Augment LeadsBy the Augment Leads team. Last verified: November 4, 2026.
This table is for workers' comp firms setting intake filters. Each checked row links the statute or official agency page. Rows that say "Verify with agency" weren't checked in this update; use the agency listed, from the US Department of Labor directory of state workers' comp officials. Tap a column heading to sort.
Workers' comp notice and filing deadlines by state
| State | Notice to employer | Claim filing deadline | Agency | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | 5 days (written); no compensation unless within 90 days | 2 years (agreement or verified complaint; from last compensation payment if paid) | Alabama Department of Labor, Workers' Compensation Division | Ala. Code 25-5-78; 25-5-80 |
| Alaska | 15 days in writing (30 days for injuries before Jan 1, 2025) | 2 years after knowing the disability's nature and work relation (4-year outside limit except occupational disease) | Alaska Division of Workers' Compensation | AS 23.30.100; 23.30.105; Division guide |
| Arizona | Forthwith (right away) | 1 year (written claim with the Commission) | Industrial Commission of Arizona | A.R.S. 23-908(E); 23-1061 |
| Arkansas | Report on the commission's form unless the employer already knows | 2 years (1 year from the last payment, or 2 from injury, if later, for additional compensation) | Arkansas Workers' Compensation Commission | Ark. Code 11-9-701; 11-9-702 |
| California | 30 days (may lose benefits if later) | Verify with agency | California Division of Workers' Compensation (DIR) | DWC injured worker page |
| Connecticut | Immediately (an award can be reduced for prejudice) | 1 year (written notice of claim; 3 years from first symptom for occupational disease) | Connecticut Workers' Compensation Commission | C.G.S. 31-294b; 31-294c |
| Delaware | 90 days (no compensation is due until notice is given, unless the employer knew) | 2 years after the accident (5 years from the last payment under an approved agreement or award) | Delaware Office of Workers' Compensation | 19 Del. C. 2341; 2361 |
| District of Columbia | 30 days | 1 year (or 1 year after last payment made without an award) | DC Office of Workers' Compensation (DOES) | D.C. Code 32-1513; 32-1514 |
| Florida | 30 days | 2 years (Petition for Benefits; can be extended) | Florida Division of Workers' Compensation | Fla. Stat. 440.185; 440.19 |
| Georgia | Immediately; more than 30 days may lose benefits | 1 year (Form WC-14, per Board FAQs) | Georgia State Board of Workers' Compensation | SBWC FAQs |
| Hawaii | As soon as practicable (written; excused if the employer knew or furnished care) | 2 years after the effects become manifest, and within 5 years of the accident | Hawaii Disability Compensation Division | HRS 386-81; 386-82 |
| Idaho | As soon as practicable, no later than 60 days | 1 year after the accident (hearing application limits in 72-706) | Idaho Industrial Commission | Idaho Code 72-701; 72-706 |
| Illinois | As soon as practicable, no later than 45 days | 3 years after injury, or 2 years after last TTD or medical payment, whichever is later | Illinois Workers' Compensation Commission | IWCC handbook |
| Indiana | 30 days (written); pay can be held until notice | 2 years (from the accident, or from the last temporary disability payment) | Workers' Compensation Board of Indiana | Ind. Code 22-3-3-1; 22-3-3-3 |
| Iowa | 90 days (or the employer's actual knowledge) | 2 years (3 years from the last weekly payment if paid) | Iowa Workers' Compensation Commissioner | Iowa Code 85.23; 85.26 |
| Kansas | 30 days (20 days after last day of work if no longer employed) | 3 years after accident, or 2 years after last payment, whichever is later | Kansas Division of Workers' Compensation | K.S.A. 44-520; 44-534 |
| Kentucky | As soon as practicable | 2 years (from the accident, or from the end of income benefits if later) | Kentucky Department of Workers' Claims | KRS 342.185; 342.270 |
| Louisiana | 30 days (12 months if the employer didn't post the required notice) | 1 year (from last payment if payments were made; 3-year outer limit for injuries that develop later) | Louisiana Office of Workers' Compensation | La. R.S. 23:1301; 23:1302; 23:1209 |
| Maine | 60 days (injuries on or after Jan 1, 2020) | 2 years after the injury or the employer's first report, whichever is later (6 years from the last payment if benefits were paid) | Maine Workers' Compensation Board | 39-A M.R.S. 301; 306 |
| Maryland | 10 days (oral or written) | 60 days (the Commission can excuse late filing; barred after 2 years) | Maryland Workers' Compensation Commission | Lab. & Empl. 9-704; 9-709 |
| Massachusetts | As soon as practicable (to the insurer or insured) | 4 years from when the employee first knew the disability was work-related | Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents | M.G.L. c. 152, 41 |
| Michigan | 90 days (or from when known) | 2 years (claim to employer or agency) | Michigan Workers' Disability Compensation Agency | MCL 418.381 |
| Minnesota | 14 days for benefits from the start (longer outer limits) | 3 years after written report to DLI, max 6 years after accident | Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry | Minn. Stat. 176.141; 176.151 |
