‘Who Pays for What?’ Survey Reveals Labor Time Trends

by Alana Quartuccio

One of the most valuable and FREE resources around lies in the data collected via the quarterly “Who Pays for What?” surveys conducted by CRASH Network and Collision Advice.

The data compiled helps the industry understand that despite what shops are told by third-party payers, they are likely not “the only one” doing and charging for the approximately 100 “not-included” procedures and items encountered throughout the year.

The data is only as good as the input it receives; therefore shops are encouraged to take the time to complete the surveys and spread the word.

“It has been said there are people in life who watch stuff happen, and there are people in life who make stuff happen,” says Mike Anderson (Collision Advice).  “A huge thanks to the many shops who take our surveys. They are the people who MAKE stuff happen. Our goal is to help shops become aware of the not-included operations they are doing, and understand how often other shops are being compensated for them.”

The most recent quarterly Body Labor survey revealed that more collision repair businesses appear to be recognizing that the additional repair work sometimes needed before refinishing new replacement bumpers is a not-included procedure in the estimating systems’ labor times.

The survey asked shops about billing for labor to repair molding or manufacturing defects on new replacement bumpers, such as casting lines or shipping braces that need to be trimmed. Nearly half of shops (49 percent) said they had never included a charge for such work on an estimate – though that was down 10 percentage points from last year. Just 13 percent of those who do bill for this work said that the eight largest national insurers “always” or “most of the time” pay for the step. This was up only slightly from 10 percent in 2025.

The survey also provides data per region. In WMABA’s Mid-Atlantic region, which includes Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia and Washington DC, 14.4 percent reported being paid “most of the time” for this step, which is in line with the national average.

“Manufacturing casting lines and surface panel defects may need to be repaired or corrected to bring some new bumpers to ‘new undamaged condition’ before refinish times begin,” Anderson states. “It’s important to identify these issues during the initial mirror-matching process of the parts to determine if additional labor is necessary. All three information providers acknowledge their published times are based on new undamaged parts, with correcting manufacturing defects excluded from their published times.”

The survey polled shops on labor related to inspecting seat belts per OEM procedures, such as visual inspections or multiple test drives at specific speeds or braking conditions.  Forty percent claimed to be paid “always” or “most of the time.” This dropped 9.6 points since 2025.

“Of all the procedures, this is the one that keeps me awake at night,” admits Anderson. “We must be doing this on every single vehicle. While this survey asks about reimbursement for this procedure, the findings also lead me to believe that shops are aware of this requirement and not doing it every single time.

“Every OEM has a specific procedure for seatbelt inspection,” he continued. “It may require a visual inspection or a scan tool (on some Honda and Acura vehicles, for example, a deployed pre-tensioner does not trigger a DTC, so other ‘live data’ from the scan must be checked). There may be additional steps if a seatbelt is reinstalled to verify it is installed properly.”

How do shops in the Mid-Atlantic compare in this area? With 39.5 percent of the shops polled claiming to be “always” or “most of the time” reimbursed for this step, they are right in line with the average. However, compared to other regions across the country, in the Mid-Atlantic region only 10 percent reported having never asked to be reimbursed for this step – the lowest in the nation.

Anderson also expressed concerns regarding the data surrounding inspecting and measuring steering columns. Data shows that 35 percent of shops are being paid “always” or “most of the time,” which dropped 6.1 percent since last year. The Mid-Atlantic region came in slightly higher with a total of 38 percent reporting being paid “always” or “most of the time.”

“Many automakers have very specific ‘safety inspections’ required after a vehicle has been in a collision,” Anderson explains. “These inspections (including for many GM, Nissan, Subaru and other vehicles) may require the removal and measurement of the steering column. We are finding that about 26 percent to 30 percent of steering columns getting inspected are collapsed. There are also instances  in which columns are longer than they should be. It’s also important to keep in mind that it’s not just about measuring, but also inspecting mounting locations.”

Collision repair professionals are encouraged to visit crashnetwork.com/collisionadvice for more information on upcoming surveys and to download the full Body Labor Survey and other reports. Results from the October survey on scanning, calibrations, aluminum repair and shop supplies will be published this winter.

Want more? Check out the November 2026 issue of Hammer & Dolly!