Xactimate supplement: the second estimate that adds what the carrier left off.
By Chaz Jaco, Co-Founder & Software Architect, ESXPress - Last updated:
An Xactimate supplement is the second estimate on a claim, written when the carrier's first scope missed work the job needed. It documents what that baseline left off, with the quantities and code citations behind each item, then prices in your own Xactimate price list. ESXPress turns the carrier's scope PDF or scope XML into an import-ready .esx, and its dashboard conversions report what the scope did not carry.
What an Xactimate supplement is
A supplement is a second estimate on the same claim. The carrier writes the first estimate from what it can see and verify: photographs, the measured roof, and the scope of work it is willing to start from. Tear-off then exposes the rest, and a regional code requirement that did not appear in that first pass is exactly the kind of item a supplement exists to add. The supplement documents the added work as its own estimate, with the line items, quantities and code citations behind each one, so the carrier has something to price instead of a narrative to argue with.
What a supplement is not
It is not a complaint about the carrier's price, and it is not a reworded copy of the original scope. A supplement stands on work that was not priced at all, or work whose quantity the original scope got wrong. That distinction is what keeps a supplement reviewable: the reviewer can set the original scope and the supplement side by side and see the added lines rather than a markup of the same ones. A supplement built from memory is the version that gets negotiated down.
Why does a supplement get denied?
A supplement is rarely denied because the damage is not real. It is denied because the reviewer could not verify the added work from what you sent. The usual causes are a line with no code or manufacturer requirement attached, a quantity the reviewer cannot check against a measurement, a photo with no scale or no date, and an item sent before the roof was open to show it. A denial that names one of those is a documentation gap, and it is fixable: resend the same item with the requirement, the measurement math, and a dated photo next to it. A supplement that lists the requirement behind every line clears review. A narrative that only asserts the work does not.
What does the adjuster look for?
A desk reviewer works a queue and approves what can be verified in one pass. For each line you add, that means three things sitting together: the code section or manufacturer instruction that requires the work, the quantity with the math behind it, and a photo with a scale or a reference in frame. An item that carries all three reads as a requirement with proof. An item that carries none reads as an opinion, and a reviewer with a file count to close will send it back rather than go looking for the missing piece. The document under review is the insurance estimate on one side and your supplement on the other, so every added line should show as an addition, not a reprice of a line already on the estimate.
What line items does a carrier estimate leave off?
The same handful shows up missing on scope after scope, and always for the same reason: the first estimate is written before anyone opens the roof. The recurrent ones are ice and water shield, where IRC R905.1.2 sets the underlayment requirement by local freeze history; drip edge at the eaves and rakes, required by IRC R905.2.8.5; and ventilation, where IRC R806.1 sets a net free ventilating ratio of 1/300. Because those requirements bind differently by climate zone, IECC 2021 and a ZIP-level lookup decide when each one applies to a given roof.
How ESXPress fits the supplement step
ESXPress does not write the supplement for you; it makes the input to it clean. Upload the carrier's scope PDF, or its scope XML export, and ESXPress rebuilds it as an import-ready Xactimate .esx in about two minutes. Line items arrive ready to import, quantities come from the document, and the price printed on each line stays on that line. A line whose code cannot be verified is flagged for review instead of guessed. Scopes of 1,000+ line items count as one conversion, and no plan charges per line.
On dashboard conversions, the completeness audit then reports what the carrier's scope did not carry, rule by rule against the 93 rules, and every flag arrives with the citation behind it, the IRC and IECC where the requirement is code-based. The advisor is opened from the review page, so it is a review step a person starts rather than something that fires on upload. The findings are what turn a supplement from a memory test into a written list.
How a supplement moves through review
The converted .esx is imported into your licensed copy of Xactimate, where the price list loaded on that machine prices the job. Xactimate reprices the imported file on import, which is normal behavior rather than an error, and the reason is that the file carries no price list of its own. From there the supplement is built as its own estimate: the flagged items, the quantities, the code citation behind each one, and the photos from the field. A dated photograph and a measurement behind a flagged item is an approval; the same item without them is a debate.
What ESXPress costs
| Plan | Price | Included |
|---|---|---|
| Free | $0 | 5 conversions/month, no card |
| Entry paid tier | $179/mo | 25 conversions/month |
| Top of the ladder | $5.00/file floor | Published floor, nothing prices below it |
| Credit packs | $29 and up | Pay as you go, credits do not expire |
Source: esxpress.org/pricing, the full published ladder. No Xactimate price-list figures appear anywhere on this page, by policy.
Related reading
- How to write an Xactimate supplement - the step-by-step guide.
- Roof claim supplement audit - a line-by-line checklist of the eight buckets carriers omit.
- Xactimate supplement software - the category page for the tools in this step.
- Roofing supplement software - the roofing-specific tool comparison.
- PDF to Xactimate - the conversion step in detail.
- Best Xactimate alternatives (2026) - the wider landscape.
- Commonly missed roofing line items and their Xactimate codes.
- Free ESX validator - check the file before you send it.
- Supplement case studies - anonymized scopes and how they were rebuilt.
Sources and standards cited on this page
Cited for the code requirements and platform behavior referenced above. No Xactimate price-list figures are published on this page.
Common questions
What is an Xactimate supplement?
It is a second estimate on the same claim, written to add work the carrier's original scope did not include. The carrier sets the baseline; a supplement documents the items, quantities and code citations behind the added work, and it is priced in Xactimate against the price list for the job's region.
How is a supplement different from the original carrier estimate?
The carrier's first estimate is written from what the adjuster could see and verify before any tear-off. The supplement stands on what the job actually required, which is often a regional code requirement the first pass did not carry. The reviewer compares the two line by line, so a supplement is strongest when every added item is documented rather than asserted.
Who writes an Xactimate supplement?
Usually the contractor who holds the job, and occasionally a public adjuster or a supplement service on the owner's behalf. The estimate itself is written in Xactimate, because that is the platform the carrier accepts. ESXPress is not a writing service: it prepares the carrier's scope as an import-ready .esx and, on dashboard conversions, reports what that scope left off.
What line items do carriers most often leave out of a roof scope?
Ice and water shield under IRC R905.1.2, drip edge at the eaves and rakes under IRC R905.2.8.5, and ventilation under IRC R806.1, which sets a net free ventilating ratio of 1/300. Each binds differently by climate zone, which is why IECC 2021 and a ZIP-level lookup decide when a requirement applies to a particular roof.
Does ESXPress write the supplement, or find the omissions?
It finds the omissions, and you write the supplement. On dashboard conversions the completeness audit reports the items the carrier's scope did not carry, with a citation behind every flag, and the advisor is opened from the review page rather than firing on its own. The writing and the negotiation stay in your Xactimate file and in your hands.
What does ESXPress cost?
Five conversions a month are free with no card. Paid plans start at $179 a month for 25 conversions, scopes of 1,000+ line items count as one conversion, and the published per-file floor is $5.00 at the top of the ladder. Pay-as-you-go credit packs start at $29 for a single file. The full ladder is on the pricing page.
Xactimate is a registered trademark of Verisk Analytics, Inc. ESXPress is an independent tool and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Verisk/Xactware.