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602-491-2588
If you’ve ever felt like your busiest stretch of the year is also when checks take the longest to land, you’re not imagining it.
After managing hundreds of thousands of restoration claims, we’ve seen a consistent seasonal pattern: claims submitted during peak summer and early fall take meaningfully longer to reach payment than claims submitted in late winter and early spring.
That creates a difficult cash flow mismatch for restoration contractors. The months when you’re running the most jobs, deploying the most equipment, and stretching payroll the thinnest are often the same months when carrier payment velocity slows down.
Looking across our broader claims data, claims submitted between July and October consistently take roughly 20-30% longer to reach payment compared to claims submitted between January and April. The difference works out to weeks, not days. And it’s not a one-year fluke. It shows up year over year.
Average invoice sizes also tend to be higher during the late summer and fall window, which means the dollars being delayed are bigger dollars. Storm season produces both more jobs and larger jobs, and both factors compound the cash flow pressure that lands in Q3 and Q4.
For restoration contractors, this matters because payment timing isn’t just an accounting issue. It affects payroll, equipment capacity, vendor relationships, hiring decisions, and your ability to keep taking on work during the busiest part of the year.
Several forces converge during peak season.
Adjuster capacity gets stretched. During heavy storm seasons and CAT events, individual adjusters are often managing more files than normal. Response times stretch, second-look reviews get queued, and your file is competing with many others for attention.
Carrier backlog builds quickly. Claims departments staff to a baseline. When volume spikes, even well-run carriers can fall behind. The slowdown also doesn’t disappear the moment claim volume drops. Backlogs can keep affecting payment velocity for weeks or months.
Homeowner availability can slow the process. Summer travel, school schedules, and busier family calendars can delay homeowner-side steps that some carriers require before issuing payment or moving a file forward.
Adjuster transitions become more common. Files in motion during busy seasons are more likely to switch hands midstream. When that happens, momentum can reset. The new adjuster may need to review documentation, revisit scope, or reestablish communication before the claim starts moving again.
The result is predictable: a Q3 invoice can behave very differently than a Q1 invoice, even when the documentation and pricing quality are similar.
The seasonal pattern is real, but it doesn’t have to dictate your cash flow. Here’s how top restoration operators prepare for the busy season:
Build up cash reserves in Q1 and Q2. The strongest restoration operators we work with treat early-year collections as the runway that helps carry them through peak season. If cash flow is already tight, the slow-payment season will expose it quickly. Planning ahead gives you more control when volume rises and payment timing stretches.
Submit clean and complete the first time. A claim that reaches the carrier with clear documentation, proper authorizations, accurate scope, and organized support is more likely to move through a busy queue with fewer delays. A claim with even small gaps can sit for weeks waiting for clarification.
Tighten follow-up cadence during summer and early fall. Adjuster silence isn’t always resistance during CAT season. Often, it’s overload. The contractors who get paid first are usually the ones whose files stay visible, organized, and easy for the adjuster to act on.
Use the slow season to fix what summer revealed. December through March is when many contractors have the bandwidth to review documentation processes, retrain technicians, audit work authorization habits, and strengthen internal billing workflows. The mistakes you see during your busy season are the lessons your next season should be built on.
The seasonal payment pattern is one of the most consistent trends we see in restoration claims, and it’s also one of the most overlooked. Knowing it exists means you can plan for it.
Whether you handle billing in-house or work with a partner, the strategy is the same: don’t let your busiest months catch your cash flow off guard. Build reserves early, submit cleaner files, follow up more consistently, and use the slower months to strengthen the systems that peak season will test.
If your team is stretched too thin to maintain follow-up pressure during storm season, that’s exactly the gap an outsourced billing partner is designed to close. An early payment program can also be a game-changer here. It lets you collect a percentage of a qualified invoice right away, easing cash flow pressure exactly when you need it most.
If either of those sounds like the lift your team needs heading into storm season, that’s a conversation worth having with OCS.
Hi there! I’m Connor, the Account Executive for One Claim. My goal is to guide our contractors through the sales process, ensuring you’re equipped with all the information you need to make your decision and hit the ground running once aboard. We view ourselves as an extension of your business and I strive to make the process an enlightening and consultative one.
My career has primarily been focused in software sales over a few different industries but the last few years were spent helping general contractors solve similar problems to what we’re doing here at OCS! Outside of work, I love spending time with my family, cooking and boating during the summer months.
