Timely Filing Limit by Payer: 2026 Table for Medicare, UHC, Cigna, Aetna and More

What is a timely filing limit? A timely filing limit is the maximum time a payer allows between a starting event, usually the date of service, and its receipt of a claim; a claim received later is denied with CARC 29 unless you prove timely submission or a published exception applies.

Verified October 2026. We checked each number against the payer's current provider manual, website or the federal regulation behind it. Where a payer publishes no number, we say so rather than repeat figures from third-party lists.

Undeny's Take

The number people search for is the least useful part. Three things decide whether a late-looking claim gets paid: which date the clock runs from, whether the payer ever accepted the claim, and what your contract says. For a small practice, set one internal deadline at the shortest limit in your payer mix. If you bill Cigna, Optum Behavioral Health, Evernorth or Kaiser California as a contracted provider, that is 90 days. Treat Aetna, UMR and in-network UnitedHealthcare as unknown until you read your agreement, because none of them publishes a general number. Then work clearinghouse rejections every week. UnitedHealthcare says rejected claims are not proof of timely filing, and Medicare and SCAN give rejected claims no appeal rights, so an unworked rejection silently spends your window.

Timely Filing Limits for All Insurance: the 2026 Table

"Not published" means we found no general number in the payer's own documents; the participation agreement or plan sets it.

Payer	Plan type	Initial claim limit	Corrected claim	How the clock is counted	Payer guide
Original Medicare	Part A and Part B	12 months (1 calendar year) after the date of service	Clerical errors go through a reopening within 1 year of the initial determination; unprocessable claims are resubmitted within the original 12 months	Line-item From date on professional claims with span dates	Medicare Part B guide
UnitedHealthcare	Commercial and Medicare Advantage, network	Not published; set by your Participation Agreement or state rules	Same limit as the original claim	From the date of service, discharge or last date of service, not the EOB date	UHC guide
UnitedHealthcare	Commercial, non-participating	Up to 180 days	Within the contracted or regulated limit	From the date of service	UHC guide
UnitedHealthcare	Medicare Advantage, non-contracted	365 days	Within the contracted or regulated limit	From the through date of service	UHC guide
Optum Behavioral Health	UHC plans whose behavioral benefits Optum administers	90 calendar days, or as law or the member's plan allows	Corrections within 90 days of initial claim receipt	From the date of service	UHC guide
Cigna	Commercial, participating	90 days	No separate window; a resubmission Cigna did not request is held to the original limit	From the date of service; last date of service for consecutive days	Cigna guide
Cigna	Commercial, out-of-network	180 days	Same rule as participating	From the date of service	Cigna guide
Evernorth Behavioral Health	Cigna behavioral health	90 days, or as your Provider Agreement defines	Resubmission Evernorth requested: 90 days reset to the date of its request	From the date of service	Cigna guide
HealthSpring	Former Cigna Medicare Advantage	In network: per contract (manual cites 180 days); out of network: 365 days	Appeals do not extend the limit	From the date of service	Cigna guide
Aetna	Commercial and Medicare Advantage	Not published; set by your contract	Not published; corrected claims can be filed in Availity	Per contract	Aetna guide
Aetna	New York members (state supplement)	120 days	Not published	From the date of service	Aetna guide
Aetna	EAP (Resources for Living) sessions	90 days	Not published	From the last session date	Aetna guide
Humana	Medicare lines of business (Medicare Advantage)	1 year, unless your agreement or law says otherwise	Not published	From the date of service	Humana guide
Humana	Medicaid (Humana Healthy Horizons)	Set by the state Medicaid provider manual	Not published	Per state manual	Humana guide
Blue Cross Blue Shield	All 33 independent Blue companies	Not one number; set by your local Blue plan and contract	Per local plan	Per local plan	Anthem guide for Anthem Blue plans
Anthem Blue Cross (California)	Commercial PPO and EPO	Not published; set by your Provider or Facility Agreement	Rejected claims must be corrected and resubmitted within the timely filing period	Per agreement	Anthem guide
Anthem Blue Cross (California)	HMO, non-capitated services	12 months	Not published	From the date of service	Anthem guide
Anthem Blue Cross (California)	Medi-Cal managed care	180 days participating; 210 days nonparticipating	Not published	From the date of service; from the other carrier's EOP when it paid first	Anthem guide
UMR	Self-funded employer plans	Not published; set by the employer's plan and your contract	Not published	Per plan and contract	UMR guide
Kaiser Permanente (California)	Contracted providers	90 calendar days, unless your Agreement or law says otherwise	Same limit as the original claim, counted from the original Remittance Advice date	From the date of service or discharge	Kaiser guide
Kaiser Permanente (California)	Non-contracted, commercial members	180 calendar days (2024 Kaiser FAQ)	Not published	Not stated in the FAQ	Kaiser guide
Health Net (California)	Participating: commercial and Medicare Advantage	120 days, unless your contract states otherwise	Not published	From the date of service	Health Net guide
Health Net (California)	Participating: Medi-Cal	180 days	Not published	From the last day of the month of service	Health Net guide
Health Net (California)	Non-participating, all products	180 days	Not published	From the later of the date of service or your receipt of the primary payer's EOB	Health Net guide
SCAN Health Plan	Medicare Advantage (California)	One year, unless your contract states otherwise	Rejected claims must be resubmitted within one year	From the date of service or discharge	SCAN guide
CalOptima Health	Medi-Cal managed care (Orange County)	365 days, per CalOptima's 2024 provider notice; health networks may differ	Not published	Not stated in the notice	Medi-Cal guide
Medicaid fee-for-service	Every state agency	Federal rule: no later than 12 months; your state's manual sets the working limit	Per state manual	From the date of service	No Undeny guide yet
TRICARE	Claims for care in the U.S. and U.S. territories	One year (three years overseas)	Claims returned for more information: the later of one year after service or 90 days from the return	From the date of service	No Undeny guide yet

