How Much Money Can You Make as a Public Adjuster?
Hello everyone, and welcome back! Today we’ll be talking about, arguably, one of the most interesting topics surrounding the PA career path.
Therefore, the question at hand is how much money can you make working as a PA?
Let’s be honest here, people choose a certain career path partially because they want to do it, but mainly because they want to make some serious money!
Money makes the world go round and we are all caught in that cycle.
Everyone wants to earn good salaries that will ensure financial stability and flexibility so that you don’t have to worry about finances anymore. Being a PA can certainly help you get there.
So, without further ado, let’s get down to how much you can actually earn as a PA.
You Earn as Much as You Work
One of my favorite things about being a PA is, the more effort you put into your work the more money you will earn.
In other words, you have to sign as many claims as you can.
As I mentioned in previous articles, there will be good times and there will be bad times. This is especially true when you’re starting out, and you have difficulties finding work.
Therefore, you have to make an effort because work won’t come to you unless you go out there and look for it. Based on your overall goals, you can easily enter the six-figure annual salary if not more.
So, my advice to you is, go out there and sign, sign, sign those claims. Simply put, the harder you work the more you’ll make and the longer you work the more you’ll make.
Homeowner's Claims
Okay, let’s do some math and be more detailed about how much you can earn.
Take homeowner’s claims for example. These are your bread and butter and they are the most common claims you’ll be able to sign. I’ve been in this industry for 12 years, and although I love a nice commercial claim every once in a while, don’t ever forget about the stability of homeowner’s claims.
Even with my extended experience, and my current average of around 8-10 claims per month, my monthly goal today and the last 12 years, is still to sign a minimum of five claims per month. Everything above that is a bonus!
So, here in Florida, you’re allowed to charge up to 20% per claim. However, if a disaster hits, such as a hurricane, and the state declares a state of emergency, you’re only allowed to charge 10% per claim. You settle a claim for $20,000 you earn $2000 if you charge 10% and you earn $4000 if you charge 20% per claim a month.
That said, you sign five claims like these, you earn $10,000 to $20,000 per month. That’s good money if you ask me!
Of course, it all depends on the damage and the circumstances that impact the claim and the costs. Homeowner claims can even reach $70,000 to $80,000 if the damage is too extensive. So the estimated breakdown above is on the low end of your earning potential!
Commercial Claims
Commercial claims are your gold mine.
If you sign more of these you can earn some big money.
Yes, commercial policies are a bit more difficult, complicated and require more time to settle. They also have much higher deductibles. But, if you manage to sign these on a regular basis, you’re earning big time.
Here’s an example where I signed a claim for an entire condominium complex after a hurricane, which settled for $1.3 million and we got 10%. Do the math people, that’s $130,000 on one claim!
However, commercial claims are difficult to come by. You have to know the right people, i.e. real estate investors, commercial real estate owners and so on.
So, my advice is: stick to the homeowner claims and only go for the commercial claims when you’re well-established in the industry.
Bonus tip
The fact of the matter is that your money will come in pieces. Signing a claim doesn’t mean you’ll get paid right away. Signing a claim means you’ll get paid when the claim is settled.
So, be mindful of your finances and make sure you budget wisely.
As for the expenses, if you’re the sole owner of your company, you’ll have some overhead. On the other hand, if you work for a company, you may only get a certain percentage of the companies fee, but you shouldn’t have much overhead at all!
Moreover, don’t say no to a claim if you absolutely don’t have to.
If I think that it’s worth it for the client and that they’ll get the money they need after the deductible and after paying me, I’m signing the claim.
Now, I’m not aiming for big money. I love this job because it provides me with both the funds and the flexibility to pursue my passions and enjoy the fruits of my labor.
My experience
As I said, I’ve been doing this for twelve years now. When I first started I tried to be a PA full time but I was also a tennis instructor which is one of my passions, aside from travel and photography. I made $20,000 to $30,000 during my first year.
What I can tell you is that I kept earning about 10% to 20% more each year and it’s been consistent to this day.
The claims came more consistently after five to six years for me, but that’s just me. Maybe you can do it in a year, who knows.
I didn’t have any marketing or advertising campaigns. I went out and shook hands so all my referrals came from word-of-mouth, so maybe I did things much slower than others.
That’s about it. You can earn a lot by working as a PA as long as you put effort into it.
There will be times that are tough and you will consider giving up but I promise you that you will get there eventually, so don’t give up so easily! If you’re having any difficulties or you need more information you can always contact me or check out my other articles and videos.
That said, I have a mentorship program where I offer one on one consultations and I can help you understand claims and how to sign them, so if you’re interested you can check it out HERE.
What now?
It’s time to take full control of your claims. Of your business. Of your life.
A community can help you get there faster. It can offer support during these tough times. Inspiration. Guidance.
Together, we can get you to where you want to be.
What are you waiting for?
