Workers’ Comp Deadlines by State

Published Mar 15, 2021

How long does an employee have to report an injury on the job? The short answer is that it depends on the state where the business is located. Every state has a different set of guidelines for when an employee needs to report a work-related injury or illness to their employer, as well as for how long they have to file a workers’ compensation claim.

Workers’ Comp Deadlines by State

This state-by-state guide is a quick reference for workers’ compensation deadlines after an injury from an accident or onset of an occupational disease. For the most accurate, up-to-date information, you should contact your state workers’ comp officials.


State	Deadline to report work-related injury/illness to employer	Deadline to make workers’ compensation claim
Alabama	5 days	2 years
Alaska	30 days	2 years
Arizona	as early as possible	1 year
Arkansas	as early as possible	2 years
California	30 days	1 year
Colorado	4 days	2 years
Connecticut	as early as possible	1 year after injury/3 years after first symptom of occupational disease
Delaware	as early as possible	2 years after injury/1 year after first diagnosis of occupational disease
Florida	30 days	2 years
Georgia	30 days	1 year
Hawaii	as early as possible	5 years after injury/2 years after first symptom of occupational disease
Idaho	60 days	no limitation
Illinois	45 days	3 years
Indiana	30 days	2 years
Iowa	90 days	2 years
Kansas	20 days	3 years
Kentucky	as early as possible	2 years
Louisiana	30 days	1 year
Maine	60 days	2 years
Maryland	10 days	60 days after injury/2 years after disablement or death
Massachusetts	as early as possible	4 years
Michigan	90 days	2 years
Minnesota	180 days	3 years after employer’s report to the Department of Labor and Industry, not to exceed 6 years after injury
Mississippi	30 days	2 years
Missouri	30 days	2 years, 3 years if employer does not file a timely report of injury with the Division of Workers’ Compensation
Montana	30 days	12 months
Nebraska	as early as possible	2 years
Nevada	7 days	90 days after injury/1 year after death
New Hampshire	2 years	3 years
New Jersey	90 days	2 years
New Mexico	15 days	1 year
New York	30 days	2 years
North Carolina	30 days	2 years
North Dakota	7 years	1 year after injury/2 years after death
Ohio	as early as possible	1 year after injury/2 years after occupational disease
Oklahoma	30 days	2 years
Oregon	90 days	2 years/1 year after occupational disease
Pennsylvania	120 days	3 weeks after injury/300 weeks after exposure to occupational disease
Rhode Island	30 days	2 years
South Carolina	3 days	2 years
South Dakota	3 days	2 years
Tennessee	15 days	1 year
Texas	30 days	1 year
Utah	180 days	6 years
Vermont	as early as possible	3 years
Virginia	30 days	2 years
Washington	as early as possible	1 year after injury/2 years after diagnosis of occupational disease
West Virginia	as early as possible	6 months after injury/3 years after diagnosis of or last exposure to occupational disease
Wisconsin	30 days	2 years after injury/6 years after traumatic injury/12 years after occupational disease
Wyoming	72 hours to report to employer	1 year after injury/1 year after diagnosis of or 3 years after last exposure to occupational disease, whichever is later

Get Workers’ Comp Coverage for Your State

Every state has its own set of laws and rules, so it can be difficult to find workers’ compensation insurance that matches your company’s unique needs. That’s why Cerity created workers’ comp insurance options that make it easy to protect your business.

We currently offer workers’ compensation insurance coverage for businesses in 42 states: