Anthem Blue Cross Timely Filing Limit 2026: Deadlines by Plan, State, and Claim Type

The Anthem Blue Cross timely filing limit is 90 days from the date of service for contracted providers' commercial and Medicare Advantage professional claims, a contract term Anthem applied to claims submitted on or after October 1, 2019. Medi-Cal and Medicaid plans allow 90 days to 15 months, and corrected and secondary claims start their own clocks.

If you're asking how long you have to submit a claim to Anthem Blue Cross, the answer depends on the state, the line of business, and your provider agreement. Anthem's own policies say they "may be superseded by mandates in provider, state, federal, or CMS contracts."

A visit on December 15, 2026, billed to a contracted commercial plan, has to reach Anthem by March 15, 2027. Miss that date, and the remit comes back CO-29. We traced each Anthem timely filing limit below to an Anthem document, with its policy number and date, so you can check it yourself.

Anthem Timely Filing Limits at a Glance for 2026

Anthem timely filing limits in 2026 run from 90 days to 15 months. The right clock depends on your network status, the plan type, and the state program, and the table below matches each one to the Anthem document that sets it.

Table: Anthem BCBS TFL (timely filing limit) by plan type, verified September 30, 2026

Your participating agreement outranks each default in this table, including the 90-day Anthem Blue Cross timely filing limit. Treat these timely filing deadlines as the starting point for your payer grid, and confirm the row against your contract before anyone on your team writes off a claim.

Which Anthem Is on the Card? Anthem Blue Cross vs. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield

Anthem Blue Cross is the trade name of Blue Cross of California, and since January 1, 2024, it's also the name of the former Empire BlueCross plan in upstate New York. Across the rest of Anthem's 14 Blue-licensed markets, the card reads Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield.

The Anthem Blue Cross timely filing limit you look up depends on which of those companies issued the card. Elevance Health owns all of them, and each one publishes its own provider manuals, reimbursement policies, and Medicaid rules.

Anthem Blue Cross Is California's Blue Cross Plan, Separate From Blue Shield of California

Anthem's California provider site states that "Anthem Blue Cross is the trade name of Blue Cross of California." You'll see it called Blue Cross of California on contracts and legal notices. Three companies can sit behind that brand, and you'll find the right one in the footer of the EOP:

• Blue Cross of California, the health plan California's Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) licenses
• Anthem Blue Cross Life and Health Insurance Company, the insurer the California Department of Insurance licenses
• Blue Cross of California Partnership Plan, Inc., the company that serves Medi-Cal members

Anthem Blue Cross isn't the same company as Blue Shield of California, which holds its own Blue Shield license and publishes its own filing rules. If you searched for a Blue Cross timely filing limit from a California office, Anthem's documents are the ones that apply.

Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield Covers 13 More States

Outside California, Anthem does business as Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield in 13 states: Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Indiana, Kentucky, Maine, Missouri, Nevada, New Hampshire, New York, Ohio, Virginia, and Wisconsin. Two of those states come with carve-outs you should know before you bill.

Anthem's Missouri footprint leaves out 30 counties in the Kansas City area. In Virginia, Anthem serves the whole state except the City of Fairfax, the Town of Vienna, and the area east of State Route 123, where a different Blue plan covers members.

You'll see both names in New York. Downstate, Empire BlueCross BlueShield became Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield; upstate, Empire BlueCross became Anthem Blue Cross. Anthem told providers their existing agreements didn't change, and our guide to Empire's rebrand to Anthem covers the enrollment side.

The Anthem BCBS timely filing limit for contracted commercial claims comes from the 2019 amendment Anthem sent its contracted practices, which set 90 days as the default. Your signed agreement still has the final say, and each state's Medicaid program runs on its own clock.

Wellpoint, Carelon, and Elevance Health Follow Different Manuals

Elevance Health is the parent company, renamed from Anthem, Inc. in 2022, and the rename didn't change a single filing deadline. Wellpoint is the name Elevance gave its Amerigroup plans in January 2024. Those plans sit outside the Blue license, so use our Wellpoint timely filing limit guide for them.

Carelon Behavioral Health, another Elevance company, manages behavioral health benefits for many Anthem members. Check your state's Carelon quick reference guide before you assume a separate deadline for therapy claims. In Ohio, Anthem's commercial and Medicare Advantage behavioral health claims still go through Availity to Anthem itself.