How Timely Filing Works

A timely filing limit measures the gap between a starting event and the date the payer receives a claim it can process. Four details change the answer more often than the headline number.

The starting event is not always the date of service

Cigna counts consecutive-day services from the last date of service. UnitedHealthcare measures Medicare Advantage non-contracted claims from the through date of service. Health Net counts participating Medi-Cal claims from the last day of the month of service. Aetna's EAP manual counts from the last session date. Medicare uses the line-item From date when a professional claim carries span dates.

Secondary claims start from the primary payer

When another plan pays first, most payers restart the count from the primary payer's action. Cigna determines timely filing "from the processing date indicated on the primary carrier's explanation of benefits (EOB) or explanation of payment (EOP)." UnitedHealthcare gives at least 90 days from the primary payer's payment, denial or notice. Kaiser California wants COB information within 90 calendar days of the primary carrier's EOB, and Anthem Blue Cross Medi-Cal counts from the other carrier's EOP. Keep the primary EOB, because its date is your proof.

Rejected is not received

A clearinghouse or payer rejection means the claim never entered adjudication. CMS says a claim returned as unprocessable "is not denied, and, as such, is not afforded appeal rights," and SCAN states that "Rejected claims do not have Appeal rights." The clock keeps running while a rejection sits in a queue. Fix it and resubmit inside the original window, then confirm the payer accepted it.

Corrected claim timely filing rarely restarts the clock

UnitedHealthcare is explicit: the contract's number of days "also applies to submission of corrected claims," counted from the date of service, not from the first EOB. Its example: with a 90-day limit and a last date of service of May 1, every correction must arrive within 90 days after May 1. HealthSpring adds that "Timely filing requirements are not affected or changed by the appeal process or by the appeal outcome." The exceptions are narrow: Evernorth resets its 90 days to the date it asked you for more information, Kaiser California counts corrections from the original Remittance Advice date, and TRICARE allows 90 days after a claim is returned for information if that is later than one year from service.

Exceptions written into the rules

For Medicare, 42 CFR 424.44 extends the deadline when the delay was caused by an error or misrepresentation of a Medicare contractor or HHS agent, or when a beneficiary's entitlement was granted retroactively. TRICARE's regulation lets the program grant exceptions for retroactive eligibility, administrative error and delays by other health insurance. Health Net accepts a late claim as timely for good cause, such as misinformation from the member or Health Net. Aetna's New York supplement lets participating providers request reconsideration of a claim denied solely as untimely, under conditions it lists, though "Aetna may reduce the reimbursement of a claim by up to 25%," and the right does not apply to a claim submitted 365 days after the service.

