Every Blue Cross Blue Shield company sets its own timely filing limit: the maximum number of days from the date of service that a provider has to submit a claim for reimbursement. Miss the deadline and the claim is denied with no option to resubmit. The provider absorbs the cost.
Filing requirements vary significantly across BCBS companies, from as few as 90 days to as many as 365 days. The difference between getting paid and writing off a claim often comes down to knowing which deadline applies. The table below lists the timely filing limit for every BCBS company in our database, organised by state.
A timely filing limit is the deadline set by an insurance company for providers to submit claims after a service has been delivered. It is measured in calendar days from the date of service (or in some cases, the date of discharge for inpatient claims). If a claim is not filed within this window, the payer will deny it and the provider cannot bill the patient for the unpaid amount.
For Blue Cross Blue Shield plans, timely filing requirements are set independently by each BCBS company. There is no single BCBS-wide deadline. A claim filed to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts has a different deadline than one filed to Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas, even though both are BCBS plans.
Blue Cross and Blue Shield is an association of independent insurance companies, not a single national insurer. Each company operates under its own policies, contracts, and state regulations. Several factors affect the deadline for a specific claim:
Participating vs. non-participating providers: Some BCBS companies have different deadlines depending on whether the provider is in-network or out-of-network. Participating providers often have shorter deadlines because their contracts specify filing terms.
Medicare Advantage:BCBS Medicare Advantage plans often follow CMS timely filing rules rather than the commercial plan’s standard. CMS requires claims to be submitted within 365 days of the date of service, regardless of the BCBS company’s commercial deadline.
Secondary payer situations:When BCBS is the secondary payer, the timely filing clock typically starts from the date the primary payer’s explanation of benefits (EOB) is received, not from the date of service. This effectively extends the filing window but requires documentation of the primary payer’s processing date.
Submit claims quickly.Don’t wait until close to the deadline. Most billing best practices recommend filing within 5-7 business days of the date of service.
Verify the deadline before you file.Don’t assume all BCBS plans have the same deadline. Check the table above or look up the patient’s prefix using the BCBS prefix lookup tool to find the correct timely filing limit.
Confirm claim receipt.Submitting a claim electronically does not guarantee it was received. Check your clearinghouse reports or the payer’s provider portal to confirm that submitted claims were accepted. If a claim was rejected at the clearinghouse level, the timely filing clock is still running.
Document everything.If a claim is close to the deadline or if you’re filing after a denial, keep records of submission dates, rejections, and resubmissions. This documentation is critical for appeals.
If a claim is denied for timely filing, the denial is typically final. Limited exceptions exist for corrected claims (usually 30-90 days from the denial date), circumstances beyond the provider’s control, or cases where the patient provided incorrect insurance information. In all cases, contact the BCBS company directly using the provider phone number listed above.
There is no single BCBS timely filing deadline. Each Blue Cross Blue Shield company sets its own requirements independently. Deadlines range from 90 to 365 days from the date of service, depending on the plan, the provider’s network status, and the claim type. Check the table above for the specific deadline for each company.
Several BCBS companies require claims to be submitted within 90 days, particularly for participating providers. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts is one of the most commonly cited. Some Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield plans also have 90-day deadlines for participating providers, with longer windows for non-participating providers.
Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield operates in multiple states including California, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Virginia, and Wisconsin. The timely filing limit varies by state and by provider contract. Many Anthem plans require participating providers to file within 90-120 days. Non-participating providers may have 180-365 days depending on the state.
A timely filing limit is the maximum number of days a healthcare provider has to submit a claim to an insurance company after delivering a service. The clock starts on the date of service (or date of discharge for inpatient stays). If the claim is not filed within the allowed window, the insurer will deny it, and the provider usually cannot bill the patient for the unpaid amount.