Anthem Blue Cross Timely Filing Limit for Commercial and Medicare Advantage Claims

Contracted providers have 90 days from the date of service to get commercial and Medicare Advantage professional claims to Anthem. The limit comes from a provider agreement amendment that applied to claims submitted on or after October 1, 2019.

The October 2019 Contract Amendment Behind the 90-Day Rule

Anthem made the change through a contract amendment. According to AAFP's 2019 FPM report, Anthem told practices with commercial or Medicare Advantage contracts that professional claims submitted on or after October 1, 2019, had to arrive within 90 days of the date of service.

Practices that objected had 30 days to appeal in writing and negotiate a different term. If the two sides didn't agree within that window, the contract ended no later than October 1. A practice still in network today either accepted the 90 days or negotiated something else, so the executed 2019 amendment is the document to pull.

California physicians got the change through an amendment to Anthem Blue Cross's Prudent Buyer Plan Participating Physician Agreement. The California Medical Association reported that the old window was 365 days and that California plans must give at least 45 days' written notice before changing claim submission rules.

Who the 90-Day Rule Binds, and Who It Doesn't

The Anthem Blue Cross timely filing limit of 90 days binds contracted providers, because it's a contract term. Anthem told CMA the change "does not affect non-contracting physicians," and California sets a separate floor for them.

Under 28 CCR § 1300.71, a California health plan can't set a claim deadline shorter than 90 days for contracted providers or 180 days for non-contracted providers. Anthem's 90 days sits at the legal minimum for contracted physicians. The same regulation requires the plan to accept a late claim when the provider shows good cause through a dispute.

Billers miss two details here. The 2019 notices covered professional claims, so facility claims on a UB-04 follow the facility agreement.

Outside California, the timely filing limit for Anthem BCBS contracted professional claims starts from the same 2019 amendment, and your signed agreement has the final say. The Anthem commercial timely filing limit for non-contracted providers depends on state law and the member's plan.

Say a practice leaves Anthem's network in 2023, keeps the 90-day habit, and writes off claims on day 91 without checking the claim filing deadline for non-contracted providers. In California, those claims had at least 180 days.

Anthem Medicare Timely Filing Limit: 90 Days, Not Medicare's 12 Months

Original Medicare gives you one calendar year after the date of service under 42 CFR 424.44. Anthem Medicare Advantage plans run on your Anthem contract instead, and the 2019 amendment set 90 days for contracted providers' Medicare Advantage professional claims.

Picture two patients, both 72, checking in on the same morning. One hands over an Original Medicare card, and that claim has a full year. The other hands over an Anthem Medicare Advantage card, and that claim has 90 days, so your front desk has to catch the difference before the visit ends.

Non-contracted providers weren't part of the 2019 amendment. Our guide to Medicare timely filing rules explains the one-year clock and its four exceptions, which helps when you treat an Anthem Medicare Advantage member outside a contract.

Ninety calendar days is about 13 weeks, and your team loses days of it to coding holds, rejections, and eligibility fixes. If you can't get Anthem claims accepted inside 30 days, we built our outsourced medical billing at 2.99% to close that gap.

Anthem Medicaid and Medi-Cal Timely Filing Limits by State

Anthem's Medicaid plans run on state-specific rules instead of the 2019 commercial amendment. Each state version of Anthem's Claims Timely Filing policy (G-06050) sets its own standard, from 90 days for participating providers in Indiana and New York to 365 days in Ohio, Wisconsin, and Virginia.

Before you apply the Anthem Blue Cross timely filing limit from a commercial contract to a Medicaid claim, find the member's state below. Each row names the policy version or notice that sets the number, so you can quote it in a dispute.

Table: Anthem Medicaid timely filing limits by state, from G-06050 state versions and Anthem provider news, verified September 30, 2026

We didn't find an Anthem-branded Medicaid timely filing policy for Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Maine, Missouri, or New Hampshire. In some of those states, Medicaid runs through Wellpoint or another plan, so confirm who holds the member's Medicaid contract before you pick a deadline.

Some billing guides still list Kentucky Medicaid at 365 days. Anthem stopped serving Kentucky Medicaid on January 1, 2025, and accepted claims for 365 days only for services through December 31, 2024. That run-out has closed, so a current Kentucky Medicaid claim belongs with the member's new plan.

