How to Review a Carrier Estimate for Missing Xactimate Line Items

A surprising amount of supplement money is lost before anyone opens a supplement template. It goes missing when the carrier estimate becomes the starting point for the job instead of the document being audited. Missing scope is rarely in the shape of the job. It is in the gaps between line items.

This guide lays out a repeatable way to review a carrier estimate for missing Xactimate line items and underpriced scope. Confirm the right version and settings, reconcile quantities against your measurements, then walk the job in the order a crew would build it.

Get the right file before you review anything

Confirm the estimate date, revision notes, and that totals match the latest payment letter. If you can get an authorized Xactimate export, use it to compare the sketch, room structure, and line item notes. Save a clean copy of the version reviewed.

Start with the header

Check the price list and month, tax rate, overhead and profit, depreciation and coverage split, and the summary pages. These settings explain what the numbers are based on and where missing scope may be hiding.

Reconcile quantities against your own measurements. Compare at the room or slope level. Check wall area, ceiling height, linear footage of trim, roof squares, waste, and whether closets or hallways were omitted. Document each discrepancy with your number, their number, and your source.

Walk the job in build order

For every major line ask what happens before, during, and after. Contents must be moved or protected, surfaces masked, fixtures detached and reset, debris hauled, and final cleaning completed. A headline line item can still be missing half the labor required to complete it.

Triage every finding

Sort findings into supported, needs documentation, judgment call, or drop it. Only include items supported by the loss, photos, measurements, code, or manufacturer instructions. Potential findings should be documented honestly and are not guaranteed recovery.

A disciplined estimate review turns gaps into a clear, defensible supplement package.