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Originally published: Oct 23, 2025 | Updated: Aug 15, 2025 Having to file a claim with an insurance company can feel like a stressful process. Filing with your own carrier can yield you a response within a few days, while filing a claim with another party’s carrier after a non-at-fault accident may take weeks to be reimbursed. So how long will your auto insurance claim take? What can you expect during the process? And what can you do to speed up the process? If you’re asking these questions, you’re in the right place. We’ve got answers! Since 1922, Berry Insurance has been helping Massachusetts residents navigate the auto insurance claims process. We know exactly what to expect and how you can help make the process quicker. A claim can take anywhere from a few days to a few months to even years to resolve depending on the severity. Here’s a basic timeline on what you can expect to happen and what will affect the length of time your claim takes to be resolved. Table of contents: How long do insurance claims take in Massachusetts? What is the timeline of an insurance claim? What could delay the insurance claims process? What can I do to speed up the insurance claims process? How long do insurance claims take in Massachusetts? While many insurance companies will strive to resolve your claim as quickly as possible, typically within 30 days, there is no statute in Massachusetts that dictates time limits for claims settlement. According to the state, the only explanation about time limits is that “insurance companies are required by law to pay all claims in a prompt and reasonable amount of time.” That being said, here is a quick timeline on what you can expect with your claim. What is the timeline of an insurance claim? Adjuster Assigned Once you report your claim, an adjuster is assigned right away; but may take 24-48 hours to reach out to you. The adjuster is an employee of your insurance company, and is responsible for reviewing all of the claim notes, determining who is at fault, and keeping you up to speed on how the claim is progressing. Should anything happen in between the time of your accident and when you hear from your adjuster, keep notes or contact your insurance agent. For example, if you’ve got a rental, if your car has been moved, or if you’ve received any correspondence from the other party or their insurance company. Likewise, if you do not hear from your adjuster, or are not happy with how your claim is being handled, be sure to reach out to your insurance agent right away. The insurance agency is usually not updated by the insurance company on how the claim progresses, so if something is delayed, we may not know at the same time you do. Choosing an Autobody Repair Shop If your vehicle needs repairs, you are free to bring your vehicle to an autobody shop of choice. Your autobody shop may give you an estimate of the repairs before you receive the appraisal from the insurance company. Just be sure they do not begin work until the insurance company has had a chance to assess your damages themselves. Appraiser Assigned If there are damages to your vehicle, the adjuster will assign an appraiser. The appraiser is typically not an employee of your insurance company, so they are able to give an unbiased opinion of the damages. The appraiser will reach out to you to schedule an appointment to view your vehicle and assess the damages. This cane be done at whatever location is convenient to you – your home, work or at whatever autobody shop you choose. Estimate Completed The appraiser is typically assessing several vehicles in a day, so it may take a few days to get their estimate to your insurance company for review. Be sure to get the appraiser’s contact information so you can request a copy of the estimate if you don’t hear in a few days. Claim Check Issued Once your adjuster has received the appraisal of damages, it could take them anywhere from a day up to a week to issue the claim check. This is due to the adjuster needing to review the claim notes to determine fault and approve the appraisal amount. Additional Repairs Needed Once your autobody shop begins repairs, it is very likely they could find additional damages that could not be seen during the initial visual inspection. At this point the autobody shop would request a “supplement” to your insurance company. This is simply a statement of additional damages to have the repairs authorized and paid. Reimbursement For Deductible The insurance company will withhold your deductible from your claim check. If you were not at fault in the accident, the insurance company will “subrogate” with the other party to be reimbursed. This simply means that your insurance company will submit a request to the other insurance company for reimbursement of the claim amount. Once they are reimbursed, they will release your deductible payment to you. The subrogation process happens behind the scenes and can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months to resolve. What could delay the insurance claims process? Unfortunately, there are many things that can slow down your insurance claims process and prevent you from getting your claim paid in a timely manner. Some of these are preventable, but some are dependent upon the circumstances. Incorrect Policy Information If there is anything incorrect on your Massachusetts auto insurance policy, your insurance company could deny your claim. One of the most important things you can do is make sure your policy