A spreadsheet and an email inbox are enough for a low volume of simple claims run by one handler. Once several people share the claims, deadlines start slipping, or an insurer or auditor asks who decided what, claims management software pays for itself. The signs are predictable, and so is the switch.
Key takeaways
- One handler with a few claims a month can run a well-kept spreadsheet safely. That is a fair starting point, not a failure.
- According to Raymond Panko's review of spreadsheet field audits, the more recent audits found errors in at least 86% of spreadsheets.
- Under the General Insurance Code of Practice, a retail claimant must be told what is needed within 10 business days of lodging a claim.
- According to the Code Governance Committee, claims caused 59% of the 70,325 Code breaches recorded in 2024-25.
- The hidden cost of a spreadsheet is not the licence. It is the chasing, re-keying and missed deadlines nobody records.
What is the short answer?
Keep the spreadsheet while one person handles a modest number of simple claims and can see every deadline. Move to claims management software when claims are shared, when volume or complexity grows, or when you must prove how each claim was handled. The tipping point is usually people, not claim count.
Spreadsheets fail quietly. A single handler knows which row means what and which email holds the latest update. A second handler does not, and nor does an auditor. So the risk rises sharply the moment knowledge has to be shared.
When is a spreadsheet enough?
A spreadsheet is enough when one person handles a small number of claims, each claim is simple, and nobody outside the team needs to audit the record. A small broker with a few claims a month can run them safely in a well-kept register. So can a self-insured business with occasional minor incidents.
The register needs a few disciplines to stay safe. Each claim needs a unique number, a date received, a status and a next action with a date. It also needs a link to where its documents live. In addition, one person should own the file, and it should be backed up.
That set-up costs nothing beyond time. For a low-volume team, it can be the sensible choice. Buying software before it is needed adds cost and change without solving a real problem.
What are the signs you have outgrown a spreadsheet?
You have outgrown a spreadsheet when more than one person works the same claims, or when you learn about missed deadlines after the fact. Other signs are claimants or insurers chasing you for updates, a claim's history scattered across email, and an audit asking who decided what when you cannot show it.
Shared work. Two people editing one register creates version conflicts and gaps. Each handler starts keeping private notes, and the register stops being the record.
Missed timeframes. For retail claims, the Code of Practice sets deadlines from the day a claim arrives. According to the Code, the claimant must be told what is needed within 10 business days, then updated at least every 20 business days. A spreadsheet does not warn anyone when those dates pass.
Status chasing. When claimants, brokers or insurers ring to ask where a claim is, someone has to stop and find out. That time is rarely counted, but it grows with every claim.
Audit questions. Finally, an insurer reviewing an agency, or a board reviewing a self-insurance scheme, wants to see each decision and who made it. A spreadsheet records outcomes, not decisions, and anyone can overwrite a cell.
What does running claims on spreadsheets really cost?
The real cost of spreadsheet claims is time spent chasing and re-keying, errors in the register, and missed obligations that lead to complaints or breaches. None of it appears on an invoice. So it is easy to ignore until a complaint, an audit finding or a lost client makes it visible.
Errors are the first cost. According to Raymond Panko's review of field audits, the more recent and more careful audits found errors in at least 86% of the spreadsheets examined. Those audits mostly looked at financial models, not claims registers. Even so, they show how easily a manual record drifts from the truth.
Breaches and complaints are the second cost. According to the Code Governance Committee, claims caused 59% of the 70,325 Code breaches recorded in 2024-25. Meanwhile, according to AFCA, general insurance complaints reached 36,022 in 2025-26, with delay the most common issue. Many of those delays start with a claim nobody was tracking.
Time is the third cost. Every status call, email search and figure copied into a payment system is time a handler is not spending on the claim. Multiply that by each claim and each handler, and it often exceeds the cost of software.
How do spreadsheets and claims software compare side by side?
Side by side, a spreadsheet wins on cost and simplicity, and claims software wins on control, visibility and proof. The table uses ClaimsGateway (claimsgateway.com) as the example of claims software, because its facts are documented here. Other platforms differ in detail but share the main advantages.
- Audit trail. Claims software (for example ClaimsGateway): Audit logs of system and user activity; Spreadsheet and email: Cell edits overwrite each other; email holds the rest.
- Status visibility. Claims software (for example ClaimsGateway): Each claim in one record, from first notice of loss to close; Spreadsheet and email: Depends on the register being up to date.
