Xactimate for Adjusters: What It Is and Whether You Need It

If you are looking at property claims work, you will hear "learn Xactimate" before almost anything else. It is software, not a license, and what you actually need depends on the job. This guide sticks to what Verisk, which makes it, says about its own training and certification, and to what licensing does and does not require.

Quick answer: Xactimate is Verisk's property estimating software, used to price repairs on property claims. State adjuster licenses test insurance knowledge and law, not software. Learning it is optional for licensing but widely useful for property adjusting work. Verisk offers its own training and a three-level user certification, and prices and details change, so check Verisk directly.

What it is

Xactimate is Verisk's property estimating software. Adjusters use it to scope and price damage to a building, and restoration contractors use it to write estimates for the same work. Verisk's own training pages call it the leading tool in this field, which is marketing language, so treat that as how Verisk sees itself.

How Verisk's training works

Verisk's training page says it offers training from fundamentals to advanced skills. As we read the page in October 2026, an annual Xactimate subscription includes unlimited access to self-paced online courses with more than 100 hours of content, and Verisk also runs training sessions around North America during the year. Third parties also sell Xactimate courses, and prices vary. We cannot recommend a specific one, so check what a course includes and who teaches it.

Certification levels

Verisk certifies users at three levels, which its certification page and user certification document describe this way:

Level	What Verisk says it verifies
Level 1, Fundamentals	Fundamental skills in creating estimates with Xactimate desktop
Level 2, Proficiency	Mastery of the fundamentals plus intermediate practices that raise efficiency, productivity and accuracy
Level 3, Mastery	The skills to build a complex estimate from start to finish

Verisk's document says each level builds on the one before and is a prerequisite for the next, and that a certification is valid for two years. Some third-party sites describe the levels differently, including whether you must take them in order, so rely on Verisk's current pages when you register.

Does it count for continuing education?

Verisk says continuing education credit for Texas is available for its Xactimate training, and adds that this does not guarantee other states will accept Verisk's credits. If you want your training to count toward CE, ask your state insurance department first.

Do you need it to get licensed?

No. Adjuster exams test insurance and law knowledge, such as policy provisions, claim handling and your state's rules. They do not test software. The reason to learn Xactimate is the job: property claims are commonly priced in it, so familiarity can help when you apply to carriers and independent adjusting firms. Employer expectations vary, so ask the employers you are targeting what they use.

A sensible order

1. Get the license your state requires and learn the policy and claim-handling material.
2. Ask the employers you want to work for which estimating software they expect.
3. If it is Xactimate, start with Verisk's own training and consider certification once you have used it.

Ready to get licensed as an adjuster?

Adjuster licensing is set by each state, and we have adjuster pre-licensing courses for 23 of them: Arizona, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Hawaii, Idaho, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Hampshire, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, West Virginia, Wyoming.

Each course is one flat price: pay once, keep lifetime access, no subscription, and backed by our Pass Guarantee. Don't see your state? Browse all courses, or book a 1-on-1 tutoring session and we'll help you build a plan.

Related reading

• How to Become a Claims Adjuster With No Experience
• How to Become a Catastrophe Adjuster
• Staff vs. Independent vs. Public Adjuster
• Producer vs. Adjuster: Which Insurance License Is Right for You?