ICBC Claim Time Limit: How Long Do I Have to Make a Claim in BC?

The ICBC claim time limit is two years from the date of the crash, in most cases. That is the deadline for Enhanced Accident Benefits under the Enhanced Accident Benefits Regulation, and it is also the general limitation period for any court action in the province under the Limitation Act.

What is the deadline under Enhanced Care?

You have two years from the date of the accident to claim Enhanced Accident Benefits, set out in section 55, subsection 1 of the Enhanced Accident Benefits Regulation. But the clock that actually matters starts sooner. The same regulation requires you to notify ICBC of the accident promptly, and if you do not, without a reasonable excuse and it prejudices ICBC, your benefits can be refused. Two years is the outer limit. Reporting late is the more common way people lose ground.

Can I still sue after a crash in British Columbia?

For most crashes since 1 May 2021, no. Under Enhanced Care, ICBC states it is no longer possible to sue for compensation except in limited circumstances. Where a lawsuit is still available, the same two-year limitation period applies under the Limitation Act, and for a person under 19 at the time of the crash, the two years does not start until their nineteenth birthday.

What if my recovery takes longer than 12 weeks?

Enhanced Care pre-approves treatment for the first 12 weeks after a crash, because most injuries recover in that window. If yours has not, that is a different deadline with its own steps, covered in full in our article British Columbia ICBC Claim Deadlines, including what to do if a gap in treatment threatens your claim.

The deadlines at a glance

None of these deadlines wait for you to feel ready. They run from the date of the crash whether or not you have seen a doctor yet, whether or not you know how bad it is and whether or not you have heard from an adjuster.

What to keep so the two years does not work against you

A claim that sits for two years still needs proof: which appointments happened, what was said, what changed week to week. The British Columbia MVA Companion Guide holds the pages built for an Enhanced Care claim, and the National MVA Recovery Guide holds the rest of your recovery, from the first appointment to the last form.

If your recovery were reviewed tomorrow, what would your record say?

The National MVA Recovery Guide is where your recovery gets documented, day by day. Symptoms, appointments, calls and costs, written while they are fresh. It works in every province and it stands on its own.

See the National Guide$39

Both guides, $49. Add the British Columbia MVA Companion Guide for the dates and rules that shape your recovery in British Columbia, and the discount applies at checkout. Normally $63.99.

Every figure on this page comes from a named authority. How we check
Last verified: September 2026.