| Mississippi | 30 days (actual notice to the employer or a designated representative) | 2 years (application with the Commission, if no compensation was paid) | Mississippi Workers' Compensation Commission | Miss. Code 71-3-35 |
| Missouri | 30 days (written), unless the employer wasn't prejudiced | 2 years (3 if the employer didn't file its injury report) | Missouri Division of Workers' Compensation | RSMo 287.420; 287.430 |
| Montana | 30 days | 12 months | Montana Department of Labor and Industry | MCA 39-71-603; 39-71-601 |
| Nebraska | As soon as practicable (written; excused if the employer knew) | 2 years after the accident (or 2 years after the last payment) | Nebraska Workers' Compensation Court | Neb. Rev. Stat. 48-133; 48-137 |
| Nevada | 7 days (written, on the prescribed form) | 90 days (claim with the insurer) | Nevada Division of Industrial Relations | NRS 616C.015; 616C.020 |
| New Hampshire | 2 years (written, on the commissioner's form) | 3 years after the injury; hearing petition within 18 months of a denial | New Hampshire Workers' Compensation Division | RSA 281-A:19; 281-A:21-a |
| New Jersey | As soon as possible (need not be written) | 2 years after injury or last payment, whichever is later | New Jersey Division of Workers' Compensation | Division worker FAQs |
| New Mexico | 15 days (written), no later than 60 days if prevented | 1 year after the employer or insurer fails or refuses to pay (tolled up to 1 year while still employed) | New Mexico Workers' Compensation Administration | NMSA 52-1-29; 52-1-31 |
| New York | 30 days (written) | 2 years (Form C-3) | New York State Workers' Compensation Board | WCB: how the system works; claimant forms |
| North Carolina | 30 days (written), unless reasonable excuse | 2 years | North Carolina Industrial Commission | G.S. 97-22; 97-24 |
| North Dakota | Immediately; no later than 7 days absent good cause | 1 year after the injury (2 years after a death), filed with WSI | North Dakota Workforce Safety and Insurance (state fund) | N.D.C.C. 65-05-01.2; 65-05-01 |
| Ohio | Verify with agency | 1 year (notice to BWC or the Industrial Commission) | Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation (state fund) | R.C. 4123.84 |
| Oklahoma | 30 days (oral or written), or the injury is presumed not work-related | 1 year from the injury, or 6 months from the last benefits | Oklahoma Workers' Compensation Commission | 85A O.S. 68; 85A O.S. 69 |
| Oregon | Immediately, no later than 90 days (written) | Hearing request within 60 days of a denial (180 with good cause) | Oregon Workers' Compensation Division | ORS 656.265; 656.319 |
| Pennsylvania | 21 days for benefits from the start; none if after 120 days | 3 years (claim petition, if denied) | Pennsylvania Bureau of Workers' Compensation | WC Act Section 311; LIBC-100 |
| Rhode Island | 30 days after the injury happens or becomes manifest | 2 years after the injury or incapacity occurs or becomes manifest, unless weekly payments started | Rhode Island Division of Workers' Compensation | R.I. Gen. Laws 28-33-30; 28-35-57 |
| South Carolina | Immediately; no benefits unless within 90 days | 2 years | South Carolina Workers' Compensation Commission | S.C. Code 42-15-20 and 42-15-40 |
| South Dakota | Immediately or as soon as practical; in writing within 3 business days | 2 years after the insurer's written denial (3 years from the last payment for more benefits) | South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation | SDCL 62-7-10; 62-7-35; 62-7-35.1 |
| Tennessee | 15 days (written), unless reasonable excuse | 1 year (petition for benefit determination; later if benefits were paid) | Tennessee Bureau of Workers' Compensation | Tenn. Code 50-6-201; 50-6-203 |
| Texas | 30 days | 1 year (DWC Form-041) | Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers' Compensation | DWC injured employee FAQ |
| Utah | 180 days (to the employer or the division) | 6 years to file an application for hearing | Utah Labor Commission | Utah Code 34A-2-407; 34A-2-417 |
| Vermont | As soon as practicable | 6 months after the injury (3-year outside limit to start proceedings) | Vermont Department of Labor, Workers' Compensation | 21 V.S.A. 656; 21 V.S.A. 660 |
| Virginia | 30 days (written), unless reasonable excuse | 2 years (claim with the Commission) | Virginia Workers' Compensation Commission | Va. Code 65.2-600; 65.2-601 |
| Washington | Forthwith (right away) | 1 year (occupational disease: 2 years from a doctor's written notice) | Washington Department of Labor and Industries (state fund) | RCW 51.28.010; 51.28.050; 51.28.055 |
| West Virginia | No separate period in 23-4-15 (the application deadline controls) | 6 months after the injury (application; jurisdictional) | West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner | W. Va. Code 23-4-15; 23-5-1a |
| Wisconsin | 30 days (actual notice to the employer) | 2 years if no compensation was paid (exceptions in the same section) | Wisconsin Workers' Compensation Division | Wis. Stat. 102.12 |
| Wyoming | 72 hours (injury report within 10 days) | 1 year after the injury or its discovery | Wyoming Workers' Compensation Division (state fund) | W.S. 27-14-502; 27-14-503 |
General information, not legal advice. Deadlines have exceptions, such as occupational disease, the employer already knowing about the injury, or payments that extend the filing period. Confirm current rules with the state agency or your counsel.
