What is timely filing?
Timely filing is the payer's deadline for receiving a claim, counted from the date of service. Miss it and the payer can deny the claim with CO-29, and the provider usually can't bill the patient.
Filing limits, from the date of service
| Payer type | Typical limit |
|---|---|
| Medicare | 12 months |
| Medicaid | Varies by state, often 90 days to 12 months |
| Commercial plans | Set by contract, often 90 to 180 days |
| Corrected claims and appeals | Their own, usually shorter, windows |
- Rejected claims don't stop the clock. A claim rejected by the 999 or 277CA was never received.
Every payer sets a deadline for claims. Late claims are denied, usually with reason code 29, The time limit for filing has expired, and the loss is the provider’s.
How claims run out of time
- A claim waits on a missing document or authorization, and nobody notices the date.
- A rejection on a 999 or 277CA goes unread, so the claim was never actually filed.
- A claim goes to the wrong payer, and the right one is billed too late.
- A denial or appeal takes so long that the window for a corrected claim closes.
Proof of timely filing
When a payer says a claim arrived late, the proof is the acceptance: the 277CA with the payer’s claim number and date, or a clearinghouse report showing the payer received it. For claims first sent to the wrong payer, the earlier denial often serves as proof.
After the limit
Look for exceptions first: some payers accept late claims for retroactive eligibility, payer errors or other documented reasons. If none applies, the balance is a write-off, and one worth learning from.
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