Free tool
Insurance claim delay checker
Find out how long your claim has been waiting, whether your state's claims-handling rules appear to have been missed, and what to do next, with a follow-up letter you can copy.
Insurers do not get unlimited time. Most states have an unfair claims settlement practices law and a regulation that sets time limits for acknowledging a claim, replying to the person making it, and accepting or denying it. When an adjuster stops answering, the useful move is to put a dated request in writing, then escalate in a set order. This checker does the date math and builds that plan for your state.
Choose a state and enter at least the date you reported the claim to see your results.
By Serdar Arslan, editor · Last reviewed · How we research
How the checker works
You enter the date you reported the claim, the date of your last unanswered message, and, if it applies, when the insurer received your proof of loss and when it accepted the claim. The tool counts the days elapsed. For states where we have read the regulation, it adds each time limit to the right starting date (calendar days or business days, as the rule states) and compares the result with today. Anything past its date is marked "looks overdue".
It then lists an escalation ladder that changes with your answers: claims against the other driver's insurer get the option of using your own coverage and small claims court, and claims on your own policy get the appraisal and lawyer steps. The follow-up letter is built in your browser from your dates. Nothing is sent to us.
First-party and third-party claims are different
A first-party claim is one you make on your own policy, such as collision, MedPay, PIP or uninsured motorist coverage. The insurer owes you duties under the contract you pay for, and state rules often give first-party claimants the strongest protections. A third-party claim is one you make against the other driver's liability insurer. That company's contract is with its own customer, not with you. It still has to follow state claims-handling rules, but some deadlines are written only for first-party claims, and in many states you cannot sue another person's insurer directly for how it handled your claim.
That is why the tool asks whose insurer it is. Provisions the regulation states only for first-party claims are flagged if you choose the other driver's insurer.
Time limits we have verified
We list a state's rule only after reading the regulation text at an official source. So far that covers New York, Ohio, Virginia, Washington. For every other state, the tool links to the Department of Insurance and asks you to check the state's unfair claims settlement practices regulation.
| State | Acknowledge claim | Reply to messages | Accept or deny | Pay after acceptance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New York 11 NYCRR Part 216 | 15 business days 11 NYCRR 216.4(a) | 15 business days 11 NYCRR 216.4(b) | 15 business days 11 NYCRR 216.6(c) | 5 business days 11 NYCRR 216.6(f) |
| Ohio Ohio Adm.Code 3901-1-54 | 15 calendar days Ohio Adm.Code 3901-1-54(F)(2) | 15 calendar days Ohio Adm.Code 3901-1-54(F)(3) | 21 calendar days Ohio Adm.Code 3901-1-54(G)(1) | 10 calendar days (first-party) Ohio Adm.Code 3901-1-54(G)(6) |
| Virginia 14VAC5-400 | 15 calendar days 14VAC5-400-50(A) | 15 calendar days 14VAC5-400-50(C) | 15 calendar days (first-party) 14VAC5-400-60(A) | No day count |
| Washington WAC 284-30 | 10 business days WAC 284-30-360(1) | 10 business days WAC 284-30-360(3) | 30 calendar days WAC 284-30-380(1), (3) | 15 business days WAC 284-30-330(16) |
Washington amended its claims rules effective October 18, 2026. Under the amended WAC 284-30-380, the 30-day period to accept or deny runs from notification of the claim. Ohio's rule states its periods in days without saying business days, so the tool counts calendar days.
Assumptions and limits
- Business days skip Saturdays and Sundays. Holidays are not removed, so a real deadline can fall a day or two later.
- Most rules let the insurer take longer if it tells you in writing why it needs more time. If you got such a letter, the original date may not be a violation.
- Clocks that start at "proof of loss" start when the insurer receives a properly completed proof of loss and the items it asked for, not when you first called.
- No-fault (PIP) benefits, health insurance and claims against government vehicles often follow separate rules and deadlines.
- A missed time limit does not mean the insurer owes the amount you want. It is a reason to escalate and a fact to put in a complaint.
Data sources
State time limits come from the regulation texts listed in the sources below. Many states modeled their rules on the NAIC model regulation, but each state changed the details, so we do not apply one state's numbers to another. Department of Insurance links come from the NAIC state insurance department map and official complaint pages found in search. Where we link a department's home page, look for its consumer or complaints section.
