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PIP is the first insurance that pays after most Florida crashes, and the 14-day deadline is the most common way people lose it. This page reads the statute's text, so you can check your own situation against it.
What PIP pays
| Benefit | Amount | Condition |
|---|---|---|
| Medical | 80% of all reasonable expenses for medically necessary medical, surgical, X-ray, dental and rehabilitative services, including ambulance, hospital and nursing | Initial services and care within 14 days after the accident |
| Disability | 60% of any loss of gross income and loss of earning capacity from inability to work, plus reasonable expenses for services you would have done yourself | Caused by the injury |
| Death | $5,000 per individual | In addition to medical and disability |
| Limit | $10,000 in medical and disability benefits combined | Subject to the emergency medical condition rule below |
Source: Florida Statutes 627.736(1). The statute covers the named insured, resident relatives, people operating the insured vehicle, passengers, and people struck by the vehicle who were not in a self-propelled vehicle, subject to its other terms.
Decide where you stand
- Were you hurt at all? The 14 days run from the accident, not from the day pain becomes obvious. Whiplash and back pain often show up later.
- Did you receive initial services and care within 14 days? If yes, keep the record. If no, ask your insurer in writing what it will pay, and consider asking a Florida attorney before you accept an answer.
- Who provided it? The statute lists the initial care that counts: services lawfully provided, supervised, ordered or prescribed by a physician, a dentist, a chiropractic physician or an advanced practice registered nurse, or provided in a hospital or in a facility that owns, or is wholly owned by, a hospital.
- Was an emergency medical condition found? If a physician, dentist, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse determines there was one, PIP medical benefits are available up to $10,000. If a listed provider determines there was not, reimbursement is limited to $2,500.
- Does the care fall outside PIP? Massage therapy and acupuncture are not medical benefits under the statute.
What PIP does not do
PIP is not a settlement for pain and suffering. A person generally cannot recover damages in tort for pain, suffering, mental anguish and inconvenience unless the injury consists in whole or in part of a significant and permanent loss of an important bodily function, a permanent injury within a reasonable degree of medical probability (other than scarring), significant and permanent scarring or disfigurement, or death (Fla. Stat. 627.737(2)). Whether your injury meets that threshold is a medical and legal question.
Local note
Initial care at a hospital counts as a facility named in the statute. In Lee, Collier and Charlotte counties, an emergency visit the day of the crash starts the 14-day record. A medical provider cannot tell you your legal rights, and an insurer's adjuster is not your lawyer. Kazaam's guide to what to do after a car accident covers the same Florida rules in a state-by-state format, and its claim deadline calculator covers the separate lawsuit clock. Disclosure: Kazaam is a marketing and lead-connection service operated alongside SWFL.now by Neural Command, LLC; it is not a law firm and does not give legal advice. This page is general information, not legal or medical advice.
Related
- What to do after a car accident in Southwest Florida
- Florida car accident deadlines, all in one place
- Hit by an uninsured or underinsured driver
Sources
- Florida Statutes 627.736, required PIP benefits, read November 14, 2026.
- Florida Statutes 627.737, tort exemption, read November 14, 2026.
Frequently asked questions
- What is the 14-day rule for Florida PIP?
- Florida PIP medical benefits cover 80 percent of reasonable medical expenses if the injured person receives initial services and care within 14 days after the motor vehicle accident. The rule is in Florida Statutes 627.736(1)(a).
- How much does Florida PIP pay?
- Up to $10,000 in medical and disability benefits, plus $5,000 in death benefits. Medical benefits are 80 percent of reasonable expenses, and disability benefits are 60 percent of lost gross income and earning capacity.
- Who can provide the initial care that counts?
- A physician, a dentist, a chiropractic physician or an advanced practice registered nurse, or care provided in a hospital or in a facility that owns or is wholly owned by a hospital. The statute also lists certain other licensed entities; read the current text before relying on a provider.
- What is the $2,500 PIP limit?
- If a listed provider determines the injured person did not have an emergency medical condition, reimbursement for the initial and follow-up services is limited to $2,500. If a physician, dentist, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse determines there was an emergency medical condition, the limit is $10,000.
- Does PIP cover massage or acupuncture?
- No. The statute says medical benefits do not include massage therapy or acupuncture.
- What if I did not see a doctor within 14 days?
- The statute ties medical benefits to initial care within 14 days, so ask your insurer in writing what it will pay, and consider asking a Florida attorney. Do not assume a late visit is covered.