---
canonical_url: "https://buildwithwave.com/docs/workflows/adjuster-workflow"
title: "Review and produce estimates as an adjuster"
description: "Read a contractor's estimate line by line, follow the changes, and build or compare estimates of your own when you need to."
group: "workflows"
lane: "how-to"
status: "published"
publishedAt: 2026-10-09
updatedAt: 2026-10-09
sidebarOrder: 60
tags: ["workflow"]
relatedSlugs:
  - "collaboration/share-links"
  - "collaboration/comments"
  - "collaboration/history"
  - "workflows/run-your-team-in-wave"
  - "workflows/preliminary-estimate-to-adjuster"
  - "workflows/put-wave-to-work"
sidebarLabel: "Adjuster workflow"
---

Read an estimate the way you work: line by line, with the reason for each number a click away. Wave gives adjusters, carriers and TPAs a clean place to review a contractor's estimate, follow the changes and ask questions on the exact line. You can also use Wave to build or compare estimates of your own.

## Review an estimate someone shares with you

1. **Open the link.** A contractor sends you an **Adjuster or collaborator** link. You sign in with a free Wave account, which makes your comments attributable. See [Share an estimate](/docs/collaboration/share-links).
2. **Read the full estimate.** You see quantities, unit prices and line totals, with photos, attached documents and videos the contractor chose to include. If the job has a drying log and the contractor included it, you see that too.
3. **Ask on the exact line.** Use the comment mark beside a line. The contractor's answer and any edit that settles it appear in the same thread. See [Comment on line items](/docs/collaboration/comments).
4. **Follow what changed.** Open **History** to see who changed what and what it did to the total, newest first. If a line changes after a thread was resolved, the thread shows **Changed since**. See [Estimate history](/docs/collaboration/history).
5. **Resolve and keep going.** Click **Resolve** when a question is settled, and **Reopen** it if it comes up again.
6. **Keep a copy.** Download the estimate as a PDF from the page. On a collaborator link, the PDF includes the change history.

Viewing and commenting are free for you. Keep the link bookmarked while a review is open, and ask the contractor to send the link with each update. The link shows the current estimate, and **History** shows what changed since you last looked.

## Set up your own company

Adjusters create an account the same way as any company and get their own plan and their own estimate credits. Pick the plan that fits your volume and invite your team. See [Create your account](/docs/get-started/create-account), [Plans and limits](/docs/billing/plan-comparison) and [How estimate credits work](/docs/billing/estimate-credits).

## Build an estimate yourself

Wave works the same way for anyone who writes estimates, including adjusters.

1. **Describe the loss.** Type or say what you found, and add photos. See [Make your first estimate](/docs/estimates/start-an-estimate).
2. **Add the layout.** Send a photo of a sketch or floor plan and Wave reads the labeled lengths and widths. See [Ask Wave about photos](/docs/estimates/photos-in-chat).
3. **Review the scope.** Answer Wave's questions, then adjust lines in chat or by hand. Group rooms by unit for a multi-unit loss. See [Estimate a multi-unit loss](/docs/estimates/multi-unit-estimates).
4. **Send the version the reader needs.** Choose a full estimate, a **Client summary** with no line prices or a **Photo report**. See [Customize reports](/docs/estimates/customize-reports).

## Compare and bring in documents

- **Attach a PDF in chat.** Ask Wave what a scope or estimate includes, or how it compares with the estimate you are on. See [Ask Wave about documents](/docs/estimates/pdfs-in-chat).
- **Bring in an estimate file.** Upload an estimate file from other estimating software and Wave reads it. Ask Wave what is in it.
- **Check against a program.** If your company has uploaded carrier or TPA program guidelines, Wave flags the lines that do not fit the program on the estimates you build. See [Set up carrier guidelines](/docs/account/set-up-guidelines).

## Tip

Ask questions on the line, not in a separate email. The answer, the edit and the decision stay together, so anyone who opens the claim later can see why the number is what it is.

## Related

- [Share an estimate](/docs/collaboration/share-links)
- [Comment on line items](/docs/collaboration/comments)
- [Estimate history](/docs/collaboration/history)
- [Run your company together in Wave](/docs/workflows/run-your-team-in-wave)
- [Send a preliminary estimate to the adjuster](/docs/workflows/preliminary-estimate-to-adjuster)
- [Put Wave to work in your workflow](/docs/workflows/put-wave-to-work)