How to Use a Car Insurance Settlement Calculator

A car insurance settlement calculator is a valuable piece of equipment when you are about to embark on an insurance claim. There are so many complicated pieces of information which could both add to and diminish your claim, that sometimes it seems only a good hand can help the claimant to work their way through the form. A settlement calculator is exactly this, a hand in a situation where it doesn't seem possible to make a fair car insurance settlement claim. In order to operate the calculator to its best effect, you need to be able to put in the information at the right time. The result will then be an accurate record of your claim.

Step 1 - Gather all Your Papers Together

The first step in using the car accident settlement calculator is to assemble all of the documentation that you will need to work out your claim. Divide this pile into bills caused by the accident, including any utility payments which are going to fall during a period of incapacity, and fees from the insurers, excess charges, and other bills which will have to be covered by you. You may need to work out what bills go where before you begin the calculation, otherwise you could input the words in the wrong place and get stuck.

Step 2 - Input the Costs

You will then want to input all the costs into the calculator. This will include things such as auto repair, medical treatments, and even payments for ambulances and emergency teams, if you have to pay a portion of that bill under local law. If you are the victim in the car accident, in that it was not your fault, then you can add all of these bills together without taking anything off, as the other party's company will have to foot most, if not all, of the bill. If you are partially responsible, then you will have to deduct part of the cost. This can be done very simply by using a button on the calculator (where this button is depends on the design of the calculator).

Step 3 - Input the Deductions

You will now have to take out any deductions, which include charges by the company, costs incurred if the accident was partially your fault, and any other charges. You should then put this total into the calculator, and deduct it from your previous total. This should allow you to work out the basic settlement to which you are entitled.

Using a Settlement Calculator

These calculators are set up to help people who are having a lot of trouble working out how much they should ask for from their insurance company. They are not really designed to help those who have a good idea of what they need to claim. They are also not calibrated to work on complicated settlement claims. For this you really need a human being who can calculate the costs using their understanding of the policy agreement.