How Do I File a State Farm Car Insurance Claim?

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State Farm—known for its “like a good neighbor, State Farm is there” jingle—was founded in 1922 by George Jacob Mercherle in Bloomington, Illinois.

George, a retired farmer, founded the company to provide Illinois farmers with auto insurance at competitive rates.

Today, State Farm offers everything from car insurance to pet insurance. The company has more than 18,000 agents spread across the country and services more than 82 million policies. There are roughly 35,000 insurance claims made with State Farm every day.

Do I need to file an insurance claim?

When determining whether to file a car insurance claim, it’s important to consider whether or not the car accident was your fault.

Generally speaking, if the accident was your fault, it’s probably not worth filing an insurance claim unless your damages are more than your deductible. This is because you’ll have to go through the headache of filing a claim with little or no payout. What’s more, your car insurance premium will almost always increase if you file a claim.

If the accident was not your fault, you won’t be responsible for paying a deductible. However, your insurance rates may still go up even though the accident wasn’t your fault—although the rate increase, if it happens at all, will be much smaller than the rate increase for an at-fault driver.

In any event, it’s almost always a good idea to file an insurance claim if:

• Someone is injured in the accident
• There is a dispute as to who is at fault for the accident
• The damages suffered in the accident are significant

Steps to file an insurance claim with State Farm

The important steps you need to take to file a State Farm insurance claim actually start immediately following the accident.

Step 1: Call the police

It’s important to call the police after a car accident, even if the accident appears relatively minor. In many states, contacting the police after a car accident is the law. Regardless, the responding officer will write a police report that you can use to support your insurance claim.

Although the responding officer will attempt to collect information from the accident scene, you shouldn’t rely on their ability to do so. Gather as much of the following information as you can:

• Name, address, phone number, and insurance policy numbers of the other driver (it’s a good idea to take a picture of their driver’s license).
• Year, make, model, and license plate number of all the vehicles involved.
• Photos of the accident and the accident scene.
• Detailed notes from any conversations you had with the people involved in the accident.
• The contact information for any witnesses.

Step 2: Contact your insurance agent

Regardless of who is at fault for your accident, it’s a good idea to contact an agent with your insurance company to report the accident. There are three main reasons for this:

1. Your auto insurance policy may require that you notify your insurance company if you’re involved in an accident,
2. You may discover that your auto insurance policy provides coverage in the event that the other driver is uninsured or their policy doesn’t cover all of your damages, and
3. Your insurance company may be willing to file your insurance claim with the at-fault driver on your behalf.

Step 3: File a claim with State Farm

There are two types of insurance systems in the United States:

• At-fault insurance systems. In states that have an at-fault insurance system, the driver who causes the accident is responsible for the resulting damages. In these states, all insurance claims are filed with the at-fault driver’s insurance company.
• No-fault insurance systems. In states that have a no-fault insurance system, each driver files a claim with their own insurance company regardless of who’s at fault for the accident.

Once you’ve determined that you should file a claim with State Farm, you have a couple of options:

1. File a claim over the telephone. You can file a claim with State Farm the old-fashioned way by calling 800-SF-Claim (800-732-5246). The telephone number is available for use 24 hours per day, 7 days per week.
2. File a claim online. State Farm allows you to file a claim using their website or mobile app. If you run into any problems while filing your claim online, you can use State Farm’s online chat feature or call customer service.

Regardless of how you choose to file your claim, you should be ready to provide the following information:

• Date and time of the accident
• Location of the accident
• Vehicles involved (make, model, license plate)
• Description of the accident
• Description of the damages
• State Farm policyholder’s name
• State Farm policy number
• Any photographs, police reports, or other evidence of the crash

Your rights when you file an insurance claim with State Farm

When you file an insurance claim with State Farm (or any other auto insurance company), you have certain legal rights. These rights can be broken down into three categories:

Misrepresentations

Insurance companies are prohibited from:

• Misrepresenting relevant facts or insurance policy provisions
• Imposing requirements that aren’t in the insurance policy
• Offering lower than reasonable settlement amounts to compel the insured to litigate
• Trying to settle claims for less than should be reasonably expected based on the insurance company’s advertisements
• Settling when liability is reasonably clear

Claim responses

Insurance companies are prohibited from:

• Failing to acknowledge and act reasonably and promptly with respect to insurance claims
• Failing to accept or deny a claim within a reasonable period of time after receipt by the insurer of a proof of loss
• Failing to provide explanations for claim denials or settlement offers
• Denying a claim without a reasonable basis (an insurer’s failure to pay a claim is “reasonable” if the validity of the claim is “fairly debatable” after an “adequate investigation”)

Investigations

Insurance companies are prohibited from:

• Refusing to pay a claim without conducting a reasonable investigation using all available information
• Failing to complete an investigation within a reasonable period of time (usually 30 days) after notification of the claim (unless such investigation can’t reasonably be completed within such time, at which point the reasons the investigation can’t be completed must be communicated to the insured)
• Destroying or altering documents to conceal evidence of claim handling

What to do after you file a claim with State Farm

Unfortunately, your work isn’t done once you file an insurance claim. There are still some steps you should take to ensure that you receive the compensation you deserve:

• Visit a doctor. Even if you think your injury is minor, it’s a good idea to visit a doctor after a car accident. Sometimes, symptoms for serious injuries don’t appear until days or even weeks after an accident. What’s more, if you’re seeking reimbursement for medical expenses, you’ll need supporting documentation.
• Shop for repairs. State Farm allows you to choose any shop you like to repair your vehicle. With that being said, State Farm has a network of auto repair shops in its Select Service Network. There are some advantages to using a repair shop that is part of the Select Service Network, including pick-up and delivery service, guaranteed completion dates, and certain limited warranties.

Do you still have questions about auto insurance? The following resources may help:

• Can a demand payment letter keep your dispute out of court?
• Dealing with insurance claims adjusters
• Tactics insurance adjusters may use
• Steps to an insurance claim settlement
• Personal property damage in an auto accident
• Maximum medical improvement and your claim
• All about Independent Medical Exams (IMEs)
• Filing a bad faith lawsuit