Enter the date you were hurt to see your representative reporting, filing, and reopening deadlines — and roughly how much time you have left to act.
Based on representative timeframes. Deadlines vary by state — nothing is stored.
Workers' compensation runs on the clock. Miss a key date and an otherwise valid claim can be denied — no matter how serious your injury. Three deadlines drive almost every claim, and each one varies by state.
This is usually the tightest deadline. Many states require written notice to your employer within roughly 30 days of the injury (some are shorter, a few are longer). Reporting promptly also makes your claim far harder to dispute later.
Separate from telling your employer, you generally have to file an official claim with the state workers' comp board or your employer's insurer. This window is commonly about one year, but ranges from roughly one to three years depending on the state and the type of injury.
If your condition worsens after your case closes, many states let you reopen or modify benefits for a period of time — often around five years from the date of injury or last payment. After that window closes, the claim is usually final.
Don't assume your claim is dead. Some states allow late notice if you had a good reason, and the formal filing deadline is usually much longer than the reporting window. Talk to an attorney right away — acting quickly gives you the best chance.
Often the date of the accident — but for illnesses or repetitive injuries that build up over time, many states start the clock on the date you knew, or should have known, that the condition was work-related. This "discovery rule" can give you more time than the calculator shows.
No. This tool uses representative timeframes to illustrate how the deadlines work. Every state sets its own reporting, filing, and reopening windows. Use this as a prompt to confirm your real dates with an attorney before time runs out.
Sometimes. Deadlines may be tolled (paused) in certain situations — for minors, for some illnesses, or where an employer failed to file required paperwork. These exceptions are state-specific and fact-specific, so have an attorney check whether one applies to you.
This calculator provides a general, simplified estimate for educational purposes only. It is not legal advice and does not reflect any specific state's workers' compensation deadlines. No attorney-client relationship is formed by using this tool.
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