How long do I have to appeal a Medicare denial?

Traditional Medicare allows 120 days from the remittance date to request a redetermination (first-level appeal). If that is denied, you have 180 days to request reconsideration by a Qualified Independent Contractor. Medicare Advantage plans have different, usually shorter, windows — commonly 60 days.

How long do commercial payers give for appeals?

Most major commercial payers allow 180 days from the denial for a first-level appeal, though UnitedHealthcare commonly allows 12 months for reconsiderations and specific windows vary by contract and state. Your provider agreement and the denial letter control — always verify.

What happens if I miss an appeal deadline?

Late appeals are almost always dismissed without review of the merits, regardless of how strong the clinical case is. Some payers accept good-cause exceptions for documented extraordinary circumstances, but these are narrow. Calendar the deadline the day the denial arrives.

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Appeal Deadline Calculator

A missed appeal deadline kills a claim no matter how strong the clinical case — late appeals are dismissed without review. Enter the denial date and the payer, get your exact appeal deadline and days remaining, and download a calendar reminder so it never slips. Pair it with our timely filing tool for original-claim deadlines.

Payer

Denial / remittance date

Verify before filing: your provider contract and the denial letter itself control if they state a different window. Deadlines shown reflect standard published payer rules as of 2026. Not legal advice.

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Payer-by-payer appeal guides

Exact submission addresses, required forms and winning arguments: UnitedHealthcare · Aetna · Cigna · BCBS · Humana. Decode the denial first with our denial code lookup, and check what late payers owe you with the prompt-pay interest calculator.