is always up to date with accurate information. Delay in Claim Reporting If you delay reporting your claim, or you choose to handle your claim outside insurance and then later try to report it, you could prevent your insurance company from being able to handle your claim adequately. (Keep in mind, if your accident resulted in any injuries, deaths or damages worth $1,000 or more, you are required to file a Massachusetts Crash Report within 5 days of the accident.) Wrong Contact Details If you do not provide all the correct contact information for yourself or any of the other parties it could delay your claim. Be sure to get all the correct names, phones, emails and policy details for all parties involved and clearly communicate them to your adjuster. A simple way to ensure you have all the accurate information is by taking pictures of license plates, registrations and licenses. If you get a phone number, call it before you leave the accident to make sure that it is the correct number for the other party. Responsiveness It is imperative that you return calls from your adjuster and the appraiser as soon as possible. We know you’re busy, but the longer your wait to return calls, the longer your claim will take to be resolved. Adjuster Workloads We’re going to be honest here – insurance claims adjusters are overworked. They handle many claims in a day and they are easily backlogged. We’re not making excuses by any means, but we want to be realistic here. If your claim is not moving along as quickly as you’d like, don’t wait. Contact your insurance agent immediately to let them know what’s happening and have them help get things moving for you. Direct Writers If you file your claim with the other party, and that party is insured with a direct writing insurance company, you will likely experience a significant delay in your insurance claim. The fact of the matter is, we’ve seen these insurance companies claim that they are “unable to contact” their client for a response or to determine fault. This could go on for weeks, even months. This is another situation where you want to reach out to your insurance agent to see if they can help speed up the process. Complex Accidents If your accident involved multiple vehicles, or involved expenses in addition to vehicle repair, such as medical injuries, car seats, rental cars, etc. you should expect your claim to take longer to resolve. Any time a claim is more complex it means there is more paperwork to review and more back and forth that has to happen. Weather If a significant weather event contributed to your accident, and may other people in the same area were impacted by the weather, you may see a delay. Many times insurance companies will outsource appraisers from other regions of the U.S. when weather-related claims create unusually high workloads. These high workloads can result in longer timeframes for case files to be reviewed and resolved. Total Loss If your vehicle is declared a total loss there will be additional paperwork and steps to be completed. The insurance company typically will take possession of the vehicle and you’ll need to sign the title over and cancel the plates. State Laws If there are injuries involved, there could be litigation involved. For example, in Massachusetts you have three years to file a lawsuit for personal injury or property damage. What can I do to speed up the insurance claims process? While there are many things that can hang up your insurance claims process, there are thankfully several areas where you can help speed up the process! Report Your Claim Right Away Report your claim to your insurance agent as soon as possible. Keeping your insurance agent informed of the claim and what is happening will allow them to stay on top of things with the insurance company so nothing falls through the cracks. (Remember: if you don’t have the right information you need, contact your insurance agent to help you get it.) Sign a Direction to Pay If you’ve brought your vehicle to an auto body shop to await repairs, signing a “direction to pay” (authorizing the insurance company to issue the check right to the shop) could help speed up the scheduling of repairs with the shop. Be Responsive Make sure you stay on top of phone calls and emails from the insurance company adjuster, appraiser and insurance agent. Responding to any messages immediately will help get your claim resolved quicker. Keep Detailed and Thorough Records Make notes on any phone calls you have, keep receipts of repairs or rentals. Take pictures at the accident and send them to the adjuster. The more detailed documentation you have, the quicker your adjuster can come to a resolution. What do I do now? If you’re in the middle of an auto insurance claim, the number one thing you can do right now is contact your insurance agent. They can get you an updated status on where your claim stands, how long to expect until it’s resolved, and what you can do in the meantime to help speed things up. We realize that you might be afraid to come across as annoying by consistently checking in, but trust us when we say, you aren’t. That is what we’re here for! We never like to have our clients deal with the stress of an auto insurance claim, but at Berry Insurance, we take pride in helping you navigate your claim. We’ll do everything in our power to get things resolved quickly and painlessly and we’ll fight to get your claim fully covered. For more information on the auto insurance claims process, check out our Massachusetts Auto Claims FAQ.

