Claim Intimation

Claim intimation is the formal notice you give the insurer that a claim-triggering event has occurred. It is a procedural requirement — not the claim itself, but the act of setting the clock on the claim. Intimation matters because almost every Indian insurance policy specifies a maximum window from the event to intimation, and filing outside that window is a common reason for claim denial.

Health policies typically require intimation within 24 to 48 hours of a planned hospitalisation (usually a day or two in advance if planned) and within 24 to 72 hours of an emergency admission. Motor policies typically require intimation within 24 to 72 hours of an accident or theft, along with an FIR for theft claims. Life insurance claims require intimation 'as soon as possible' after death, though there is no rigid statutory window and insurers accept intimations even years later.

Worked example: a parent admitted to hospital at 11 pm on Friday; you have until Sunday night (48 hours) under most health policies to call the insurer helpline or log the claim on the app. The intimation is a phone call, a portal log, or a WhatsApp message to the TPA — whichever the insurer accepts. After intimation, you receive a claim reference number that accompanies every subsequent document.

A common misconception is that missing the intimation window automatically rejects the claim. In practice, IRDAI's circulars and consumer-forum rulings have softened the strict reading — a genuine delay, especially for life insurance claims filed by a grieving family, is usually not fatal as long as the documents support the claim. But a long, unexplained delay can still become the ground for repudiation, and consumer-forum litigation to overturn a repudiation is lengthy.

Another common misconception is that intimation is only needed for cashless claims. It is needed for every claim, including reimbursement — the insurer's internal systems register the event, open a claim file, and start the clock for the 30-day settlement timeline. Skip the intimation and the reimbursement process can stall at the first review step.

Related: pre-authorisation, claim form, claim rejection.