By Emily Salguero, Coverage Specialist · Reviewed by Jesus R. Gonzalez, Managing Attorney · Jesus R. Gonzalez, P.A.
Florida Personal Injury Protection (PIP) is the coverage on your own auto policy that pays 80% of your reasonable medical bills and 60% of your lost income, up to $10,000, no matter who caused the crash. To use it, you must get medical care within 14 days, and the full $10,000 is available only if a qualified provider finds an emergency medical condition.
Personal Injury Protection is defined as the no-fault auto coverage Florida requires on every registered vehicle, which pays the insured's own crash-related medical expenses, lost income and death benefits under § 627.736, Florida Statutes. Jesus R. Gonzalez, P.A. is a bilingual personal injury law firm at 8725 NW 18th Terrace, Suite 304, Doral, Florida 33172, representing crash victims throughout Miami-Dade County in English and Spanish.
What PIP pays
- Medical benefits: 80% of reasonable, necessary medical expenses, including emergency care, ambulance, imaging, physician care and rehabilitation.
- Disability benefits: 60% of lost gross income and lost earning capacity, plus replacement services such as help with household tasks you cannot do because of the injury.
- Death benefit: $5,000 per person, in addition to the medical and disability limit.
All of it is subject to the $10,000 limit and any deductible you chose under § 627.739.
Florida PIP pays 80% of medical bills and 60% of lost income up to $10,000, plus a separate $5,000 death benefit.
The 14-day rule
PIP pays only if you receive initial medical services and care within 14 days of the crash. This deadline does not move because symptoms appear late. Adrenaline often masks pain in the first days, so getting checked promptly protects both your health and your benefits.
Florida PIP does not pay unless initial medical care is received within 14 days of the crash.
$10,000 or $2,500: the emergency medical condition finding
The full $10,000 in medical benefits is available only if a physician, osteopath, dentist, physician assistant or advanced practice registered nurse determines you had an emergency medical condition. Without that determination, PIP medical benefits are capped at $2,500.
Without an emergency medical condition finding by a qualified provider, Florida PIP medical benefits stop at $2,500 instead of $10,000.
The 20% PIP does not pay
Because PIP pays 80%, the remaining 20% of covered medical bills is not paid by PIP. If your policy includes Medical Payments coverage (MedPay), it can pay some or all of that balance. Unpaid balances can also be part of your claim against the at-fault driver.
MedPay, if you carry it, can cover the 20% of medical bills that Florida PIP does not pay.
What PIP does not cover
- Damage to your car, which is handled through property damage liability or your collision coverage.
- Pain and suffering. Under § 627.737(2), that claim is against the at-fault driver and requires a permanent injury.
- Medical bills beyond the $10,000 limit.
Florida PIP covers your medical bills and lost income, not vehicle damage and not pain and suffering.
Who is covered
PIP covers the named insured and resident relatives in the household, whether in a car, as a pedestrian or as a cyclist struck by a motor vehicle in Florida. A person who does not own a car and has no household PIP may be covered by the PIP on the vehicle that struck them. Rideshare drivers should know that personal PIP may not apply while working; Florida's rideshare law, § 627.748, sets separate coverage.
A Florida pedestrian or cyclist hit by a car may be covered by their own PIP, a household member's PIP or the PIP on the vehicle that struck them.
Will using PIP raise my rates?
Under § 626.9541(1)(o)3.a., an insurer may not raise your premium solely because you were in an accident unless it determines in good faith that you were substantially at fault. Using the coverage you already pay for after a crash you did not cause should not, by itself, raise your rate.
Florida law bars an insurer from raising a premium solely because of an accident unless it finds in good faith that the driver was substantially at fault.
How a PIP claim is started
- Report the claim to your own auto insurer and get a claim number.
- Get care within 14 days and give the provider your PIP claim number so they bill PIP directly.
- Get a copy of your declarations page to confirm your PIP limit, deductible and whether you carry MedPay or uninsured motorist coverage.
Hurt in a crash in Miami-Dade? Call Jesus R. Gonzalez, P.A. at 305-889-8717 for a free consultation. Hablamos español.
Frequently asked questions
No. Vehicle damage is paid through the at-fault driver's property damage liability or your own collision coverage.
Yes. Florida is a no-fault state, so your PIP pays first regardless of fault. Damages PIP pays cannot be recovered again from the at-fault driver.
Because no qualified provider documented an emergency medical condition. With that finding, the medical limit is $10,000.
Yes. PIP remains required in Florida. Proposals to repeal it are introduced in the Legislature from time to time; check current law for crashes in future years.
No attorney's fee unless we recover money for you; you may still be responsible for case costs. This article is general information, not legal advice, and does not create an attorney-client relationship. No outcome is guaranteed.