# Pennsylvania — How long an insurer has to acknowledge, decide and pay a claim, by state: statutory and regulatory claim-handling deadlines

For Pennsylvania, obligation is notify of need for more time; deadline is every 45 days; day type is days; clock starts from is the investigation cannot be completed within 30 days; citation is 31 Pa. Code 146.6, recorded from its source on 2026-08-11.

- **State:** Pennsylvania _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Obligation:** notify of need for more time _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Deadline:** every 45 days _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Day type:** days _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Clock starts from:** the investigation cannot be completed within 30 days _(verified: appears in the quote below)_
- **Citation:** 31 Pa. Code 146.6
- **Instrument:** regulation _(our reading, not quoted from the source)_
- **Applies to:** insurance policies and insurance contracts except policies of workers' compensation insurance and fidelity, surety and guaranty bonds

## What the source says

> If the investigation cannot be completed within 30 days, and every 45 days thereafter, the insurer shall provide the claimant with a reasonable written explanation for the delay and state when a decision on the claim may be expected.

## Sources disagree

More than one authority states this, and they do not state the same
thing. Both are reproduced with the source each came from.

### Deadline

pacodeandbulletin.gov says deadline is **every 45 days**, as of 2026-08-11.

> If the investigation cannot be completed within 30 days, and every 45 days thereafter, the insurer shall provide the claimant with a reasonable written explanation for the delay and state when a decision on the claim may be expected.

Source: https://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacode?file=/secure/pacode/data/031/chapter146/chap146toc.html

pacodeandbulletin.gov says deadline is **within 15 working days**, as of 2026-08-11.

> If the insurer needs more time to determine whether a first-party claim should be accepted or denied, it shall so notify the first-party claimant within 15 working days after receipt of the proofs of loss giving the reasons more time is needed.

Source: https://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacode?file=/secure/pacode/data/031/chapter146/chap146toc.html


### Day type

pacodeandbulletin.gov says day type is **days**, as of 2026-08-11.

> If the investigation cannot be completed within 30 days, and every 45 days thereafter, the insurer shall provide the claimant with a reasonable written explanation for the delay and state when a decision on the claim may be expected.

Source: https://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacode?file=/secure/pacode/data/031/chapter146/chap146toc.html

pacodeandbulletin.gov says day type is **working days**, as of 2026-08-11.

> If the insurer needs more time to determine whether a first-party claim should be accepted or denied, it shall so notify the first-party claimant within 15 working days after receipt of the proofs of loss giving the reasons more time is needed.

Source: https://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacode?file=/secure/pacode/data/031/chapter146/chap146toc.html


### Clock starts from

pacodeandbulletin.gov says clock starts from is **the investigation cannot be completed within 30 days**, as of 2026-08-11.

> If the investigation cannot be completed within 30 days, and every 45 days thereafter, the insurer shall provide the claimant with a reasonable written explanation for the delay and state when a decision on the claim may be expected.

Source: https://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacode?file=/secure/pacode/data/031/chapter146/chap146toc.html

pacodeandbulletin.gov says clock starts from is **receipt of the proofs of loss**, as of 2026-08-11.

> If the insurer needs more time to determine whether a first-party claim should be accepted or denied, it shall so notify the first-party claimant within 15 working days after receipt of the proofs of loss giving the reasons more time is needed.

Source: https://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacode?file=/secure/pacode/data/031/chapter146/chap146toc.html


### Citation

pacodeandbulletin.gov says citation is **31 Pa. Code 146.6**, as of 2026-08-11.

> If the investigation cannot be completed within 30 days, and every 45 days thereafter, the insurer shall provide the claimant with a reasonable written explanation for the delay and state when a decision on the claim may be expected.

Source: https://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacode?file=/secure/pacode/data/031/chapter146/chap146toc.html

pacodeandbulletin.gov says citation is **31 Pa. Code 146.7**, as of 2026-08-11.

> If the insurer needs more time to determine whether a first-party claim should be accepted or denied, it shall so notify the first-party claimant within 15 working days after receipt of the proofs of loss giving the reasons more time is needed.

Source: https://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacode?file=/secure/pacode/data/031/chapter146/chap146toc.html


## Source

- https://www.pacodeandbulletin.gov/Display/pacode?file=/secure/pacode/data/031/chapter146/chap146toc.html

Last verified: 2026-08-11. Review by: 2026-12-09.
Part of [How long an insurer has to acknowledge, decide and pay a claim, by state: statutory and regulatory claim-handling deadlines](https://referencesource.org/insurance-claim-handling-deadlines/).