# Texas insurance claim deadline calculator

In Texas, an insurer must acknowledge your claim not later than the 15th day after it receives your notice of claim, and must decide not later than the 45th day after it tells you it needs more time. Enter the date and see the deadline.

Use the tool on the [web page](https://publicadjusters.fyi/tools/claim-deadline). It works without JavaScript.

## How to use it

1. Choose which deadline.
2. Enter date the insurer received your notice.
3. Enter the commissioner declared a weather-related catastrophe or major natural disaster for this loss.
4. Read the result.

## How it works

Source: Texas Insurance Code, Chapter 542, Subchapter B (Prompt Payment of Claims), sections 542.051, 542.055, 542.056 and 542.059, from the Texas Legislature statute site (statutes.capitol.texas.gov; text at tcss.legis.texas.gov/resources/IN/htm/IN.542.htm), read on October 2, 2026.

We add calendar days to the date you enter: 15 days for the acknowledgement (section 542.055(a)) or 45 days for a decision after the insurer asked for more time (section 542.056(d)), plus 15 days when you say a catastrophe was declared (section 542.059(b)). The statute says "day" for these deadlines, not "business day".

We do not count the deadlines that the statute sets in business days, such as the decision 15 business days after the insurer has all the items it asked for (section 542.056(a)) or payment by the fifth business day (section 542.057(a)). Business days leave out Saturdays, Sundays and holidays recognized by Texas (section 542.051), and this tool has no holiday calendar.

The Texas Department of Insurance consumer page (tdi.texas.gov/tips/getting-your-insurance-claim-paid.html, updated April 16, 2025) says the insurer has 15 business days to acknowledge a claim. We use the statute text, which gives the earlier date.

These rules apply to insurers in Texas. They do not apply in the same way to an eligible surplus lines insurer, a claim where the insurer has a reasonable basis to believe the loss resulted from arson, or the kinds of insurance that section 542.053 excludes.

> Not legal advice. This tool counts days from a date you enter, following the Texas Insurance Code sections it names. Your policy and your facts can change the answer. Ask a licensed attorney about your own claim.

## Questions

### Does this tool tell me my own deadline to file a claim?

No. Your deadline to give notice is in your policy. This tool only counts two deadlines the Texas Insurance Code sets for the insurer.

### What if the insurer misses the deadline?

Section 542.060 of the Texas Insurance Code sets out what an insurer may owe when it does not follow these rules. Ask a licensed attorney about your own claim.