Payer Notes Behind the Numbers

Medicare timely filing limit

The Medicare Claims Processing Manual says claims "must be filed to the appropriate Medicare claims processing contractor no later than 12 months, or 1 calendar year, after the date the services were furnished." A late-filing denial "does not constitute an 'initial determination'" and "is not subject to appeal," so redetermination cannot rescue it. Medicare Advantage plans set their own rules; see the UHC, Humana and SCAN rows.

UHC timely filing limit and Optum

UnitedHealthcare's 2026 Administrative Guide says "Timely filing limits vary based on state requirements and contracts" and sends network providers to their Agreement. It does state 180 days for non-participating commercial claims and 365 days for non-contracted Medicare Advantage claims. Behavioral health claims processed by Optum follow Optum's manual: 90 calendar days from the date of service.

Cigna timely filing limit and Evernorth

Cigna's public claims page lists "A participating health care provider 90 days after the date of service" and "An out-of-network provider 180 days after the date of service," with exceptions for longer state law, extra time in your agreement and timely claims Cigna asked you to supplement. Evernorth Behavioral Health uses 90 days or your Provider Agreement's term.

Aetna timely filing limit

Aetna's June 2026 provider manual and at-a-glance guide publish no general commercial or Medicare Advantage limit; the agreement controls. The verified exceptions are New York (120 days after the date of service under the state supplement) and Aetna EAP sessions ("submit your claim 90 days from the last session date").

Humana timely filing limit

Humana's 2026 manual lists "Medicare lines of business: 1 year from date of service" and, for Medicaid, "Refer to the state-specific Medicaid provider manual," both "if not otherwise specified by the agreement or applicable state or federal law." It lists no commercial limit.

BCBS timely filing limit

There is no national Blue Cross Blue Shield number. The association describes itself as "a national association of independent, community-based and locally operated BCBS companies," 33 of them, and each sets its own provider rules. For out-of-area BlueCard members, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Texas says "Generally, claims should be filed to the local Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plan," so your local plan's manual and contract govern. In California, Anthem Blue Cross ties commercial PPO limits to the agreement and publishes 12 months for non-capitated HMO services.

UMR, Medicaid and TRICARE

UMR says "Timely filing requirements are determined by the self-funded customer, as well as the provider-contracted timely filing provisions." For Medicaid fee-for-service, 42 CFR 447.45 says "The Medicaid agency must require providers to submit all claims no later than 12 months from the date of service"; Medicaid managed care plans publish their own limits, such as 180 days at Health Net Medi-Cal. TRICARE tells beneficiaries: "In the U.S. and U.S. territories, you must file your claims within one year of service," matching 32 CFR 199.7.

Proof of Timely Filing: What Payers Accept

Proof means evidence that the payer received and accepted the claim inside the limit, not merely that you sent it.

Payer	Accepted as proof	Watch out for
UnitedHealthcare	Confirmation the claim was received and accepted within your limit, showing date submitted, date accepted, member, date of service and provider ID: an EDI report, a billing or accounting software statement, or another carrier's EOB or dated eligibility rejection with a resubmission form	"UnitedHealthcare claims that are rejected are not proof of timely filing"
Health Net (California)	EDI confirmation that Health Net received and accepted the claim; registered or certified mail receipt to a Health Net address; a screen print from accounting software showing the submission date	Good cause can also make a late claim timely
Anthem Blue Cross (California commercial)	A claim copy with a computer-printed filing date, a billing system printout, or an EDI acceptance report showing the claim accepted	These appeals "must be submitted to Anthem in writing"
Evernorth Behavioral Health	"the electronic data interchange transmission report or evidence that a claim was submitted due to coordination of benefits with another carrier"	Include a written justification
UMR	Proof that you filed within the timely filing limits	The limit itself varies by employer plan
Original Medicare	Exceptions only, under 42 CFR 424.44	A late-filing denial cannot be appealed

After a CO-29 Denial

1. Confirm the remit shows CARC 29, "The time limit for filing has expired," and not a missing-information code such as CO-16 that you can still correct.
2. Identify the limit that applies to this plan and product, and the date its clock starts, using the table above and your participation agreement.
3. Pull the payer acceptance record from your clearinghouse, not just the transmission log, showing submission date, acceptance date, member ID, date of service and provider ID.
4. If the delay was outside your control, gather that evidence too: the primary carrier's EOB, the retroactive eligibility notice, or the payer's own error.
5. Use the payer's dispute route for timely filing. Cigna asks you to call first, because timely filing denials "may be quickly resolved through a real-time adjustment"; UnitedHealthcare takes proof through its reconsideration; Anthem California requires writing.
6. Draft a letter that leads with the dates and attaches the proof, using the appeal letter generator, then diary the decision date.