Medi-Cal Timely Filing Limit: 180 Days In Network, 210 Days Out

Anthem Blue Cross's California Medi-Cal policy (G-06050, April 2026) gives participating providers 180 days from the date of service and nonparticipating providers 210 days. Calendar days apply, so weekends count. For consecutive-day services, the count starts at the last day of service.

A Medi-Cal visit on March 10, 2026, has to reach Anthem by September 6, 2026, from a participating provider, or by October 6, 2026, from a nonparticipating one. If other insurance pays first, the count starts at that carrier's EOP date instead.

If you've seen 180 or 210 days quoted as the Anthem Blue Cross timely filing limit for commercial plans, those numbers come from the Medi-Cal timely filing policy. A contracted California practice billing a commercial Anthem plan still works inside the 90-day window from the 2019 amendment.

Where Anthem Medicaid Allows 365 Days: Ohio, Wisconsin, and Virginia

Ohio runs two clocks. The Anthem BCBS Ohio timely filing limit is 365 days for Medicaid claims, counted from discharge for inpatient stays, and 90 days for contracted commercial claims under the 2019 amendment. A practice that bills both lines needs both dates in its claim scrubber.

Wisconsin's April 2026 policy gives BadgerCare Plus and Medicaid SSI claims 365 days from the date of service, whether or not you participate. In Virginia, the Anthem VA timely filing limit for HealthKeepers Plus Medicaid claims is also 365 days from the date of service.

Virginia adds a second window. The Anthem HealthKeepers timely filing limit for Medicaid corrected claims and reconsiderations is 12 months from the EOP date, according to Anthem's September 20, 2024, provider news. Commercial HealthKeepers HMO claims follow your contract.

Indiana, New York, and Nevada Run Shorter or Split Clocks

Indiana's Medicaid clock is shorter than several online lists show. Anthem's Indiana policy, effective December 27, 2022, gives participating providers 90 days and nonparticipating providers 180 days for Hoosier Healthwise, Healthy Indiana Plan, and Hoosier Care Connect claims. If a list says 365 days for Indiana Medicaid, check it against that policy.

New York's 15 months applies only to nonparticipating Medicaid providers. Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield HP gives participating providers 90 days, so an in-network practice that files in month 14 has already lost the claim.

Nevada's October 2025 policy sets 180 days for participating and nonparticipating providers. Providers outside Nevada get 365 days, so an out-of-state emergency room treating a Nevada Medicaid member has a longer window than a Las Vegas clinic.

How Anthem Counts the Days on a Timely Filing Clock

Anthem measures timely filing by subtracting the date of service from the date Anthem receives the claim, in calendar days. The count starts at the last day of service for consecutive-day stays and at the primary payer's EOP date when another plan pays first.

Four rules from the state versions of G-06050 we reviewed decide where your count starts and where it ends on a given claim:

1. Anthem counts to the date it receives the claim. A claim you send on day 89 that reaches Anthem on day 91 is late.
2. The count runs in calendar days. Anthem's policies describe no weekend or holiday extension, so treat each deadline as fixed.
3. For consecutive-day services, day one is the last day of service. Ohio Medicaid inpatient claims count from the discharge date.
4. If another carrier pays first, the clock starts on that carrier's EOP date.

Anthem's state policies also let it waive the limit on a temporary basis after documented natural disasters. If a disaster closed your office, keep the state's notice in the claim file and cite it in your dispute. Outside that exception, those four rules govern timely filing for Anthem claims.

Why a Rejected Claim Doesn't Count as Filed

Anthem considers an initial claim for payment "when received and accepted within the applicable timely filing limit," in the words of its California Medi-Cal policy. A claim that your clearinghouse or Availity's EDI gateway rejects didn't reach acceptance, so the timely filing clock kept running while it sat in a rejection report.

Say your biller sends a claim on day 20. The clearinghouse rejects it for a subscriber ID mismatch, and your team doesn't open the rejection report until day 95. On a 90-day contract, that claim is five days late, even though your practice management system shows a send date inside the window.

Under the Anthem timely filing limit, your proof of receipt is the clearinghouse-assigned receipt date on the acceptance report. Work rejection reports each business day, and fix member IDs at check-in. Our clean claim submission process checks each claim before it leaves, so fewer of them land in that queue.

