How long do you have to claim on pet insurance?

Most pet insurers give you 12 months from the date of treatment to send in a claim. Which? describes this as the common position, adding that it is not always the case¹. Tesco puts it plainly in its own claims guidance: all claims need to be made within 12 months of the treatment date². Co-op's policy document uses the same 12 month window, counted from the treatment taking place³.

The deadline is not the same as the waiting period at the start of a policy, and the two are often confused. A waiting period stops you claiming for a condition at all in the first days or weeks of cover. The claim deadline is the clock on sending in the paperwork for treatment that is already covered. Both can catch a claim out, and they run independently of each other.

Where policies differ is what the 12 months is counted from, and whether the end of the policy year gives you extra time. Some insurers use the later of the policy end date or a set period from treatment, which can extend the window well past the anniversary. Others tie the deadline to the policy year itself. The rule that applies to you is the one written in your own policy wording, not the one a friend was given by a different insurer.

Pet insurance claims: commonly 12 months from treatment

The 12 month figure appears across the market because it matches how insurers handle a policy year. A claim that arrives within the year it relates to can be assessed against the cover limit that applied when the treatment happened, and the insurer's records for that period are still open. Which? notes that 12 months from treatment is the common arrangement but flags that it is not universal¹.

Tesco's claims page states the rule without qualification: all claims need to be made within 12 months of the treatment date². Co-op's policy document says the same, requiring claims to be submitted within 12 months of the treatment taking place³. These are deadlines on submission, not on when the vet must be paid, so a bill settled in instalments does not move the date.

The deadline sits alongside the cover limit, and the two do different jobs. A time-limited policy pays for a condition for a set period and then excludes it. Petplan's time-limited cover, for example, pays for the treatment of a condition for up to 12 months⁷. That is a limit on how long the condition is covered, which is a separate question from how long you have to send in the bill for treatment already given.

Waiting periods at the start of a policy are a third, separate rule. Which? found that for the majority of dog and cat policies the illness waiting period was 14 days before you could claim⁸. A small number of policies, 7% for dogs and 7% for cats, offered 10 days instead⁸. Some policies also impose a waiting period for accidents and injuries, usually no more than 48 hours from when the policy starts⁸. Post Office states that you cannot claim for illnesses in the first 14 days of your policy⁶.

Why claim deadlines differ between insurers

Insurers set their own claims conditions, and there is no single rule that applies across the market. The Financial Conduct Authority's rules on how firms present policy information, including the requirement to act in the customer's best interests, do not prescribe a claims deadline⁹. That leaves each insurer to write its own, which is why two policies bought in the same month can give you very different amounts of time.

The variation is not confined to pet cover. Deadlines elsewhere in insurance show the same pattern:

The pattern is that deadlines are shortest where the insurer needs to act quickly to limit its loss, such as reporting a stolen phone, and longest where the loss is already fixed, such as a completed course of veterinary treatment. Pet claims sit in the middle: the treatment has happened, but the insurer wants the paperwork while the clinical history is still easy to check.

For a consumer, the practical effect is that the deadline is a term of the contract like any other. Missing it gives the insurer a reason to refuse the claim, and the refusal will usually be upheld unless there is a good reason for the delay. Protection insurance works the same way: Macmillan's guidance notes that there is usually a time limit to make a claim, so it is best to do it as soon as you can¹⁶.

How the deadline is counted: from treatment or the end of the policy

There are two common ways of counting, and some insurers combine them.

The first counts from the first date of treatment. Tesco uses 12 months from the treatment date², and Co-op uses 12 months from the treatment taking place³. Under this method, the policy anniversary is irrelevant. If your pet started treatment in March and you send the claim in the following February, it is inside the window whatever month your policy renews.

The second counts from the end of the policy year. Post Office's time limited cover excludes a condition once the maximum amount has been paid out or 12 months from the first date of treatment has passed⁶. That is a cover limit rather than a submission deadline, but it has the same effect on a claim that arrives late.

Some insurers use whichever date is later, which is the most generous of the three approaches. Agria requires claims to be submitted by the end of the period of insurance or within six months from the first date of treatment, whichever is later⁴. Lloyds Bank asks for the claim by the later of the policy end date or six months after the date the pet's treatment started⁵. Under both, a claim for treatment late in a policy year can be sent in after renewal.

The date that matters is the first date of treatment, not the date of the final bill or the date you paid. A course of treatment running over several weeks does not extend the deadline, because the clock starts at the beginning rather than the end. If your pet's treatment is ongoing, sending in the bills as they arrive keeps each one inside the window.

