Workers' Comp Deadlines: Reporting and Filing by State

Deadlines by state

State	Tell your employer	File a claim
Florida	Tell your employer within 30 days of the injury, or of when you learned it was work-related.	File a petition within 2 years of when you knew or should have known the injury was work-related. Any benefit payment extends the deadline to 1 year from that payment.
Georgia	Notify your employer, orally or in writing, within 30 days of the accident.	File a claim with the State Board within 1 year of the injury. If you received authorized medical treatment or weekly benefits, the deadline runs 1 year from the last treatment or 2 years from the last weekly payment.
Illinois	Notify your employer as soon as practicable, and no later than 45 days after the accident.	File an application within 3 years of the accident if no compensation was paid, or within 2 years of the last payment if some was paid.
Michigan	Notify your employer within 90 days of the injury, or of when you knew or should have known of it.	Bring a claim within 2 years of the injury or of when the disability appears.
New York	Give your employer written notice within 30 days of the accident.	File a claim with the Board within 2 years of the accident, or of when you knew an occupational disease was work-related.
North Carolina	Give your employer written notice within 30 days of the accident.	File a claim (Form 18) with the Industrial Commission within 2 years of the accident.
Ohio	Tell your employer right away. Your employer must report the injury to BWC within a week of learning of it.	File a claim with BWC or the Industrial Commission within 1 year of the injury.
Pennsylvania	Tell your employer within 21 days so benefits run from the start. No compensation is allowed if notice is not given within 120 days.	File a claim petition within 3 years of the injury, or of the last compensation payment.

Protecting your claim

Report in writing, the same day if you can. Keep a copy, or an email or text that shows the date.
Get treatment and tell the provider it happened at work. Medical records are often the first evidence of when and how you were hurt.
File with the state agency yourself if the insurer has not accepted the claim and a filing deadline is approaching.
Occupational diseases such as hearing loss or repetitive strain often have their own start date for the clock, usually when you knew or should have known the condition was work-related.

Deadlines have exceptions that depend on facts. If yours is close or has passed, contact your state agency or a workers' compensation attorney rather than relying on this summary.

Frequently asked questions

What is the statute of limitations for workers comp?

It depends on the state. Among the states we cover, the time to file a claim ranges from 1 year in Ohio and Georgia to 3 years in Pennsylvania and Illinois, and payments of benefits can extend it. The separate deadline to tell your employer is shorter, from 21 days in Pennsylvania to 90 days in Michigan.

What happens if I report my injury late?

Late notice can reduce or bar benefits. In Pennsylvania, benefits do not start until notice is given after 21 days, and nothing is paid if notice comes after 120 days. Many states excuse late notice if the employer already knew or was not harmed, but you should not count on it.

Does telling my supervisor count as filing a claim?

Usually not. Reporting the injury to your employer and filing a claim with the state agency are two steps with two deadlines. Your employer's report to its insurer is also not the same as your own claim in most states.

Sources

Checked November 3, 2026.