2026 Timely Filing Calendar for Anthem's 90-Day Window

For a contracted commercial or Medicare Advantage claim, you meet the Anthem Blue Cross timely filing limit when Anthem's receipt date minus the date of service is 90 or fewer. The same math applies to participating Indiana and New York Medicaid claims. We target day 30, which leaves 60 days for rejections and fixes.

Table: Anthem 90-day filing calendar for 2026 dates of service (receipt date minus date of service of 90 days or fewer)

Visits from mid-October onward close in the first quarter of 2027, during the same weeks your team handles year-end cleanup and January eligibility changes. We'll publish a 2027 calendar in January.

Anthem Timely Filing Limits for Corrected and Secondary Claims

Corrected and secondary claims don't follow the headline Anthem Blue Cross timely filing limit. Market rules set the corrected claim window, which starts at the payment or EOP date, while secondary claims start at the primary payer's EOP date.

Anthem Timely Filing Limit for Corrected Claims

Anthem publishes corrected claim windows in state versions of its Corrected Claims policy (G-16001). The two versions we checked took effect October 6, 2025, and a Virginia notice covers HealthKeepers Plus.

Table: Anthem corrected claim filing windows by market, verified September 30, 2026

New York's version adds a limit on top of the 60 days: "Corrected claims filed beyond federal, state-mandated, or company standard timely filing limits will not be approved." It also says the corrected claim has to arrive within the timely filing limit because Anthem doesn't treat the initial claim as a clean claim.

For commercial and Medicare Advantage plans, your Anthem corrected claim time limit sits in your provider agreement and state manual. Until you've read both, file each correction inside the original claim's timely filing window and the correction window, whichever closes first.

Mark Corrected Claims So Anthem Doesn't Deny Them as Duplicates

On an electronic claim, G-16001 requires frequency code 7 to replace a prior claim or 8 to void one. Paper claims need the words "Corrected Claim" marked on them. Anthem warns that it may deny an unmarked correction as a duplicate.

A duplicate denial costs you days you can't get back on the original clock. Our guide to corrected claim frequency codes explains each resubmission code and when to use it.

Anthem Timely Filing Limit for Secondary Claims

Each state version of G-06050 we reviewed counts a secondary claim's limit from the other carrier's EOP date. Days a primary payer spends processing don't come out of your Anthem window, as long as you can show the primary's remittance date.

Anthem's California coordination of benefits flyer (CABC-CM-061099-24, June 2024) lays out four steps for a claim where Anthem pays second:

• Verify the primary carrier in Availity's Eligibility and Benefits Inquiry before the appointment.
• Submit the claim as usual after the visit, and send the primary payer's EOB through Availity's Claims and Payments application.
• Make sure Anthem receives the claim within the limit, counted from the date of the primary's remittance advice or EOP.
• If the primary payer denied the claim, send its denial letter, dated and printed on letterhead.

Coordination of benefits problems often show up as CO-22 next to CO-29 on the same remit. Our CO-22 denial code guide walks through that fix, and our team runs benefit verification before visits so you know the primary payer before the claim goes out.

Anthem balances age out in corrected and secondary claim queues when the second clock has no owner. If that sounds like your office, our AR follow-up services can work that queue by filing deadline, oldest clock first.

Proof of Timely Filing Anthem Accepts in 2026

Anthem accepts two kinds of proof that a claim arrived on time: the clearinghouse-assigned receipt date from reconciliation reports for electronic claims, and an official mail return receipt plus a claim log for paper claims. Fax transmission confirmations and hand-delivery logs don't count.

If Anthem denied a claim for missing the Anthem Blue Cross timely filing limit and your records show it arrived in time, attach the proof Anthem's policy names. Match your packet to that list, since G-06133 spells out what counts.

What Anthem's Proof of Timely Filing Policy (G-06133) Accepts

Anthem's Medicare Advantage proof policy and its California Medi-Cal version of G-06133 set the same rules by submission method:

Table: Proof of timely filing under Anthem policy G-06133, by submission method

Build your claim log for mailed claims with the fields G-06133 lists, one row per claim in the envelope:

• Claimant name, address, and phone number
• Federal tax ID
• Addressee, carrier name, and designated address
• Date of mailing and delivery method
• Subscriber name and subscriber ID
• Member name
• Dates of service and total charge

If you mail California commercial claims to Anthem Blue Cross, P.O. Box 60007, Los Angeles, CA 90060-0007, keep the delivery confirmation and a claim log for each envelope. That address comes from Anthem's California contact sheet (CABC-CM-057323-24).