Agria: six months from treatment or the end of the policy year

Agria's rule is worth setting out on its own because it differs from the 12 month norm in both directions. The insurer asks for vet fee claims to be submitted by the end of the period of insurance or within six months from the first date of treatment, whichever is later⁴. Six months is shorter than the 12 months many other insurers allow, but the alternative date, the end of the policy year, can be longer.

Agria's claims process is built around the vet. The insurer says your vet can fill out the claims form on your behalf, and it can pay your vet directly¹⁷. That removes the step where a bill is settled by the owner and reimbursed later, which is often where delays creep in.

Two other Agria rules affect what a claim is worth:

• On cat policies, when treatment falls into two or more periods of insurance, the fixed excess is payable for each period and also for each separate illness or injury¹⁸.
• On dog policies, in addition to a fixed excess a percentage excess may also apply, and the same rule about paying the fixed excess for each period of insurance and each separate illness or injury applies¹⁹.

A claim that straddles a renewal can therefore carry more than one excess.

Agria also sets a dental condition. For dogs, cats and rabbits, the pet must have had their teeth checked in the 15 months before the illness was noted, and any treatment recommended as a result of that check must be carried out within 12 months of the recommendation¹⁷. A dental claim that fails this test is refused on the condition rather than on the deadline, but the effect for the owner is the same.

If a claim is refused and you disagree, Agria's complaints process commits to a final response letter confirming its investigation and conclusion no later than eight weeks after receiving the complaint²⁰. That matches the eight week limit that applies to insurers generally²¹.

What happens if you miss the deadline

A claim that arrives outside the period the policy allows can be refused, and the refusal will normally rest on the claims condition rather than on the merits of the treatment. The insurer is not obliged to accept a late claim, though some will consider a delay where there is a clear reason for it.

If you think a refusal is wrong, the route is a complaint to the insurer first. Insurers have to give their final response within eight weeks for most types of complaint²¹. Which? sets out the same limit: once you have initiated a complaint, the company has up to eight weeks to provide you with its final response²². If the complaint is not resolved to your satisfaction by then, or the insurer refuses the claim outright, the Financial Ombudsman Service can look at it²³.

The ombudsman publishes complaint volumes by product, which gives a sense of how often pet claims end up in dispute. Pet insurance complaints opened stood at 593 in the first quarter of 2026/27²⁴, against 509 in the same quarter of 2025/26²⁵. The ombudsman service is free to consumers.

There is also a practical point about timing. Insurers quote different turnaround times for assessing a claim:

A claim sent in on the last day of the window still has to go through assessment, so leaving it late adds delay on top of the deadline risk.

Checking the claim deadline in your own policy

The deadline is written into the claims section of the policy wording, usually under a heading such as making a claim or claims conditions, and it is repeated in the policy schedule that comes with your documents. If you cannot find it, the insurer's claims team can confirm the date that applies to your policy.

The wording to look for is the phrase that fixes the start of the clock:

• "Within 12 months of the treatment date" counts from treatment².
• "By the end of the period of insurance or within six months from the first date of treatment, whichever is later" gives you two dates and you take the later one⁴.
• "The later of your policy end date or six months after the date your pet's treatment started" works the same way⁵.

The difference between these phrases is the difference between a claim being paid and being refused.

It also helps to know how your insurer wants the claim submitted. Lloyds recommends asking your vet to make the claim, describing it as the quickest and easiest way to get help, and says claims can be paid directly to your vet if they agree⁵. Agria says the same about vet-submitted forms and direct payment¹⁷. NFU Mutual's pet and equine claims can be notified through an online claim web form available 24 hours a day, seven days a week²⁸. Tesco's cover includes vet treatment, the pet's medication and help with a lost pet³⁰.

A few other dates are worth noting at the same time. Many insurers will notify you at least 21 days in advance of a renewal to give you the chance to cancel¹. M&S Pet Insurance applies a 14 day waiting period from the policy start date³¹. Paycare, which runs health cash plans rather than pet cover, requires claims within 13 weeks from the date treatment was paid for, which shows how much these windows vary between products³². If you need more time on a claim, the general principle used elsewhere in the benefits system is to ask before the deadline and explain why³³.

For free, impartial help with a claim or a complaint, MoneyHelper and the Financial Ombudsman Service both offer guidance at no cost. If a claim has been refused and you want to understand why, our page on why insurance claims are rejected sets out the common reasons, and complaining about an insurer explains how the ombudsman process works. For the wider picture on how pet policies are structured, see how pet insurance works.