Acknowledging, investigating, deciding and paying are usually separate deadlines, not one number — and some run in business days while others run in calendar days.
A few widely-quoted “deadlines” only govern your own insurer on a first-party claim. They are not a deadline for settling with the other driver’s insurance.
There is no single deadline
Acknowledging a claim, investigating it, deciding whether to pay, and actually paying are different steps. Most states that regulate timing set a different deadline for each one, not one number for the whole process — and some of those deadlines run in business days while others run in calendar days, which changes how fast they actually move.
Your insurer vs. the other driver’s insurer
Several of the clearest deadlines only govern how fast your OWN insurer must act on a first-party claim. Texas is the plainest example: its prompt-payment deadlines (Tex. Ins. Code Ch. 542, Subch. B; 28 Tex. Admin. Code §21.55) apply to your own policy. They are not a deadline for settling with the other driver’s insurance.
What the verified state findings say
- California — acknowledge within 15 days, accept or deny within 40 days of your proof of claim, pay no later than 30 days after accepting a settlement, and send a new delay notice every 30 days the claim stays open (10 CCR §2695.7).
- Minnesota — acknowledge in 10 business days, generally decide within 30 business days (60 if a formal proof of loss is required), and pay an agreed settlement within 5 business days (Minn. Stat. §72A.201).
- New Jersey — contact you within 10 working days, inspect the car within 7, then settle within 30 calendar days (first-party), 45 (third-party property damage) or 90 (third-party bodily injury), and pay within 10 working days of agreement (N.J.A.C. 11:2-17.7).
- New York — inspect your car, or forfeit the right to, within 6 business days of your claim notice; accept or reject within 15 business days of proof of loss; pay an agreed settlement within 5 business days; and explain any delay past 30 days in writing (11 NYCRR 216.7, Regulation 64).
- Washington — under the CURRENT rule, acknowledges within 10 business days and generally completes its investigation in about 30 days. Starting October 18, 2026 (not before), that becomes a 30-calendar-day investigation standard with a required written delay reason and a further written notice every 30 days, for both first- and third-party claims (WAC 284-30-360 and 284-30-370).
- South Carolina — no fixed number of days; the standard is only that payment be “prompt and reasonable,” depending on the investigation (SC DOI).
- North Carolina — DOI guidance describes roughly 30 days for an insurer to acknowledge a claim, but that can be satisfied by a settlement offer, a denial, payment, or simply advising that the investigation is ongoing — it does not mean every claim is settled in 30 days. Once a claim IS settled, payment should generally follow within 10 business days (N.C. Gen. Stat. §58-63-15(11)).
- Illinois — a 21-working-day rule, but it is a communication requirement (your insurer must respond), not a deadline to settle or pay (Illinois DOI).
- Georgia — a 25-business-day rule, but it only requires telling you and your own insurer if the platform’s insurer disputes paying first — it is not a general claim-settlement deadline (O.C.G.A. §33-1-24).
- Texas (first-party only) — your own insurer must acknowledge, investigate and pay on set timelines under its prompt-payment law. These deadlines do not apply to the other driver’s insurer (Tex. Ins. Code Ch. 542).
Washington is adding a 30-calendar-day investigation standard with mandatory written delay notices every 30 days, for both first- and third-party claims. That rule is not in effect yet. Until October 18, 2026, the current rule — 10-business-day acknowledgment and a general 30-day investigation standard — still applies.
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Timing, and what even counts as a “deadline,” differs sharply by state. Jump straight to the relevant section.