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How to file a complaint against an insurance company

Complaining to the insurer's own customer service line gets you the insurer's own answer. The step with actual weight is a complaint to your state department of insurance — the regulator that issues the company's licence. It is free, it takes about fifteen minutes, and the company is required to respond to it.

Complaints filed this way are also what produce the figures on this site. A complaint the department confirms — meaning it found the company at fault — appears in the next year's published records, and in that company's grade here.

Before you file

  1. 1. Get the claim or policy number. The department needs it to open a file.
  2. 2. Write the sequence of events with dates. When you reported it, who you spoke to, what each side said. Dates matter more than adjectives.
  3. 3. Attach the paperwork. The denial letter, the estimate, the policy declarations page, and any emails.
  4. 4. Say what outcome you want. "Reopen and reinspect", "pay the difference of $X", "explain which exclusion was applied" — a specific ask is easier for a regulator to act on.

Your state's insurance department

File with the state where the policy was issued, not where the loss happened.

Alabama Alabama Department of Insurance Alaska Alaska Division of Insurance Arizona Arizona Department of Insurance and Financial Institutions Arkansas Arkansas Insurance Department California California Department of Insurance Colorado Colorado Division of Insurance Connecticut Connecticut Insurance Department Delaware Delaware Department of Insurance District of Columbia DC Department of Insurance, Securities and Banking Florida Florida Office of Insurance Regulation Georgia Georgia Office of Insurance and Safety Fire Commissioner Hawaii Hawaii Insurance Division Idaho Idaho Department of Insurance Illinois Illinois Department of Insurance Indiana Indiana Department of Insurance Iowa Iowa Insurance Division Kansas Kansas Insurance Department Kentucky Kentucky Department of Insurance Louisiana Louisiana Department of Insurance Maine Maine Bureau of Insurance Maryland Maryland Insurance Administration Massachusetts Massachusetts Division of Insurance Michigan Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services Minnesota Minnesota Department of Commerce Mississippi Mississippi Insurance Department Missouri Missouri Department of Commerce and Insurance Montana Montana Commissioner of Securities and Insurance Nebraska Nebraska Department of Insurance Nevada Nevada Division of Insurance New Hampshire New Hampshire Insurance Department New Jersey New Jersey Department of Banking and Insurance New Mexico New Mexico Office of Superintendent of Insurance New York New York Department of Financial Services See graded insurers → North Carolina North Carolina Department of Insurance North Dakota North Dakota Insurance Department Ohio Ohio Department of Insurance Oklahoma Oklahoma Insurance Department Oregon Oregon Division of Financial Regulation Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Insurance Department Rhode Island Rhode Island Division of Insurance South Carolina South Carolina Department of Insurance South Dakota South Dakota Division of Insurance Tennessee Tennessee Department of Commerce and Insurance Texas Texas Department of Insurance See graded insurers → Utah Utah Insurance Department Vermont Vermont Department of Financial Regulation Virginia Virginia Bureau of Insurance Washington Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner West Virginia West Virginia Offices of the Insurance Commissioner Wisconsin Wisconsin Office of the Commissioner of Insurance Wyoming Wyoming Insurance Department

Common questions

Where do I file a complaint against my insurance company?

With your state department of insurance — the regulator that licenses the company. It is free, and the department can compel a response from the insurer. Filing with the company itself has no regulatory weight.

Does filing a complaint cost anything?

No. Every state department of insurance takes consumer complaints free of charge, and you do not need a lawyer to file one.

What happens after I file?

The department contacts the insurer, which must respond within a set period. The department then closes the complaint with a finding. Where it finds the company at fault, the complaint is recorded as "confirmed" — and confirmed complaints are what these grades are built from.

Will complaining affect my policy?

It is unlawful for an insurer to cancel or refuse to renew a policy in retaliation for a regulatory complaint. If that happens, it is itself a complaint the department will take.

PolicyGrades does not file complaints on your behalf, cannot intervene with an insurer, and is not a law firm. This page explains the public process; it is not legal advice.