Shopping for insurance can be overwhelming. Not only do you need the right coverage, but you also have to decide where to buy it from. From independent agents, captive agents, buying direct from insurance companies, and everything in between - there’s no shortage of options. With so many choices, how do you know what’s best for you? As an insurance agent and broker, our team at Berry Insurance is asked this question all the time. Keep reading to learn the key differences between each option, how they get paid, and how to determine which choice makes the most sense for you. Table of contents: What are the different ways to buy insurance? What’s the difference between an independent agent and a broker? How do insurance agents and brokers make money? Should I buy insurance directly from a carrier? Which option is best for me? What are the different ways to buy insurance? Insurance can be purchased several ways: Independent Insurance Agent An insurance agent represents (or has contracts with) several different insurance carriers, allowing them to: Shop for you Get you the best insurance policy for your needs Put your interests first. For example, an independent insurance agent can provide you auto insurance quotes from Safety Insurance, Mapfre (formerly Commerce) Insurance, and several others. This allows you to compare coverage and prices, and provides you an agent to work with directly during any claims. Captive Insurance Agent Unlike independent agents that represent multiple carriers, captive agents only work on behalf of a single carrier. This means that they can only provide you one quote, and cannot shop with any other insurance carriers on your behalf. For example, a State Farm agent can only sell you insurance from State Farm. Insurance Carrier/Buying Direct Instead of buying from an agent, you could purchase your policy directly from the insurance carrier. When you buy direct, you lose out on an agent to represent your best interests. For example, if you want a quote from GEICO, you can only get that by contacting them directly. This can be useful for some, but won’t provide multiple quotes, meaning you could lose out on additional coverages or savings from other carriers. To know which Massachusetts insurance carriers we recommend, check out this guide: 5 Best Personal Insurance Carriers in Massachusetts. InsureTech Some insurance carriers have partnered with various smart devices to allow you to obtain insurance estimates via the device. These are not firm quotes, but are able to give you an idea of costs. The downfall is that many of these are carrier-specific, and cannot be used to obtain multiple quotes at once. Associations Some associations have group discounts in place with certain insurance carriers. For example, if you are a Bryant University alumni, you might be eligible for a discount with Amica Insurance. Or if you have a Costco membership, you can obtain a discount through Ameriprise Insurance. Many insurance agents are also able to offer group discounts, so if you are active in any associations, be sure to let them know! What’s the difference between an independent agent and a broker? Sometimes in the insurance world, the terms “independent agent” and “insurance broker” are often used interchangeably. This makes sense, as both can: Obtain quotes for you from several insurance carriers Are paid via commission from the insurance carrier Have knowledge in a wide variety of insurance policies. (Though some insurance brokers may specialize in only one type of insurance policy – for example, health insurance.) However, an insurance agent has contracts in place with multiple insurance carriers and can sell the policies that they are contracted or appointed to sell. An insurance broker is typically someone who does not have a contract in place, but is still able to obtain quotes from multiple carriers. So why the distinction? Having the contract means that an insurance agent has the authority to issue your policy right away if you approve. A broker would not have that authority. There are some insurance agencies that operate both as independent agents and brokers. This means that they have contracts in place with several insurance carriers, and they also have relationships to be able to obtain quotes from many carriers that they do not have a contract with. Finding an agent like this allows you the broadest spectrum of choice in your insurance buying decision. How do insurance agents and brokers make money? Most insurance agencies and brokerages provide their services for free to their clients, as they are paid on commissions from the insurance carrier. That being said, many times the individual insurance agent or broker you work with is paid a salary. How an individual is compensated could be an important distinction for you to determine if they are motivated to represent your best interests first. Why? If an individual is paid a salary, they don’t have a financial interest in which insurance company they issue your policy with. But if they are paid on a commission, they could be more inclined to put your policy with an insurance company that pays a higher commission rate. Not everyone acts like this, but unfortunately it does happen. Knowing that the person you work with has your best interest at heart is vital to your decision. Should I buy insurance directly from a carrier? If insurance agents and brokers are paid a commission from the insurance carrier, you might think then that it would be cheaper for you to buy your insurance directly from the carrier. In fact, it may be quite the opposite. When you buy direct, you lose the advantage of choice. This means that you will now have to do all the shopping yourself, costing you time and effort in the process. You will also lose an unbiased expert to explain the coverage options and choices available to you. An independent agent will be able to thoroughly review the differences in the quotes you obtain so you can feel confident in whatever decision you make. When you buy direct, the insurance carrier cannot compare their quote to another, leaving you to figure it out on your own. Lastly, when you buy direct, you eliminate having a dedicated person there for you when you have questions, claims or need to review your coverages. Also, if you have a more complex situation for which you need insurance, buying direct may take you longer as you’ll need to figure out who the right carrier is to handle your needs. Okay, so which option is best for me? Unfortunately this answer will depend on your specific situation. If you already have an understanding of what coverages you need and want to be able to do your own research and comparisons, then buying direct might be the best option for you. However, if your insurance needs are more complex and you want guidance through the buying process with multiple quotes, then buying from an insurance agent is your best choice. In the end, the decision comes down to what is most important to you, your needs and your preferences. Being a smart shopper If you’ve struggled to compare insurance options, then you know how daunting it can feel to find the perfect coverage at the right price. Now that you know more about the pros and cons of buying from an agent vs. buying direct, you can make an informed decision while shopping for your next insurance policy. If you’re looking for expert guidance and personalized recommendations, look no further than our team at Berry Insurance! Contact our team today, or fill out our free personal insurance worksheet below to get started on your buying process!

Perhaps you live in the city, where public transportation is in abundance. Or maybe you live on a college campus and don’t have access to a car. If this sounds like you, it’s likely at one point or another you’ve found yourself in a situation where you need access to a vehicle.

Selecting classes, buying books, and choosing a meal plan are just some of the steps students take to get ready for college. Parents, on the other hand, are worrying about how to pay for school, the safety of their child while away, and maybe even beginning to experience a little bit of empty nest syndrome. With all that hustle and bustle, making sure your child has adequate insurance coverage when going away to college can be easily forgotten.

Having a car accident can leave you feeling a bit anxious and overwhelmed. Aside from the adrenaline rush of making sure you and anyone else are safe and ok, your mind begins to race with a million questions.

So, you’ve got a new driver or a soon-to-be permitted or licensed driver in the house? Dare we say “congratulations”?