By Brandon Seigel, Chief Problem Solver · July 10, 2026 · 4 min read
Every payer has its own clock
Medicare allows 12 months from the date of service. Many commercial and Medicaid plans allow far less — some as little as 90 days. Corrected claims and appeals have their own deadlines.
Where claims fall through
Claims usually miss deadlines because they were:
- Held for a missing signature or note
- Rejected at the clearinghouse and never corrected
- Sent to the wrong payer after a coverage change
- Batched and forgotten during staff turnover
Daily beats deadlines
When claims go out every business day and rejections are worked daily, filing limits stop being a threat.
Quick answers
What is Medicare's timely filing limit?
12 months from the date of service. Commercial and Medicaid plans often have shorter limits.
Sources and further reading
See exactly what's included in our medical billing services for therapy practices, how our percentage-of-collections pricing works, or browse common questions from practice owners.
Want this handled inside your EMR, every business day?
Our US-Based W2 employees work your claims daily. Tell us about your practice.
Start a conversation