- Payments. Claims software (for example ClaimsGateway): Automated payment set-up and tracking, payment histories and reconciliation; Spreadsheet and email: Keyed into a separate system by hand.
- Permissions. Claims software (for example ClaimsGateway): User, role and permission controls; Spreadsheet and email: Anyone with the file can change anything.
- Process. Claims software (for example ClaimsGateway): Workflows the business configures without developers; Spreadsheet and email: Each handler's own habits.
- Cost. Claims software (for example ClaimsGateway): Volume-based subscription from AUD 5,500 a year ex GST (October 2026); Spreadsheet and email: No licence cost; the cost is staff time.
The comparison was checked against ClaimsGateway's site in October 2026.
How do you move claims off spreadsheets?
Move in five steps. Write down how claims are handled today, clean the open claims, and configure the software to match a simple version of that process. Then move open claims across, start new claims in the software and retire the spreadsheet. Most teams keep closed claims in the old file for reference.
Map the process first. List the steps a claim goes through, who does each one and what triggers the next. This becomes the first workflow in the new system. Keep it simple, because it is easier to add steps later than to remove them.
Clean the open claims. Next, check each open claim in the spreadsheet: correct status, next action, contact details and where its documents are. Moving messy data simply moves the mess.
Start new claims in the new system. Then set a date from which every new claim is lodged only in the software. Open claims can follow in a batch, while closed claims usually stay in the archive.
Retire the spreadsheet. Finally, make the software the only place a claim's status is updated. A register kept "just in case" soon becomes a second, conflicting record.
ClaimsGateway is one option for brokers, agencies, TPAs, insurers and self-insured organisations making this move, because the business configures its own workflows without developers. The ClaimsGateway features page sets out what it covers. However, a low-volume team with one claims handler may find a well-kept spreadsheet still does the job.
Frequently asked questions
Can I manage insurance claims in Excel?
Yes, for a small number of simple claims handled by one person. Excel works as a claims register if each claim has a unique number, status, next action and date, and the file is owned and backed up. It becomes risky once several people share the claims or deadlines need to be tracked and proven.
Is there a free claims register template?
A basic claims register needs columns for claim number, date received, claimant, policy or scheme, type of claim, status, next action, next action date, handler, amount reserved, amount paid and document location. Any spreadsheet tool can hold that. The template matters less than keeping every row current and having one owner.
How many claims before I need software?
There is no fixed number. The tipping point is usually when a second handler starts working the same claims, when claims become complex enough that history matters, or when an insurer or auditor needs to see decisions. Some teams reach that at a few dozen open claims; others never do.
What does claims software replace?
Claims software replaces the claims register, the folders of emails that hold each claim's history, manual reminders for deadlines, and the re-keying of payments into another system. It does not replace a broker's or insurer's policy system, which usually stays in place and connects to the claims software.
How long does it take to move off spreadsheets?
It depends on the number of open claims, the number of processes and the data's condition. A small team with one simple process can move quickly, while a larger operation with several schemes takes longer. Cleaning the open claims and agreeing the first workflow usually take more time than configuring the software.
About the author
ClaimsGateway builds cloud claims management software for insurers, underwriting agencies, brokers, TPAs and self-insured organisations in Australia and New Zealand. Every regulator figure in this article links to its source, and every vendor fact was checked on the vendor's own site on the date shown.
Related reading
- Claims software in Australia: the platforms teams move to from spreadsheets.
- Claims software for brokers: options for broker claims teams.
- What is FNOL?: what a complete claim intake captures.
Sources
- Panko, Raymond R. "Spreadsheet Errors: What We Know. What We Think We Can Do." Proceedings of the European Spreadsheet Risks Interest Group, 2000. https://arxiv.org/pdf/0802.3457
- Insurance Council of Australia. General Insurance Code of Practice (2020 Code), Part 8, paragraphs 68 and 70. https://insurancecouncil.com.au/code-of-practice
- Insurance Business Australia. "Record AFCA complaints mask a worse story in insurer compliance data." 4 August 2026. https://www.insurancebusinessmag.com/au/news/breaking-news/record-afca-complaints-mask-a-worse-story-in-insurer-compliance-data-584812.aspx (reports AFCA's 2025-26 figures and the Code Governance Committee's 2024-25 data)
- ClaimsGateway. Website and security page, checked 21 October 2026. https://www.claimsgateway.com/platform/security-compliance
