How Recoupe works
The whole thing takes about ten minutes of your time and produces two documents. What follows is exactly what happens at each step, including the parts where we tell you not to buy anything.
Run the free calculator
Three short steps: your vehicle, the accident, and the two numbers that matter, repair cost and pre-accident value. You see the estimate immediately, with every factor shown. No account, no email, nothing sent anywhere.Check what applies where you are
We apply your state automatically: whether diminished value is recoverable, your filing deadline and the statute behind it, how shared fault would affect you, and the small claims limit if it comes to that.Strengthen the estimate (optional but worth it)
Add comparable listings, clean-history and accident-branded examples of the same vehicle. We adjust each for mileage and model year and read the spread, which turns the estimate from a model output into market evidence.Add your claim details and buy the packet
Your name and address, the at-fault insurer, the adjuster and the claim number. We generate the valuation report and demand letter around your specific facts. There is no template with blanks in it.Send it by certified mail
Print, sign, attach the enclosures listed in the packet, and send with return receipt. Keep the receipt: a documented delivery date is what makes every later step work.Follow up, and escalate if needed
Call after three weeks and confirm in writing the same day. If the offer is unreasonable or ignored, the packet tells you exactly what to do, regulator complaint, small claims, or when a licensed appraisal is worth commissioning.
What you get
A packet an adjuster has to answer
Not a number on a screen. The documents that turn an estimate into a paid claim.
Valuation report
The exhibit that makes your number credible: your vehicle’s details, the full calculation with every factor shown and explained, your comparable listings adjusted for mileage and trim, and the market evidence behind the figure.
Demand letter
Addressed to the at-fault insurer and written the way an adjuster expects to receive one. States your claim number, the legal basis in your state, the amount demanded and a response deadline, factual and professional, never inflammatory.
17c rebuttal
A line-by-line answer to the formula the insurer will open with, showing exactly where the 10% cap and the mileage multiplier understate your loss. This is the section that changes the conversation.
Filing instructions
How to send it by certified mail, what to keep, when to follow up, what a reasonable counter-offer looks like, and what to do the day they say no.
When the calculator tells you not to buy
A one-time purchase product has an obvious incentive to sell a packet to everyone who reaches the end of the form. We block the purchase instead in four situations, because a packet that cannot work is worse than no sale.
Your car was totalled
There is no repaired vehicle carrying a discount. We point you at the total-loss valuation dispute instead.
You were at fault
There is no third party to claim against. We tell you whether your state recognises a first-party claim.
Your filing deadline has passed
We show you the statute and the date, and suggest checking with a lawyer before giving up, deadlines can be paused by facts a calculator cannot see.
The claim is too small to be worth it
Under about $400, the paperwork and follow-up calls outweigh the recovery. You can buy anyway, but we say so first.
Honest comparison
Where Recoupe fits, and where it doesn’t
A licensed appraisal carries more weight than we do, and we say so. For a routine claim on a repaired car, the packet is what actually gets it paid.
| Feature | Recoupe | Free calculators | DV appraiser | Injury law firm |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gives you a dollar figure | Yes | Yes | Yes | No |
| Shows the full method and math | Yes | No | Sometimes | No |
| Written demand letter to the insurer | Yes | No | Sometimes | Yes |
| Rebuts the insurer’s 17c formula | Yes | No | Sometimes | Yes |
| State-specific deadline and legal basis | Yes | No | No | Yes |
| Comparable listings analysis | Yes | No | Yes | No |
| Takes a percentage of your recovery | Never | Never | Never | Usually |
| Cost | $49 once | Free | $200–$400 | Contingency fee |
| Turnaround | Minutes | Instant | 3–10 days | Weeks |
Some insurers, and a few states, will only pay against a licensed appraisal. If that applies to your claim we tell you inside the calculator and point you to how to find a licensed appraiser . We would rather lose the sale than sell you a document that cannot do the job.
Your data
What we keep, and for how long
The free calculator sends nothing anywhere. It runs in your browser and saves your answers on your own device. Your name, address, insurer and claim number are collected only when you generate the packet, and they exist for one reason: to appear on the letter.
Unpurchased estimates are deleted after 30 days. Purchased packets stay retrievable for 180 days, after which the personal details are erased. Payment is handled entirely by Stripe. We never see your card. Read the full privacy policy.
FAQ
Common questions
What exactly do I get for my money?
A tailored valuation report and a demand letter, both as PDFs you can print or email. The report shows the full calculation for your specific vehicle, the comparable listings you supplied, and a line-by-line rebuttal of the insurer’s 17c formula. The demand letter is addressed to the at-fault insurer, cites your state’s legal basis, and states the amount and the deadline. You also get certified-mail instructions and a follow-up schedule.
How is this different from a free diminished value calculator?
Free calculators give you a number and stop. A number on a website is not something an adjuster will pay against. What gets a claim paid is a documented valuation with the method shown, comparable listings supporting it, a rebuttal of the formula the insurer will use, and a professional demand letter citing your state’s legal basis. That is the whole packet, and it is what the free tools do not produce.
How is this different from paying an appraiser $200–400?
An appraiser produces a licensed appraisal, which carries more weight and is occasionally required. Recoupe produces a documented market-based estimate and the demand letter to go with it, for a fraction of the cost and in minutes rather than days. For a routine claim on a repaired vehicle, the packet is usually enough. If your state or your insurer requires a licensed appraisal, we tell you that and point you to an appraiser rather than pretending we replace one.
Is the number guaranteed? Will the insurer definitely pay it?
No, and anyone promising otherwise is misleading you. Our figure is a supported negotiating estimate built on a documented method. Insurers negotiate, and most settlements land between our conservative figure and our supported figure. What the packet does is move the starting point away from the insurer’s formula and give you evidence to argue from.
Do I need an account?
No. Run the calculator, buy the packet, download it. We email you a private link so you can come back to it for 180 days. You can create an account afterwards if you want to keep your claims together, but nothing requires it.
What if the insurer rejects my claim?
That is common on a first pass and it is not the end of the claim. The Escalation Kit adds a rejection-rebuttal letter, a Department of Insurance complaint template pre-filled for your state, a small-claims filing guide with your court’s limit, and a negotiation script with counter-offer thresholds. You can add it at any time.
Can I get a refund?
Yes. If the packet is not what you expected, email us within 30 days and we will refund it, no argument, no form to fill in. We would rather refund you than have you feel you were sold a template.
Find out what your claim is worth
Three minutes, no account, no email. You see the number before you decide anything.