Insurance Claim Deadline Calculator

How Insurance Claim Deadlines Work by State

Every property insurance claim runs on two layers of deadlines. The first is your policy, which sets its own notice and proof-of-loss conditions and often a "suit against us" time limit. The second is state law, which can set its own deadlines, limit how short a policy's deadline can be, or set deadlines the insurer must meet.

Shoreline Public Adjusters serves policyholders in Florida, Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota and South Dakota. The five states handle these layers very differently. Florida sets notice limits by statute and dates a hurricane loss from landfall, Minnesota's standard fire policy rules cover fire losses only, Wisconsin sets a 12-month time to sue, North Dakota sets notice limits for reopened and supplemental claims, and South Dakota voids contract terms that shorten the time to sue. Entering your claim details above returns the main statutory deadlines for your situation. For help with a denied or underpaid claim, connect with a Florida public adjuster, Minnesota public adjuster, Wisconsin public adjuster, North Dakota public adjuster or South Dakota public adjuster.

Insurance Claim Deadlines Compared: Florida, Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota and South Dakota

Florida Insurance Claim Deadlines

Florida's current notice limits took effect December 16, 2022. A new or reopened claim must be reported within 1 year of the date of loss, and a supplemental claim within 18 months (§627.70132). These limits also apply to property policies from eligible surplus lines insurers, and a claim for condominium loss assessment coverage follows its own rule (§627.70132(2), (4)). The limit had been 2 years for all perils since July 1, 2021, and 3 years for hurricane and windstorm claims before that. After a claim communication, a residential property insurer must acknowledge it within 7 days (§627.70131(1)(a)), begin any needed investigation within 7 days after receiving proof-of-loss statements and complete any physical inspection within 30 days of receiving them (§627.70131(3)), and pay or deny within 60 days after receiving notice of the claim, unless factors beyond its control apply or the clock is paused (§627.70131(5), (7), (8)). The time to sue for breach of a property insurance contract is 5 years from the date of loss (§95.11(2)(e)), and a contract clause that shortens it is void (§95.03).

Minnesota Insurance Claim Deadlines

For a fire loss, Minnesota's standard fire policy requires a lawsuit on the policy to start within 2 years after the loss, and calls for immediate written notice and a sworn proof of loss within 60 days (§65A.01, subd. 3). Those standard fire policy terms apply to fire losses only. For wind, hail, water and other losses, your policy's own clauses set the notice, proof-of-loss and suit deadlines, and the time to sue can be as short as 1 year after the loss. A separate statute also sets a 1-year suit limit for policies against hail damage (§65A.26); whether it reaches a homeowners policy that covers many perils is not settled. Read your policy's suit clause and talk with an attorney about any deadline to sue. After notice of a claim, the insurer must acknowledge it within 10 business days (§72A.201, subd. 4(1)) and complete its investigation and accept or deny within 30 business days, or tell you why it cannot and when it expects to finish (§72A.201, subd. 4(3)). Once it receives a properly executed proof of loss, it has 60 business days to accept or deny (§72A.201, subd. 4(11)).

Wisconsin Insurance Claim Deadlines

Wisconsin lets your policy set the notice and proof-of-loss deadlines, but late notice or proof still counts if given as soon as reasonably possible and within 1 year after the policy's deadline, unless the delay hurt the insurer and it was reasonably possible to meet the deadline (§631.81(1)). Wisconsin's claim-practices rule treats an insurer's failure to promptly acknowledge claim communications, when done without just cause as a general business practice, as an unfair practice, and it defines promptly as within 10 consecutive days unless the insurer shows good cause (Wis. Admin. Code §Ins 6.11(3)(a)1., (4)). A covered payment is overdue if not paid within 30 days after the insurer receives written notice of the loss and its amount, and not before 30 days after any proof of loss the policy requires, unless the insurer has reasonable proof it is not responsible for the payment; overdue payments carry 7.5% simple interest a year (§628.46). A lawsuit on a fire policy, including property riders and separate windstorm or hail policies, must start within 12 months after the loss; a policy cannot shorten that, and the time is paused during appraisal or arbitration (§631.83). Wisconsin's court of appeals has read "fire insurance" in this statute to cover property insurance against many perils besides fire (Villa Clement, Inc. v. National Union Fire Ins. Co., 1984), and "inception of the loss" means the date the loss occurred, not the date it was discovered (Borgen v. Economy Preferred Ins. Co., 1993).

North Dakota Insurance Claim Deadlines

Since August 1, 2025, North Dakota bars a reopened property claim unless notice is given within 1 year after the date of loss, and a supplemental claim unless notice is given within 12 months after the insurer's last payment for that part of the loss (N.D.C.C. §26.1-39-30). That statute sets no deadline for first reporting a claim; your policy does, and on a fire policy the insurer is released if notice of the loss is not given without unnecessary delay (§26.1-32-05). After it receives notice of a loss, the insurer must send you a proof-of-loss form within 20 days, and you then have 60 days after the form is furnished to return the proof of loss; if the insurer does not send the form in time, it waives the proof-of-loss requirement (§26.1-32-08). A fire policy cannot give you less than 3 years to sue (§26.1-39-06(10)), and a general statute voids contract terms that limit the time to sue unless state law specifically allows them (§9-08-05). Whether the three-year rule reaches a non-fire loss under a policy covering many perils is a question for an attorney. North Dakota's claim-practices law covers an insurer that, as a general business practice, fails to acknowledge claim communications with reasonable promptness, and it sets no number of days (§26.1-04-03(9)).

South Dakota Insurance Claim Deadlines

We found no South Dakota statute that sets a deadline to report a property claim or to send a proof of loss; your policy sets both. South Dakota treats an insurer's failure to acknowledge and act within 30 days upon communications about a claim as an unfair or deceptive practice (SDCL 58-33-67(1)), and failing to provide the forms needed to present a claim within 15 days of a request is an unfair claims practice when it is flagrant or frequent (SDCL 58-12-33, 58-12-34(13)). South Dakota voids any contract term that limits the time to sue on the contract, except in arbitration agreements and surety contracts (SDCL 53-9-6), so a policy clause that shortens the time to sue may be void. The general limit for an action on a contract is 6 years after the cause of action accrues (SDCL 15-2-13); when your claim accrues is a question for an attorney.