Counted from the end of treatment: clear-liability claims commonly settle in 2–4 months, disputed ones in 6–18, and a filed lawsuit adds a year or more. The real variable is the stages your claim has to pass through — so estimate it from those, not from someone's average.
Reviewed August 24, 2026 · methodology · changelogA stage model, not a statistic: each line below is the planning range practitioners commonly use, summed for the stages your answers put in play. Your state's court calendar, the carrier, and your documentation can move any stage.
| Remaining treatment to MMI | 2 months × ~4.3 wks | 9 wks |
| Records & demand package | typical 3–6 wks | 3–6 wks |
| Insurer review & first offer | typical 4–8 wks | 4–8 wks |
| Negotiation rounds (clear liability) | 4–8 wks | 4–8 wks |
| Estimated total | sum of stages | 5–7 months |
Everything waits on maximum medical improvement because your economic base isn't known until then. This stage is yours to document, not to shorten: consistent treatment now is worth more than any negotiation tactic later. Insurers know time pressures claimants — which is exactly why the early quick offer exists.
A complete demand package (records, bills, wage proof, and your computed range with the arithmetic shown — build the letter here) typically takes 3–6 weeks to assemble and gives the carrier 4–8 weeks of review before the first offer. Expect that offer low, and expect 3–6 written rounds. Each counter should carry the implied-multiplier math and a response deadline — undated counters drift.
Filing suit typically adds 9–24 months — but its main effect is leverage, not trial: most filed cases settle during discovery or mediation, and carriers price the threat of a courtroom into their offers. The fork usually makes financial sense when a documented claim is stuck below its band; run the take-home math with realistic numbers before choosing it, and mind your state's filing deadline — leverage expires with the statute.
Counted from the end of medical treatment: clear-liability claims commonly resolve in 2–4 months (demand package, insurer review, a few negotiation rounds). Disputed fault or a slow carrier pushes 6–18 months. Filing a lawsuit typically adds 9–24 months, though most filed cases still settle before trial. The estimator on this page sums the stages your claim actually has.
Because the clock that matters runs to maximum medical improvement (MMI), not to the first offer. Settle before MMI and you're pricing a claim whose biggest line — your full treatment cost and any permanence — isn't known yet. Releases are permanent; the surgery discovered next month isn't covered by the check you cashed this week.
Documentation, not pressure: a complete demand package (all records, bills, wage proof) that gives the adjuster nothing to request; responding to offers in writing with the implied-multiplier math and a deadline; and clean liability evidence collected early. What slows it down: treatment gaps, missing records, and negotiating before your number is known.
Yes — your state's statute of limitations (commonly 1–6 years). Miss it and the claim is barred permanently no matter how strong it is; claims against government entities often require notice within months. Check your state's deadline on our state pages — each one cites the statute.