How do I become a claims adjuster with no experience?

You can start with no experience. The typical entry-level education is a high school diploma or equivalent, and new adjusters begin on small claims under supervision before moving to larger, more complex ones. In Texas, a trainee license lets you act as an adjuster for up to 12 months when sponsored and trained by a licensed adjuster. Some states also let adjusters employed by an insurance company work under the company license without holding their own.

Alaska offers a Trainee Adjuster license for applicants without experience. You must pass the adjuster exam, submit the $75 application with a fingerprint card and the $48.25 fingerprint evaluation fee, and then work under the supervision of an Alaska-licensed independent adjuster supervisor. To qualify as an Independent Adjuster later, you need six months of active working experience within the last two calendar years.

DC licenses public insurance adjusters, and the path requires no prior experience, no pre-licensing education, and no continuing education. You must pass the licensing exam, a one-hour exam with 50 scored questions administered by Pearson VUE. You must also post a $20,000 surety bond and keep records for at least five years after each transaction you handle.

Illinois does not license company claims adjusters, so you can handle claims for an insurer without a state adjuster license; many Illinois adjusters instead obtain a Texas designated-home-state all-lines license to adjust claims in other states. To represent policyholders independently, you need an Illinois public adjuster license: pass the $92 Pearson VUE exam, pay the $250 license fee, submit $50,000 in financial responsibility, and complete fingerprinting before the license issues.

Maine's resident adjuster path is exam-based rather than experience-based. Take the Pearson VUE adjuster exam for the line you want (Property & Casualty, Multi-Peril Crop, or Workers' Compensation; $55 each), then submit the application through NIPR with the $45 resident fee. Resident adjuster licenses renew October 1 of even-numbered years for $30.

Yes. Montana does not require prior experience or prelicensing education to become an adjuster. You pass the Montana adjuster exam through Pearson VUE, submit fingerprints for a background check, and apply for the license, which carries a $50 application fee. Public adjusters face one extra requirement, a $5,000 surety bond, and may only adjust first-party physical damage claims.

North Dakota does not license independent or staff adjusters who represent insurance companies, so you can start that work with no state license and no prior experience required by the state. To represent policyholders as a public adjuster, you must pass the $58 PSI exam with a 70% passing score, pay the $100 application fee, and submit a $20,000 bond.

South Dakota does not license property and casualty adjusters, so no state adjuster license or certification is required to handle claims there. A producer license is the credential the state does issue, and it requires an exam and application rather than prior experience.