Department of Insurance links by state
- Alabama: Alabama Department of Insurance
- Alaska: Alaska Division of Insurance
- Arizona: Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions
- Arkansas: Arkansas Department of Insurance
- California: California Department of Insurance
- Colorado: Colorado Division of Insurance
- Connecticut: Connecticut Insurance Department
- Delaware: Delaware Department of Insurance
- Florida: Florida Department of Financial Services, Division of Consumer Services
- Georgia: Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner
- Hawaii: Hawaii Insurance Division
- Idaho: Idaho Department of Insurance
- Illinois: Illinois Department of Insurance
- Indiana: Indiana Department of Insurance
- Iowa: Iowa Insurance Division (complaint page)
- Kansas: Kansas Department of Insurance
- Kentucky: Kentucky Department of Insurance
- Louisiana: Louisiana Department of Insurance (complaint page)
- Maine: Maine Bureau of Insurance
- Maryland: Maryland Insurance Administration
- Massachusetts: Massachusetts Division of Insurance (complaint page)
- Michigan: Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services
- Minnesota: Minnesota Department of Commerce
- Mississippi: Mississippi Insurance Department
- Missouri: Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance
- Montana: Office of the Montana State Auditor, Commissioner of Securities and Insurance
- Nebraska: Nebraska Department of Insurance
- Nevada: Nevada Division of Insurance
- New Hampshire: New Hampshire Insurance Department
- New Jersey: New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance
- New Mexico: New Mexico Office of Superintendent of Insurance
- New York: New York Department of Financial Services
- North Carolina: North Carolina Department of Insurance
- North Dakota: North Dakota Insurance Department
- Ohio: Ohio Department of Insurance
- Oklahoma: Oklahoma Insurance Department
- Oregon: Oregon Division of Financial Regulation (Department of Consumer and Business Services)
- Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania Insurance Department
- Rhode Island: Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation, Insurance Regulation Division
- South Carolina: South Carolina Department of Insurance
- South Dakota: South Dakota Division of Insurance
- Tennessee: Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance
- Texas: Texas Department of Insurance
- Utah: Utah Insurance Department
- Vermont: Vermont Department of Financial Regulation
- Virginia: Virginia State Corporation Commission, Bureau of Insurance
- Washington: Washington State Office of the Insurance Commissioner
- West Virginia: West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner
- Wisconsin: Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance
- Wyoming: Wyoming Department of Insurance
Related help
Frequently asked questions
›How long does an insurance company have to respond to a car accident claim?
It depends on the state. Most states have a regulation that sets time limits for acknowledging a claim, replying to claimants and deciding claims. For example, Virginia's rule requires acknowledgment within 15 calendar days (14VAC5-400-50) and New York's within 15 business days (11 NYCRR 216.4). Check your state's unfair claims settlement practices regulation or its Department of Insurance.
›Do these time limits apply when I claim against the other driver's insurer?
Some do and some do not. Rules on acknowledging claims and replying to messages often protect any claimant, while some decision and payment deadlines are written only for first-party claims on your own policy. The tool flags provisions written for first-party claims.
›What happens when I file a Department of Insurance complaint?
Generally the department sends your complaint to the insurer and asks it to respond, then reviews the response. It can look at whether the insurer followed state claims-handling rules, but it usually cannot decide who was at fault or order a specific payment amount. There is generally no fee to file.
›The insurer missed a deadline. Do they now have to pay my claim?
Usually not automatically. A missed time limit is a regulatory violation the state can act on, and in some states it may support a bad-faith or unfair-practices claim, but it does not by itself prove the insurer owes the amount you asked for. A lawyer in your state can tell you what remedies exist.
›Should I switch to my own insurance if the other insurer is ignoring me?
If you have collision coverage or uninsured motorist property damage coverage, using it can get your car repaired sooner. You usually pay your deductible first, and your insurer may later recover it from the other insurer through subrogation. Ask your insurer how it handles the deductible before you decide.
Sources
- Virginia Administrative Code 14VAC5-400-50, Acknowledgment of pertinent communications
- Virginia Administrative Code 14VAC5-400-60, Standards for prompt investigation of claims
- Virginia Administrative Code 14VAC5-400-70, Claims settlement standards applicable to all insurers
- Ohio Administrative Code 3901-1-54, Unfair property/casualty claims settlement practices
- New York 11 NYCRR 216.4, Failure to acknowledge pertinent communications
- New York 11 NYCRR 216.6, Standards for prompt, fair and equitable settlement
- Washington State Register WSR 26-17-089 (amending WAC 284-30, effective October 18, 2026)
- NAIC: Unfair Property/Casualty Claims Settlement Practices Model Regulation
- NAIC: Insurance Departments (state map)
- Texas Department of Insurance: Getting your insurance claim paid
- Texas Office of Public Insurance Counsel: Third-Party Claims