What Insurances Have a 90 Day Timely Filing Limit?

Front desks ask us this every week: what insurances have a 90 day timely filing limit? The short answer is most of the big commercial payers. Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, and Anthem commercial plans all run on a 90 day clock measured from the date of service. Medicare and many state Medicaid plans use a longer window, usually a full calendar year. The only way to know for sure on a specific claim is to check that payer's contract or provider manual, because the limit is set by the payer, not by state law.

A timely filing limit is the number of days a dental or medical practice has to get a claim to the payer after the date of service. The clock starts on the date of service, not the day the claim is entered into the practice management system or the day it is mailed. A 90 day timely filing limit means the payer must receive the claim within 90 calendar days of the visit, and most carriers count the day they receive it, not the day it was sent. Payers commonly tied to a 90-day window include Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, and Anthem for commercial in-network claims. Some state Medicaid programs and regional IPAs also use 90 days, while others allow 180 days, 365 days, or longer. Medicare Part B claims get a full calendar year. Because every payer contract sets its own number, one practice can have claims due in 90 days, 180 days, and 365 days in the same week. The payer's own provider manual, or a call to provider services, is the only reliable source.

Here is what we see most often in payer contracts and provider manuals, in plain terms:

• Aetna: 90 days from the date of service for in-network commercial claims in most states.
• Cigna: 90 days from the date of service for commercial claims in most states.
• UnitedHealthcare: 90 days from the date of service for commercial in-network claims.
• Anthem Blue Cross: 90 days for commercial and Medicare Advantage claims in California; Medi-Cal and some other state plans run 180 or 210 days instead.
• Regional IPAs and management service organizations: often 90 days from the date of service, sometimes 180 days for non-contracted or out-of-network claims.

None of this is universal. The same insurance company can run different limits by state, by product, and by whether the practice is in network. If you work with a third-party administrator, their timely filing number is usually listed alongside the eligibility and claims address, not buried in the general contract. For a full state-by-state breakdown beyond these major payers, see our guide to dental billing time limits by state.

The clock starts on the date of service, full stop. It does not start on the day the claim is coded, the day it is entered in the schedule, or the day an explanation of benefits comes back from a primary payer.

Here's the arithmetic, so you can check it on your own calendar: a visit on January 1 with a 90 day limit is due at the payer by April 1. Count it out: 31 days in January, 28 in February (29 in a leap year), and 31 more days gets you to March 31, with April 1 as day 90. If the payer's mailroom or clearinghouse is closed that day, most contracts still hold the deadline where it is. Submit a day or two early if you can.

Secondary claims add a wrinkle. Many payers reset or extend the clock once the primary payer's explanation of benefits comes in, but they still expect the secondary claim filed within their own limit, counted from that EOB date rather than the original date of service. Coordination of benefits rules vary by payer, so check both contracts before you assume you have extra time.

A claim that misses timely filing gets denied, and in most contracts that denial cannot be appealed. The practice cannot bill the patient for a payer's timely filing denial in most states, because the deadline was the practice's responsibility, not the patient's. That means a missed 90-day window is usually a straight write-off.

This is why denial codes that point to timely filing deserve attention the same day they land, not at month end. If your office is seeing the same timely filing denial from the same payer more than once, something upstream, a scanner crossover, a claim sitting in a batch, a secondary claim queue, is losing days before the claim even leaves the building. Walking back what slows dental insurance claims down usually finds the leak faster than re-training one person on the deadline.

Most offices we talk to track this one of two ways: a spreadsheet with a date-of-service column and a formula for the due date, or a report inside the practice management system that flags open claims by age. Both work until someone is out sick or a claim sits in a "needs info" folder for three weeks.

We built the revenue cycle piece of Valian because that second failure mode is the one that costs practices real money. Claims and collections is still in development, and we are taking on our first offices now. The office always picks the codes; Valian never does. We do not file, submit, track, or post claims today, and we do not promise any amount of money recovered. What is live today is insurance verification: the office signs in and runs a check in one click, in seconds, for each patient, so the claim at least starts with current coverage on file instead of a guess. Our dental revenue cycle management page has more on where that part of Valian stands right now.

If you want to see how Valian's verification piece fits in before claims are even filed, you can book time with our team and we'll walk through what's live today at your practice.

What is the 90 day rule for insurance?

The 90 day rule is a payer's deadline to receive a claim after the date of service. If the payer does not receive the claim within 90 calendar days, it can deny the claim for timely filing, and that denial usually cannot be appealed. The rule comes from the specific payer's contract, not from a law that applies to every insurance company.

Does BCBS have a timely filing limit?

Yes. Blue Cross Blue Shield plans set their own timely filing limit by state and by product, so the number is not the same everywhere. Many Anthem Blue Cross commercial and Medicare Advantage claims run on 90 days, while some Medi-Cal and other state plans allow 180 or 210 days. Check the specific BCBS plan's provider manual for the number that applies to that patient.

Why doesn't insurance cover a 90 day supply?

That question usually comes up with prescription drug plans, not dental or medical claims filing. A 90 day medication supply limit is a pharmacy benefit design choice, separate from the medical timely filing limit covered in this guide. For questions about a specific drug benefit, the pharmacy benefit manager or the plan's own documents have the answer, not the front desk.

What is the timely filing limit for most insurances?

There is no single number that fits every insurance. Many commercial payers, including Aetna, Cigna, UnitedHealthcare, and Anthem, use 90 days, but others allow 180 days or 365 days, and some government plans give a full calendar year. The only way to know the exact number for a specific patient is to check that payer's provider manual or call provider services before the claim is due.