Repairs fix the damage. We help you recover thousands in lost value.

Because buyers aren't just paying for how the car looks; they are paying for peace of mind.

Even if your repairs are flawless, your car now carries a permanent "risk flag" on its history report. In the eyes of a dealership or future buyer, a car with an accident history is "damaged goods." They worry about:

• Hidden Damage: Structural weaknesses that weren't caught during repair.
• Long-Term Quality: Paint that fades differently or parts that rust faster.
• "Gremlins": Rattles, electrical issues, or alignment problems that pop up months later.

To convince someone to buy your car instead of a crash-free one, you (or the dealer) would have to lower the price significantly. That price cut is your Diminished Value.

Yes, but for most drivers, only one type matters: Inherent Diminished Value.

While there are technically three types, most claims focus on the permanent loss of value that remains even after your car is fixed.

1. Inherent Diminished Value
   This is the most common type. It assumes your car was repaired perfectly but is now worth less simply because it has an accident history. This is the "stigma damage" that PayoutJet helps you recover.
2. Repair-Related Diminished Value
   This happens when the body shop does a poor job (mismatched paint, panel gaps, etc.). If you have this issue, the body shop may be responsible for re-doing the work to make it right (cases vary, we are not a law firm).
3. Immediate Diminished Value
   This is the loss in value immediately after the crash, before any repairs are made. This generally only applies if you sell the car while it is still wrecked.

No. You rarely have to accept their generic formula.

Insurers often try to use a "one-size-fits-all" calculation (known as the "17c formula") to artificially cap your payout. In most states, this is not the law. It is just an internal tool insurers use to save money and limit their payouts.

Real diminished value is based on market evidence, not a generic multiplier. To override their lowball number, our technology helps provide evidence for your claim based on the factors that actually matter:

1. Local Market Realities (The #1 Factor)
   We analyze how much similar cars, both clean and wrecked, are actually selling for in your specific area. Real sales data overrides generic percentages.
2. Damage Severity
   Not all crashes are equal. Structural frame damage or airbag deployment generally creates a much larger drop in value than cosmetic repairs. Simple formulas usually ignore this critical nuance.
3. Your Vehicle's Pedigree
   The "better" your car was before the crash, the more value it has to lose. We factor in your specific trim, options, and low mileage to help maximize the valuation.

The Bottom Line:
The insurer's formula is designed to pay you the minimum. Our report is designed to document the maximum based on real-world market data.

If your vehicle has damage and is relatively modern, you likely have a claim worth investigating.

While every case is different, the size of your potential payout usually depends on three main factors. The stronger you are in these areas, the higher your claim typically is:

1. Fault
   In most states, you claim this against the at-fault driver's insurance. (However, if you live in Georgia, Kansas, or Washington, you may be eligible to claim against your own policy even if you were at fault).
2. Vehicle Age & Mileage
   There is no strict cutoff, but newer cars generally lose the most value.
   Strongest Claims: Vehicles 1–7 years old with under 100k miles.
   Valid Claims: Older luxury/enthusiast vehicles or low-mileage daily drivers often still qualify.
3. Prior History
   Cars with a "Clean Title" and no prior accidents usually see the highest valuations because they had the most value to lose. If you had a minor fender bender in the past, you can typically still file a claim, though the final amount may be adjusted.

Not sure? Our free intake tool checks your specific vehicle in about 2 minutes to provide a preliminary estimate of your lost value, helping you decide if moving forward may make financial sense.

Generally, the payout belongs to the vehicle's owner (the leasing company). Because a lease is technically a long-term rental, the leasing company holds the title. They are the ones losing money on the car's future resale value, so they are typically the ones entitled to the insurance check.

The Major Exception: If you plan to buy out your lease, the loss becomes yours. Because your buyout price was locked in before the crash, you would be paying "full price" for a damaged car. Once you buy the title, you generally have the right to claim the lost value. (Note: Watch the calendar. If you wait years to buy the lease, the legal deadline to file a claim might expire.)

Loss of Use is cash compensation for the days you were forced to live without your car.

Think of it as the daily "salary" your car earns just by being available to you. If an accident puts your car out of work, in many states, the at-fault insurance company is responsible for compensating you for every day it sits in the shop.

The "Secret" Benefit: In many states, you can claim this money even if you never rented a car. If you borrowed a friend's car or took an Uber, you are still typically entitled to the daily market rate of your own vehicle's availability.

How it is calculated: We identify the Daily Rental Rate of a comparable vehicle (not a cheap economy car) and multiply it by the time you were without yours.

• The Rate: Your SUV would rent for $60/day.
• The Time: It was in the shop (or unsafe to drive) for 18 days.
• The Claim: Your potential compensation is $1,080 ($60 × 18).

Already had a rental? If the insurance company put you in a cheap sedan ($30/day) but you drive a large truck ($80/day), you are often entitled to claim the difference in value for every single day.

Note: The numbers above are for illustration only. Payouts vary by your case specifics.

Yes. The process is almost identical, but the name on the check will be different.

If your vehicle is owned by an LLC, corporation, or family trust, you can absolutely file a diminished value claim. The only difference is that the claim represents a loss to the business, so the paperwork must match the legal owner.

Pro Tip: This is very common for work trucks and fleet vehicles. Because these vehicles are depreciating business assets, recovering their lost market value is often a smart financial move for the company's bottom line.

PayoutJet is a software provider, not a law firm. We do not give legal advice, and we cannot represent you in court. Instead, we provide the data, market evidence, and professional documentation you need to substantiate your own claim directly with the insurance company.

Why use PayoutJet? Many attorneys work on contingency (taking 33%–50% of the settlement) and often decline cases that are limited strictly to property damage. PayoutJet charges a flat fee to equip you with professional-grade valuation reports, allowing you to handle the claim yourself and keep 100% of the final settlement.

Important Note: Some matters are best handled by a licensed attorney.

We turn your accident documents into a demand package in four simple steps:

1. Free Eligibility Check (2 Minutes)
   Answer a few quick questions about your vehicle and the accident. Our system screens your inputs against standard eligibility factors to provide a preliminary estimate of your potential claim, completely for free.
2. Market Data Analysis
   If you proceed, you upload your repair estimate. Our technology analyzes your specific damage using local sales comps and proprietary market factors to calculate an estimated range of lost value.
3. Get Your Professional Report
   We generate a comprehensive Demand Package formatted for your state’s common standards. This includes your valuation report, comparable vehicle examples, and a professional demand letter that is fully editable and ready for your review.
4. You Submit & Negotiate
   You simply forward the edited package to your insurance adjuster and hopefully receive your payout.

Probably not! In many states, the legal time limit (Statute of Limitations) for property damage is surprisingly long—typically between 2 and 6 years.

Even if you have already repaired your car and the insurance file is "closed," you can typically still file a separate claim for Diminished Value, provided you haven't signed a final "Release of Liability" waiver.