Our CO-29 timely filing denial guide explains the code itself, and the insurance appeal letter template includes timely filing wording.

How We Verified These Limits

Each row comes from a document we read on or before October 9, 2026: the 2026 UnitedHealthcare Administrative Guide (effective April 1, 2026), Optum Behavioral Health's National Provider Network Manual (effective September 1, 2026), Cigna's claims submission page, Evernorth's behavioral provider guide (September 2026), HealthSpring's 2026 manuals, Aetna's provider manual (June 2026), state supplement and EAP manual, Humana's 2026 provider manual, Anthem Blue Cross California manuals, UMR's provider FAQ, Kaiser's 2026 Northern California manual, Health Net's provider library, SCAN's 2026 Provider Operations Manual, CMS manuals and the federal regulations for Medicare, Medicaid and TRICARE. Kaiser's 180-day non-contracted figure comes from a 2024 Kaiser FAQ, so confirm it before relying on it. The full source list is below.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the timely filing limit for most insurance companies?

There is no universal limit. Most published figures fall between 90 days (Cigna participating, Optum and Evernorth behavioral health, Kaiser California contracted) and one year (Original Medicare, Humana Medicare plans, TRICARE in the U.S.). Aetna, UMR, in-network UnitedHealthcare and many Blue plans leave the number to your contract.

What is the Medicare timely filing limit?

Original Medicare requires claims no later than 12 months, or 1 calendar year, after the date of service. On professional claims with span dates, the line-item From date counts. A claim denied as late cannot be appealed, although federal rules extend the deadline for contractor error and retroactive entitlement.

What is the Cigna timely filing limit?

Cigna allows 90 days after the date of service for participating providers and 180 days for out-of-network providers, unless state law or your agreement allows more. Consecutive-day services count from the last date of service, and secondary claims count from the primary carrier's EOB processing date.

What is the Aetna timely filing limit?

Aetna's current provider manual does not publish a general commercial or Medicare Advantage limit, so your participation agreement controls. Aetna's New York supplement sets 120 days after the date of service, and Aetna EAP sessions must be submitted within 90 days of the last session.

What is the UHC timely filing limit?

For network providers, UnitedHealthcare says the limit depends on your Participation Agreement and state rules. Its guide states up to 180 days for non-participating commercial claims and 365 days from the through date of service for non-contracted Medicare Advantage claims. Optum Behavioral Health uses 90 calendar days from the date of service.

What is the BCBS timely filing limit?

Blue Cross Blue Shield is 33 independent companies, so there is no single BCBS limit. Your local Blue plan's provider manual and your contract set it, and out-of-area BlueCard claims generally go to your local plan. Anthem Blue Cross in California, for example, publishes 12 months for non-capitated HMO services.

What is the Humana timely filing limit?

Humana's 2026 provider manual sets 1 year from the date of service for Medicare lines of business and defers to the state Medicaid manual for Medicaid, unless your agreement or law says otherwise. It lists no commercial limit and no separate corrected-claim window.

Does a corrected claim restart the timely filing clock?

Usually not. UnitedHealthcare applies the original limit to corrected claims, counted from the date of service, and HealthSpring says appeals do not change timely filing. Evernorth and Kaiser California are exceptions with their own published rules, so check before assuming extra time.

Is a clearinghouse rejection proof of timely filing?

No. UnitedHealthcare states that rejected claims are not proof of timely filing because they still needed action from you. Payers want evidence the claim was received and accepted, such as an EDI acceptance report showing the acceptance date.

Informational only, not legal, medical, or billing advice. Timely filing limits change with contracts, plan types and state law; verify against current payer policy and your participation agreement before relying on any number here.

Turn the Proof Into an Appeal

Undeny drafts a timely filing appeal that leads with your dates and lists the proof to attach. Generate an appeal · Look up a denial code · Join the waitlist