How Long Do You Have to Report an Injury at Work?

The first thing you have to do if you have been injured at work is to report your injury to your employer. The second step is to file a workers’ compensation claim. However, you should be aware of reporting deadlines because if you miss them, you could lose your eligibility to claim benefits.

In this article, we’ll identify the timelines on how long you have to report an injury at work, how to do the reporting, and how you can use to file an HR complaint instead.

Not All Deadlines Are Created Equal: A Guide

Depending on where you are located, there are different workers’ compensation deadlines. These deadlines are effective from the day of your injury. Some states have different statutes of limitations for claims, but as a general guide, here’s a table of deadlines for all 50 states:

State	Inform Your Employer Within:	File a Workers’ Compensation Claim Within:
Alabama	5 days of injury and 90 days of the accident	2 years
Alaska	30 days	2 years
Arizona	ASAP	1 year
Arkansas	ASAP	2 years
California	30 days	1 year
Colorado	4 days	2 years
Connecticut	ASAP	1 year (3 years for occupational illnesses)
Delaware	ASAP	2 years
Florida	30 days	2 years
Georgia	30 days	1 year
Hawaii	ASAP	5 years (and within 2 years of manifestation of symptoms)
Idaho	60 days	None
Illinois	45 days	3 years
Indiana	30 days	2 years
Iowa	90 days	2 years
Kansas	200 days
Kentucky	ASAP	2 years
Louisiana	30 days	1 year (up to 2 years for non-immediate onset of disability)
Maine	30 days	2 years
Maryland	10 days	2 years (1 year following discovery of occupational illness)
Massachusetts	ASAP	4 years from discovery or causation
Michigan	90 days	2 years
Minnesota	ASAP	6 years (or 3 years from employer filing First Report of Injury)
Mississippi	30 days	2 years
Missouri	30 days	2 years
Montana	30 days (1 year for occupational illnesses	1 year (or 2 years for latent injury)
Nebraska	ASAP	2 years
Nevada	7 days	90 days from injury or discovery of occupational illness
New Hampshire	2 years	3 years
New Jersey	14 days	2 years
New Mexico	15 days	1 year from claim denial
New York	30 days	2 years
North Carolina	30 days	2 years
North Dakota	7 days	1 year from injury or discovery
Ohio	ASAP	1 year
Oklahoma	30 days	1 year (or 2 years from last exposure for occupational illnesses)
Oregon	ASAP	2 years
Pennsylvania	21 days	3 years (or 300 weeks from last exposure for occupational illnesses)
Rhode Island	30 days	2 years
South Carolina	90 days	2 years from injury or discovery
South Dakota	3 business days	2 years
Tennessee	15 days	1 year
Texas	30 days	1 year from injury or discovery of occupational illness
Utah	180 days	1 year
Vermont	ASAP	6 months
Virginia	30 days	2 years
Washington	ASAP	1 year (or 2 years from diagnosis for occupational illnesses)
West Virginia	ASAP	6 months (or 3 years from discovery or last exposure for occupational illnesses)
Wisconsin	30 days	2 years (6 years for traumatic injuries and 12 years for occupational illnesses)
Wyoming	72 hours to report an injury to employer, 10 days to file Wyoming Report of Injury	1 year

How to Report an Injury at Work

Reporting an injury at work comes in two steps: reporting to human resources and reporting a workers’ compensation injury. Your employer may have a standardized form that you can simply fill in. After that, you may need to file a benefits claim with your state’s workers’ compensation agency. To ensure your claim will be approved, make sure to include the following details:

Specifics of the workplace accident, including date and time
Events that occurred prior to and after the accident
Co-workers who witnessed the accident
Whom you reported the accident to, if you did

Employee’s Other Obligations

Your obligations as an employee don’t stop at simply reporting an injury at work. After that, you also need to:

Go to an emergency room if you believe emergency treatment is needed
Request your manager to take time off if your injuries are severe and impact your ability to work
Follow up with your employer or your company’s workers’ compensation insurance provider

What Happens if You Do Not Report an Injury?

Many employees don’t report accidents or file complaints right away because they don’t notice serious injuries that require medical attention. Although employers are obligated to ensure safety at work, if an accident happens, it is your responsibility to report it. Regardless of the severity of the incident, any injury that results in bodily harm should be reported right away. A delayed response can result in problems such as:

Your employer may refuse to provide medical treatments or benefits
The workers’ compensation agency may question why the accident was not reported immediately
Your private insurance provider may deny payment for treatment of injuries at work

When this happens, this may escalate into a legal battle. If you are afraid of possible repercussions or are unsure of how to proceed, report an injury at work through .

How To File an Anonymous HR Complaint With DoNotPay

Regardless of whether you have experienced an accident, harassment, or discrimination in the office, HR needs to know about it. Sometimes, you may prefer to keep your complaint anonymous - enter DoNotPay! The DoNotPay app enables you to report to HR without having to reveal your identity. All you have to do is:

1. Log in to and click the Anonymous HR Complaint product.