Recoverable depreciation calculator
Enter the numbers from your adjuster’s estimate to see your first payment, what is held back until repairs, and the most this estimate could pay — in dollars, step by step.
Enable JavaScript to use the calculator. The method and a worked example are below.
Build from my estimate lines
Add each line from your adjuster's estimate. The totals are copied into the form below as you type.
- Replacement cost
- $0.00
- Recoverable depreciation
- $0.00
- Non-recoverable
- $0.00
Add a line to start.
Your breakdown
- Replacement cost (RCV)
What it would cost to repair or replace the damaged items with new ones at today's prices, as shown on your estimate.
- Depreciation
The amount subtracted for age and wear. Your policy may pay the recoverable part later, after repairs; the non-recoverable part is not paid.
- Actual cash value (ACV)
Replacement cost minus all depreciation — roughly what the damaged items were worth just before the loss.
- Deductible
The part of each claim you pay yourself. It is subtracted from what your policy pays.
- First payment (estimated)
Actual cash value minus your deductible, never below $0. This is the payment your policy may make before repairs are done.
- Held back until repairs
Recoverable depreciation your policy may pay after repairs are finished, less any part of the deductible the first payment did not cover.
- Maximum total payout
Replacement cost minus non-recoverable depreciation and your deductible — the most this estimate could pay in total.
- Your share (deductible + non-recoverable)
After repairs
- Expected total payout
The maximum total payout. If you finished repairs for less than the replacement cost, it is based on what you actually spent instead — but never less than the first payment.
- Payments received so far
The total of the payments you entered as already received.
- Estimated remaining payment
Expected total payout minus the payments you have already received, never below $0.
You've received more than this estimate's maximum — your estimate may have been revised. Check with your insurer.
Estimate based on the numbers you entered; your policy wording controls.
What to do next
- Check that the numbers you entered match your adjuster’s estimate line by line.
- Finish the repairs and keep the final invoice and receipts.
- Send your insurer the final invoice and ask them to release the recoverable depreciation that was held back.
- Check how long you have to claim it. Your policy sets the deadline, and some states have their own rules — see replacement cost time limits by state.
How this calculator works
- Actual cash value = replacement cost − recoverable depreciation − non-recoverable depreciation.
- First payment = actual cash value − deductible, never below $0.
- Maximum total payout = replacement cost − non-recoverable depreciation − deductible, never below $0.
- Held back until repairs = maximum total payout − first payment.
- Your share = replacement cost − maximum total payout.
- If repairs are finished and cost less than the replacement cost, the expected total uses the actual cost instead (minus non-recoverable depreciation and the deductible) — never less than the first payment and never more than the maximum.
- Estimated remaining payment = expected total − payments received so far, never below $0.
| Replacement cost (RCV) | $12,000.00 |
|---|---|
| − Depreciation | −$3,000.00 |
| = Actual cash value (ACV) | $9,000.00 |
| − Deductible | −$2,500.00 |
| = First payment (estimated) | $6,500.00 |
| Held back until repairs | $3,000.00 |
| Maximum total payout | $9,500.00 |
| Your share (deductible + non-recoverable) | $2,500.00 |
Estimate based on the numbers you entered; your policy wording controls.