Hello! I’m Nicole, and I’m here to champion for our employees, recruit for new talent, and impact culture at One Claim Solution. I find satisfaction in supporting a memorable employee experience and bring innovation, problem solving, and strategic view to the process. Nothing is more important than our people, and a healthy culture is my top priority! I have had the pleasure of building my career in various sectors, specializing in small to medium size firms focused on high-growth. My experience is centered around driving and implementing change, leading high-performing teams, and driving process improvements. I am excited to make an impact at One Claim. Outside of work, my family and I enjoy getting outdoors as much as possible to explore beautiful Colorado!
Great to meet you! I’m Elizabeth, and I’m the one behind all the emails and advertisements you’ve been seeing. As the Demand Generation Manager at One Claim Solution, my mission is to connect with contractors like you who need our services. I’m passionate about having an impact on others and I bring a wealth of experience in demand generation and marketing strategy to create moments of delight, curiosity, and education for you.
Prior to One Claim Solution, I had the privilege of building marketing departments from the ground up at companies in a variety of industries, including IT consulting, first protection, and healthcare. Personally, I love being outdoors, playing Dungeons and Dragons and board games, singing, and traveling.
Welcome! I’m Alisha, and I’m here to champion your success as the Director of Contractor Success at One Claim. With a passion for helping contractors thrive, I bring a wealth of experience in onboarding, customer service, and account management to ensure your journey with us is nothing short of exceptional.
Prior to joining One Claim, I had the privilege of scaling SMB and Enterprise Customer Success teams at fast-growing SaaS startups. With over six years of experience at companies like Mavenlink, Teamwork, and ServiceTitan, I honed my expertise in building high-performing teams and fostering proactive, consultative relationships. This background has equipped me with a deep understanding of the challenges faced by businesses like yours, and I’m dedicated to helping you overcome them.
Hi there, my name is Eric! I am the Chief Technology Officer here at OCS, spearheading our technical strategy. I have a background in computer science, graduating cum laude from BYU-Idaho with a Bachelor’s degree in Computer Information Technology.
Before coming to One Claim, I served as the Director of Engineering at Slingshot Technology, Inc., a company later acquired by WorkWave in 2021. My professional journey has spanned both emerging startups and established corporations, with a steadfast focus on cultivating high-trust, low bureaucracy teams and innovating technology using agile methodologies.
In my free time, you can find me flying drones, enjoying the outdoors, and spending time with my family.
Hello, my name is Cam, I’m the COO of One Claim Solution! I come from a management consulting background (Bain & Company) and hold an MBA from the University of Michigan. I have worked at a wide variety of organizations, from Fortune 500 to small-cap, in an equally wide variety of industries. I have over 15 years of experience in operations and strategic growth, and I have spent much of my career focused on developing high-performing tech-enabled service organizations through early stage and high growth phases.
Outside of work, my wife Brittny and I have four kids, ages 13 to 6. As residents of Mesa, Arizona, we love to ski and explore the national parks of the southwest!
Hello, my name is Dan, and I am the CEO of One Claim Solution. I am super excited by everything we are doing at OCS to be the market leading insurance billing specialist that advocates on behalf of our restoration contractors.
My professional experiences are predominantly corporate in nature. My career started at General Electric in finance and accounting. Immediately prior to joining OCS, I spent time as an investor at Bondcliff Partners and management consultant with Bain & Company. I also hold an MBA from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University and got my BS in finance and accounting from Northeastern University.
Outside of the office, I enjoy spending time with my wife, two young children, and our family dog, Whiskey. We live in Charleston, SC and take advantage of the beautiful weather by spending as much time as possible outside at the beach or adventuring around town
Hi, I’m Josh! In 2016, I co-founded One Claim Solution with my partner Jeremy Traasdahl, and I serve as General Counsel of One Claim Solution. Working in the restoration industry, Jeremy and I saw contractors struggling to get paid quickly and fairly and we knew there was a need for change. We founded One Claim Solution to be this change and it’s been my privilege to see our company grow and to advocate for our clients as general counsel.
Outside of my passion for helping the restoration industry, I enjoy spending time outdoors, fly-fishing, hunting, skiing, and coaching my kids’ baseball teams. I’ve been married to my amazing wife for 20 years and we have a beautiful family of 5 children.
Hey, I’m Jeremy! In 2016, I co-founded One Claim Solution with my partner Josh Ehmke. Working in the restoration industry, Josh and I saw contractors struggling to get paid quickly and fairly and we knew there was a need for change. We founded One Claim Solution to be this change and it’s been my privilege to lead our amazing team.
Prior to One Claim Solution, I started my career as an inside sales rep for Avnet, then moved to Pepsico as a district sales manager. Outside of work, I love spending time with my wife and four children, two boys and two girls!