Short answer: In Florida, an insurer must pay or deny a property insurance claim within 60 days of receiving notice of the claim, under Fla. Stat. 627.70131. Before that, it must acknowledge the claim within 7 days, begin its investigation within 7 business days of your proof of loss, and inspect within 30 days. A payment made after the 60-day deadline carries statutory interest from the date you gave notice.
The short answer: 60 days, with three deadlines before it
Fla. Stat. 627.70131 sets four clocks for a Florida property insurer. Two of them start when you first report the loss, and two start when the carrier receives your sworn proof of loss. Knowing which is which matters, because carriers lean on the difference.
| What the insurer must do | Deadline | Clock starts when |
|---|---|---|
| Acknowledge your claim | 7 days | It receives any communication that looks like a notice of claim |
| Begin the investigation | 7 business days | It receives your proof of loss |
| Physically inspect the property | 30 days | It receives your proof of loss |
| Pay or deny the claim | 60 days | You give notice of the claim |
Read the full breakdown of each deadline, including the pre-2023 schedule and the carrier tactics that try to stop the clock, on our Fla. Stat. 627.70131 page.
The 60-day and 90-day numbers, explained
If you have heard "90 days," that is the old rule. Before the December 2022 reform (Senate Bill 2A), insurers had 14 days to acknowledge a claim and 90 days to pay or deny it. The reform cut those to 7 and 60. Some adjusters and plenty of online articles still quote the 90-day figure, and a carrier that tells you it has 90 days is citing a deadline that no longer applies to a loss governed by the current statute.
The 60-day clock runs from the date you gave notice of the claim, not from the inspection date and not from the day the carrier decided your file was "complete." The statute allows an extension only for factors genuinely beyond the insurer's control. Ordinary workload, staffing, or a backlog after a storm is not that.
What "pay or deny" actually means
Within 60 days the insurer has to do one of three things in writing: pay the claim, deny the claim, or pay part of it. A partial payment is common, and it is where the next question comes in. The amount the carrier agrees it owes is the undisputed amount, and it is supposed to be paid on this schedule even while the rest of the claim is still being argued. We explain that mechanic in What is an undisputed payment from your insurance company?
A letter that says the claim is "under review," a request for the same documents a second time, or a reservation of rights is not a decision. If 60 days have passed and you have none of the three outcomes above, the carrier is late.
What happens when the insurer misses the deadline
Three things, and they stack:
- Interest. When the carrier pays after the 60-day deadline, the statute adds interest on the overdue amount, calculated from the date you gave notice of the claim at the rate set under Fla. Stat. 55.03. The Florida CFO publishes that rate each quarter, so the number changes, but the principle does not: late money costs the carrier more than on-time money.
- A documented statutory violation. A missed 627.70131 deadline is one of the grounds for a Civil Remedy Notice under Fla. Stat. 624.155, which starts the carrier's 60-day cure window and is the required first step before a bad-faith action. Patterns of delay across the file are the evidence that proceeding runs on.
- A regulator you can involve. You can file a complaint with the Florida Department of Financial Services when the deadlines are missed. It does not pay your claim, but it creates a record the carrier has to answer.
None of this guarantees a particular result on your claim. What it does is turn delay from something you absorb into something the carrier pays for.
Why your proof of loss is the most important document on the file
Two of the four clocks start only when the carrier receives your proof of loss. The most common way a carrier keeps those clocks from running is to treat your submission as incomplete and keep asking for one more thing. Submit the proof of loss in writing, keep a dated copy, and confirm receipt so the trigger date is never in dispute. If the carrier asks for more, answer in writing and keep that too.
What to do next if your claim is past 60 days
- Build the timeline. Write down the date you first reported the loss, the date the carrier acknowledged it, the date you sent proof of loss, the inspection date, and every request the carrier made since. Attach the documents.
- Ask for the decision in writing. A short letter noting that notice was given on a specific date, that more than 60 days have passed, and that you are requesting payment, denial, or a written explanation of the factors beyond the carrier's control.
- Do not accept a lowball payment as the end of the claim. Cashing a partial payment is normal; signing a release is not. Keep the claim open for the disputed amount.
- Get the file reviewed. Licensed and bonded Florida public adjusters can rebuild the timeline, document the violation, and handle the Civil Remedy Notice if one is warranted. Ocean Point Claims reviews the claim for free before you decide anything. Call (888) 824-1306 or request a free claim review.