British Columbia WorkSafeBC Claim Deadlines
The dates that govern a WorkSafeBC claim in British Columbia. Free. No email required. For anyone injured at work.
British Columbia has two things on this page that almost no other guidance mentions. A review can leave you worse off than before you asked for it. And a phone call can save a deadline you are about to miss.
AT A GLANCE
| You have | To do this | Counting from |
|---|---|---|
| 30 days | Appeal a Review Division decision to WCAT | The Review Division decision, plus 8 days |
| 45 days | Request a review of a health and safety enforcement decision | The date of that decision |
| 90 days | Request a review of a compensation decision | The decision, plus 8 days |
| 1 year | Apply to WorkSafeBC for compensation | The date of injury |
Can a review make your claim worse?
Yes, and this is the warning to read before anything else on this page. A Review Officer can issue a decision that reduces the very benefit you asked them to look at. Asking for more is not a one way door.
The official guidance says to be cautious where you stand to lose more than you might gain. In plain terms, if you are already receiving something and you dispute the amount, the amount can go down as well as up.
That is not a reason to accept a wrong decision. It is a reason to get advice from the Workers' Advisers Office before you file, so you go in knowing what is at stake rather than finding out afterwards.
How long do you have to apply to WorkSafeBC?
One year from the injury. Report to your employer immediately regardless, and see a doctor and tell them it happened at work.
If you are already past a year, the door is not shut. WorkSafeBC can accept a late claim where special circumstances prevented you applying in time. You will need to explain the delay, and they will decide first whether your reason is valid and only then look at the claim itself.
Write down now what those circumstances were. Not being told you could claim, being too unwell, an injury that took months to reveal itself as work related. Whatever it was, it is worth more written down today than reconstructed later.
How long do you have to request a review?
Ninety days for a compensation decision. Forty five days if it is a health and safety enforcement decision, which is a much shorter clock on a different kind of letter.
You get eight extra days, and nobody mentions it. The ninety days does not start on the date printed on the decision. It starts on the eighth day after, which makes ninety eight days in total. The same eight day allowance applies to the thirty day WCAT deadline, making thirty eight. If you think you are a few days late, you may not be.
One form per decision letter. If you disagree with more than one letter, each needs its own Request for Review, signed by you or your representative.
How long do you have to appeal to WCAT?
Thirty days from the Review Division decision, or thirty eight with the mailing allowance. The Workers' Compensation Appeal Tribunal is independent of WorkSafeBC.
If the deadline is days away, phone them. Call WCAT with your name, address, phone number, claim number and the Review Division decision reference, and they will usually give you a further twenty one days to send the completed Notice of Appeal.
Ask for an appeal confirmation number and write it down. That number is your proof you called before the deadline. It is the single most useful thing on this page if you are running out of time today.
Two kinds of decision skip the Review Division entirely and go straight to WCAT with ninety days instead of thirty. Prohibited action complaints, and decisions on a reopening you formally applied for.
If you have missed a deadline outright, you can apply for an extension. One of the accepted grounds is that WorkSafeBC or the Review Division never told you about your right to appeal and the time limit for it. So check the letter.
Who can help you for free in British Columbia?
The Workers' Advisers Office. It is a BC government office, independent of WorkSafeBC, that gives free advice and can represent injured workers in reviews and appeals. If you are unionized, your union will usually have people who do this constantly.
Given that a review can reduce your benefits, speaking to them before you file is not an optional extra here. It is the difference between a considered decision and a gamble.
Were you injured in a vehicle while working?
Then two systems touch the same injury. WorkSafeBC is the first payer for treatment when you were hurt on the job, but the motor vehicle side has its own clocks, including a twelve week treatment window and a receipt deadline that runs per expense. Our British Columbia ICBC page sets those out.
Last verified: July 2026
Checked against: WorkSafeBC, Review and Appeal, and the Province of British Columbia Workers' Advisers Office factsheets on reviews, appeals to WCAT, extensions of time and late applications for compensation.
Deadlines change. If you find something on this page that is out of date, write to Recovery@hurtsquare.ca and we will correct it publicly.
Keeping the record these deadlines depend on
Every clock here starts on a letter, and one of them can be rescued by a phone call you will only remember making if you wrote down the confirmation number.
Two things decide how an injury claim goes. What you wrote down and whether you did the right thing at the right time for where you live. The National Recovery Guide handles the first, the daily record of symptoms, appointments, calls and costs that a claim is eventually judged on. The Provincial Companion Guide handles the second, the deadlines on this page and the forms, boards and appeal routes behind them. People who have only one tend to end up with a careful record aimed at the wrong process, or the right dates and nothing to put in front of them.
Your Recovery. Documented. Protected.
See the British Columbia Workplace Injury Companion Guide
This page is general information for people in British Columbia. It is not legal or medical advice. Rules differ by province and change over time. Confirm anything specific to your situation with a representative, WorkSafeBC or the Workers' Advisers Office.