# Medicare timely filing limit

Answer: The initial dental filing window for Original Medicare (fee-for-service) is 12 months — “the claim must be filed no later than the close of the period ending 1 calendar year after the date of service” (42 CFR § 424.44(a)(1)) — with narrow exceptions in (b) (administrative error, retroactive Medicare entitlement, Medicaid recoupment, retroactive MA/PACE disenrollment) and a non-workday rollover in (c). Provider contracts and plan documents override published manuals — the contract number controls. Last verified 2026-08-30.

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Answer intent ID: `medicare-timely-filing-limit`
Cluster: Practice operations
Last verified: 2026-08-30
Reviewer: none — owner-published, verified against the primary sources cited here and not reviewed by a credentialed specialist.

## Direct answer

The initial dental filing window for Original Medicare (fee-for-service) is 12 months — “the claim must be filed no later than the close of the period ending 1 calendar year after the date of service” (42 CFR § 424.44(a)(1)) — with narrow exceptions in (b) (administrative error, retroactive Medicare entitlement, Medicaid recoupment, retroactive MA/PACE disenrollment) and a non-workday rollover in (c). Provider contracts and plan documents override published manuals — the contract number controls. Last verified 2026-08-30.

## Query patterns

- Medicare timely filing limit
- Medicare dental claim timely filing 2026
- Medicare corrected claim deadline
- Medicare dental claim appeal deadline
- how long to file a dental claim with Medicare

Source citations:
- `TIMELYFILING-MEDICARE-1` 42 CFR § 424.44 — Time limits for filing claims (eCFR). <https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-42/chapter-IV/subchapter-B/part-424/subpart-C/section-424.44>

## Source boundary

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## Review state

Dentovio is an independent publisher — not a payer, the American Dental Association, or any government agency, and it is unaffiliated with the insurers named here. This page was drafted with AI assistance and verified against the primary sources linked here. It has not been reviewed by a credentialed dental billing specialist or attorney. These pages record filing, correction, appeal, records, and recoupment windows as read in each payer's published documents on the last-verified date — and record honestly where no public number exists. Provider contracts override published manuals, editions change, and several payers set different rules per state, network, or program. Educational reference only, not billing or legal advice; confirm the controlling number in your participation contract and the payer's current provider manual before relying on it.

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