate, and compare the two estimates line by line against the price list you have loaded. The comparison is apples to apples that way, and the items you add to the supplement come straight out of the diff.
Xactimate is a registered trademark of Verisk Analytics, Inc. ESXPress is an independent tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Verisk or Xactware. IRC section numbers are cited for identification; confirm the edition your jurisdiction has adopted. ESXPress does not publish Xactimate price-list data and never types a catalog code count; the reference spans thousands of SEL codes.