What this checklist covers
The Insurance Claim Handling Checklist is a 15-point scorecard for claim registration, surveyor coordination, documentation, estimate approval, repair authorisation, supplementary approval, and claim closure. Each criterion is scored from 1 to 5 on what the auditor sees on the day, and every gap goes into an action plan with an owner and a close date.
AutoSmart tip: Insurance claim handling is a cash flow management issue as much as a process compliance one. A job where repair is complete but the claim is not closed — because documentation is incomplete, a supplementary was not submitted, or the final invoice was not sent — ties up workshop capacity and delays payment simultaneously. Set a target of 24 hours between job completion and claim submission, and track every job that misses it.
The checks
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Claim registration and surveyor coordination
- Is the insurance claim registered with the insurer within the timeframe required by the approved repairer agreement or the vehicle owner's policy?
- Where a physical or virtual surveyor inspection is required, is this scheduled promptly and the vehicle kept in a suitable inspection condition (undisturbed, photographs available) until the surveyor has visited?
- Is a named contact point established with the insurer's claims handler for every job, ensuring all communications are directed to and from a specific individual rather than a general claims inbox?
- Is the status of every insurance job — claim reference, surveyor visit completed, estimate submitted, approval received — tracked in a visible job status system available to the bodyshop team?
Documents and estimate approval
- Are all required claim documents (intake photographs, estimate, parts quotes, police report where applicable) submitted to the insurer as a complete package — not piecemeal over several interactions?
- Is the estimate formatted in accordance with the insurer's or approved repairer scheme's documentation requirements — including required fields, coding conventions, and supporting evidence?
- Is approval from the insurer obtained in writing before repair work commences — with no work proceeding on a verbal approval that cannot be evidenced?
- Are insurer-approved amounts cross-checked against the original estimate before repair commences, to identify any lines not approved that may affect the repair scope or require customer self-pay discussion?
Repair authorisation and supplementary approval
- Is the vehicle owner notified of the insurer's approval decision and the agreed repair scope before work begins — particularly where the insurer's approval differs from the original estimate?
- Are supplementary damage claims submitted to the insurer as soon as additional damage is identified during dismantling — with a target submission time measured from discovery, not from convenience?
- Are supplementary claims supported by photographs of the additionally discovered damage — taken before any repair work is started on the supplementary items?
Claim closure and governance
- Is the final invoice reconciled against the insurer's approved amount before submission — identifying any items not approved, any parts price variances, and any labour time discrepancies?
- Is the completed claim submitted to the insurer within the timeframe required for reimbursement under the approved repairer agreement?
- Is outstanding payment from the insurer tracked, with follow-up initiated if payment is not received within the agreed settlement period?
- Is insurance claim performance — cycle time, supplementary claim rate, estimate-to-invoice variance, and disputed amounts — reviewed in the management meeting as a financial and operational KPI?
How to run it
How the scoring works
Before the visit, fill in the dealer or centre, the auditor, the date and the audit cycle. Then score each of the 15 checks from 1 to 5 on what you see on the day, not on what the site aims for, and add them up out of 75.
- 1Not in place
- 2Attempted
- 3Defined
- 4Managed
- 5Fully sustained
- Green60–75 · 80–100%Compliant. Keep the standard.
- Amber38–59 · 50–79%Improvement needed: a structured action plan within 30 days.
- Red0–37 · Below 50%Priority intervention, escalated to regional management.
Then close every gap
Each gap goes into the action plan tracker and moves through four stages until the auditor closes it.
- 1PendingOwner and close date set
- 2In progressWork under way, evidence gathered
- 3CompletedEvidence submitted for review
- 4ApprovedVerified and closed by the auditor
