Michigan No-Fault Law, section by section › MCL 500.3145
Limitation of actions for recovery of personal or property protection insurance benefits; period of limitations; tolling; notice of injury.
In plain terms
A PIP suit must be filed within one year of the accident unless written notice of injury was given to the insurer within that year or the insurer already paid benefits; then suit may be filed within one year after the most recent expense or loss was incurred, but recovery reaches back only one year before filing (the one-year-back rule). Since 2019 that period is tolled from a specific claim for payment until the insurer formally denies it, provided the claimant pursues the claim with reasonable diligence. PPI suits must be filed within one year of the accident.
How this section works in practice
This is the deadline section, and it is the one that costs people benefits. A lawsuit for PIP benefits must be filed within one year of the accident unless, within that year, written notice of the injury was given to the insurer or the insurer paid some benefit. Notice may be given by anyone on the injured person's behalf and must state the claimant's name and address, the injured person's name, and the time, place and nature of the injury.
Once notice has been given, suit may be filed at any time within one year after the most recent expense or loss was incurred. But the one-year-back rule applies: the claimant can recover only losses incurred within one year before the date suit was filed. An unpaid bill from 14 months ago is gone unless the tolling rule in subsection (3) saves it. That rule, added in 2019, stops the clock from the date a specific claim for payment is made until the insurer formally denies it, provided the claimant pursued the claim with reasonable diligence. A denial letter therefore restarts the countdown, and silence from an insurer is not a denial.
Property protection claims must be filed within one year of the accident with no tolling. Assigned claims carry their own one-year notice requirement under section 3174.
Text of MCL 500.3145
Sec. 3145.
(1) An action for recovery of personal protection insurance benefits payable under this chapter for an accidental bodily injury may not be commenced later than 1 year after the date of the accident that caused the injury unless written notice of injury as provided in subsection (4) has been given to the insurer within 1 year after the accident or unless the insurer has previously made a payment of personal protection insurance benefits for the injury.
(2) Subject to subsection (3), if the notice has been given or a payment has been made, the action may be commenced at any time within 1 year after the most recent allowable expense, work loss, or survivor's loss has been incurred. However, the claimant may not recover benefits for any portion of the loss incurred more than 1 year before the date on which the action was commenced.
(3) A period of limitations applicable under subsection (2) to the commencement of an action and the recovery of benefits is tolled from the date of a specific claim for payment of the benefits until the date the insurer formally denies the claim. This subsection does not apply if the person claiming the benefits fails to pursue the claim with reasonable diligence.
(4) The notice of injury required by subsection (1) may be given to the insurer or any of its authorized agents by a person claiming to be entitled to benefits for the injury, or by someone in the person's behalf. The notice must give the name and address of the claimant and indicate in ordinary language the name of the person injured and the time, place, and nature of the person's injury.
(5) An action for recovery of property protection insurance benefits may not be commenced later than 1 year after the accident.
History: Add. 1972, Act 294, Eff. Mar. 30, 1973 ;-- Am. 2019, Act 21, Imd. Eff. June 11, 2019
Source: MCL 500.3145 at legislature.mi.gov (official text). Text as published in the 2025 Michigan Compiled Laws; reviewed by Koussan Law on September 15, 2026.
Sections that refer to this one
- MCL 500.3174: One-Year Notice for Assigned Claims
Practice pages
Important: This is not legal advice
This article is general information about Michigan personal injury law. It is not legal advice and should not be relied on as a substitute for consultation with a licensed Michigan attorney about your specific situation. The laws, deadlines, procedures, and frameworks here are general guidelines that may or may not apply to your case.
Every personal injury case turns on its own unique facts. The timing, the parties, the evidence, the jurisdiction, the insurance available, and dozens of other variables can change the legal analysis. Do not rely on anything written on this website to make decisions about your case.
If you have been injured in Michigan, the only responsible step is to speak with a licensed Michigan attorney about your specific facts. Call Koussan Law at (313) 800-0000 for a free consultation, or contact a different Michigan personal injury attorney of your choosing.
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