A TPA or carrier panel is a pre-approved vendor network that dispatches insurance claims to contractors who already cleared credentialing. Getting on the list can fill the calendar. Staying on the wrong list can train your company to work at a loss.
Cap program work
Treat TPA and carrier-program revenue as 25–40% of the mix, not the business model. The other 60–75% should come from commercial accounts you own — Emergency Response Agreements, property-manager panels, and retail work. If one program is more than 20% of revenue, you do not have a customer. You have a landlord.
Credentials before applications
Do not start six applications on a Friday. Build the packet once:
- IICRC firm and tech roster (WRT, ASD, FSRT, AMRT as you actually staff them)
- State contractor licenses for every market you will accept work in
- GL, auto, and workers-comp certificates at the limits the program publishes
- Xactimate seat and a named estimator
- W-9, banking, and a safety program you can attach as a PDF
Application order
Apply first where contractor support and guidelines are tolerable. Use the contractor-side scorecard and the 2025 RIA TPA Scorecard on Tygart Media for the ratings. Official report: RIA. This page is the operating order, not a reprint of those scores.
- Finish the credential packet.
- Apply to the highest-support program that actually has volume in your ZIP codes.
- Add a second program only after you have run ten files and know your true margin after fees.
- Treat high-volume, high-friction networks as overflow, not the plan.
When to walk away
- Support or payment terms make collections a second job.
- The fee plus mandatory discounts put fully loaded margin under your target. Run the numbers on the Field App.
- The program wants estimate-only work that blocks you from the mitigation you already started.
- Guidelines require you to lie about Category or Class to keep a score. That is not a program. That is a liability.
Questions
Should we be on every panel in our state?
No. Two programs you can service well beat six programs that own your calendar and your margin.
Does panel work replace commercial accounts?
No. Panels fill gaps. Emergency Response Agreements own the door.
Get the TPA Fast-Track
The Vault includes the TPA and insurer panel fast-track: credentials, application order, and when to say no. One email. No sales call.
The Vault · Contractor-side scorecard · RIA TPA Scorecard · ERA system · Field App