How to read this table
Notice to employer
This is the time the worker has to tell the employer about the injury. In several states, late notice delays benefits rather than ending the claim. Pennsylvania's Section 311 is an example: notice within 21 days lets compensation run from the start, and no compensation is allowed if notice comes more than 120 days after the injury.
Claim filing deadline
This is the time to file a claim or petition with the state agency. Some states measure it from the injury, some from the last payment of benefits, and some allow whichever is later, as in Illinois, Kansas and New Jersey.
State-fund states
North Dakota, Ohio, Washington and Wyoming require employers to get workers' comp coverage through the state fund rather than private insurers, according to a 2023 Wyoming Legislature memo and North Dakota WSI. In those states, the state fund handles the claim, which changes who your intake team will hear about.
Using the table to set intake filters
- Ask when the injury happened and when it was reported, as two separate questions.
- Flag callers who are near or past the notice window so your attorneys can review them fast.
- Set a maximum injury age per state, inside the claim filing deadline.
- Ask whether the employer is private, a government agency or a contractor arrangement.
For state-by-state screening detail, see workers' comp leads by state. For car accident deadlines, see the personal injury statute of limitations by state table.
Cite this table
Augment Leads. "Workers' Comp Deadlines by State: Notice and Claim Filing (2026)." Last verified November 4, 2026. https://augmentleads.com/guides/workers-comp-deadlines-by-state
Where exclusive cases fit
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Frequently asked questions
How long does a worker have to report an injury to the employer?
It depends on the state. In the rows checked for this table, it runs from 5 days for written notice in Alabama, or 10 days in Maryland, to 90 days in Michigan, Iowa, South Carolina and Delaware and 180 days in Utah, with 15 days for written notice in New Mexico, 15 days in Alaska for injuries from 2025, 30 days in Kansas, Mississippi, Montana, Rhode Island and the District of Columbia, and 60 days in Idaho and Maine, while South Dakota wants written notice within three business days, North Dakota notice within seven days and Wyoming a report to the employer within 72 hours; several states say to report immediately. Check the row for your state.
How long does a worker have to file a workers' comp claim?
Most checked rows fall between one and three years. Texas, Montana, Tennessee, Louisiana, Oklahoma and Connecticut use about one year, North Carolina and Virginia two years, and Pennsylvania three years for a claim petition. Indiana, Missouri, Maryland, Alabama, Kentucky, Iowa, Arkansas, Mississippi, Nebraska, Rhode Island and Delaware use two years in most cases, Maine two years after the injury or the employer's first report, New Mexico one year after the employer or insurer stops or refuses paying, Idaho one year after the accident, North Dakota one year after the injury, the District of Columbia one year after the injury or the last payment, South Dakota two years after the insurer's written denial, Alaska two years after the worker knows the disability is work-related, Vermont six months after the injury, Wyoming one year after the injury, and Maryland also asks for the claim form within 60 days. Massachusetts allows four years from when the employee first knew the disability was work-related, and Utah six years to file an application for hearing, while Nevada wants the claim with the insurer within 90 days and West Virginia the application within six months. New Hampshire allows three years, and Hawaii two years after the effects become manifest, within five years of the accident. Some states run the clock from the last payment instead of the injury date.
Which states have a monopolistic workers' comp state fund?
North Dakota, Ohio, Washington and Wyoming. In those states, employers get workers' comp coverage through the state fund rather than private insurers.
Why do some rows say verify with agency?
We only fill a cell after checking it against the statute or the state agency. Rows we haven't checked yet link to the US Department of Labor directory so you can reach the agency directly.
Can I reuse this data?
Yes. Download the CSV and cite the page using the citation above. It's general information, not legal advice.
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