The reconciliation report you can pull depends on your clearinghouse, so ask how long it keeps them before you need one from last quarter. Our list of top medical billing clearinghouses compares the main options.

Fax Confirmations Stopped Counting on June 15, 2026, for Medi-Cal

Anthem's Medi-Cal proof policy (CA-BC-CD-RP-001367-25-GRP200) carries an October 23, 2025, approval date and took effect June 15, 2026. Its revision history says Anthem updated the policy "to no longer accept proof of facsimile transmission as proof of timely filing for fax submissions."

Anthem dropped hand-delivery logs from both versions in its November 19, 2021, review, and the Medicare Advantage version for Anthem's 13 Blue Cross and Blue Shield states dropped fax proof in that same review. Medi-Cal was the later of the two to stop taking fax confirmations.

The policy names no date-of-service cutoff. Anyone building an Anthem timely filing limit 2026 checklist should add one line: no fax confirmations for Medi-Cal disputes. If your proof packet came from an Anthem timely filing limit 2025 checklist, fax receipts may still be on it.

Picture a clinic that faxed Medi-Cal claims for years. In July 2026, it disputes a CO-29 with a fax transmission report, and the current policy gives the reviewer no basis to accept it. Move those claims to electronic submission, and keep the reconciliation report.

California Commercial Claims: Anthem's Nine Accepted Forms of Proof

For California commercial claims, Anthem's acceptable proof flyer (CABC-CM-039312-23) lists nine forms of proof. In Availity, go to Claims & Payments, then Claims Status, and use the Dispute button and Submit Attachments.

Table: Anthem Blue Cross California commercial: acceptable proof of timely filing (CABC-CM-039312-23)

Good Cause: When Anthem Will Reconsider a Late Claim

If a claim missed the Anthem Blue Cross timely filing limit, Anthem's G-06133 recognizes good cause when the delay came from one of six situations:

• Incorrect or incomplete information from official sources
• Retroactive enrollment the member learned about later
• Incorrect information from the member that led you to file with the wrong payer
• An unavoidable delay in getting required supporting documentation
• Unusual or unavoidable circumstances beyond your control
• Destruction of or damage to your records, unless your own willful act caused it

In California, 28 CCR § 1300.71(b)(4) requires the plan to accept and adjudicate a late claim once you show good cause through a provider dispute. Attach the document that proves the cause, such as the retroactive eligibility notice or the other plan's denial.

What to Do After an Anthem CO-29 Timely Filing Denial

CO-29 is the claim adjustment reason code for "The time limit for filing has expired," as defined in X12's CARC list. On an Anthem remit, it means Anthem's receipt date fell outside the limit. Either the claim went in late, or Anthem has the wrong receipt date and you can prove it.

How to Work an Anthem CO-29 Denial, Step by Step

Work each CO-29 in this order before you accept that a claim missed the Anthem Blue Cross timely filing limit:

1. Confirm the Anthem entity and line of business from the member's card and the EOP footer.
2. Recalculate the clock on the Anthem denied claim. Take Anthem's receipt date minus the date of service, the last day of service, or the primary payer's EOP date, and compare it to the right limit for that plan.
3. Check the rejection history. If your first submission rejected, Anthem counted the later accepted date.
4. Pull proof that matches G-06133 or, for California commercial claims, the nine-item flyer.
5. File the dispute in Availity with the proof attached, or use the paper channel your market allows.
6. If you have no proof and no good cause, check the hold-harmless language in your Anthem agreement before anyone bills the member.

For paper Medi-Cal disputes, the Anthem Blue Cross PDR form is the provider dispute form Anthem uses. Mail Anthem's Medi-Cal PDR form to P.O. Box 60007, Los Angeles, CA 90060-0007. Submitting it means you agree not to bill the patient during the dispute.

Providers who search for an Anthem Blue Cross appeal form for a Medi-Cal claim need this PDR form. Member appeal forms belong to a separate grievance process. For a dispute letter you can adapt to any Blue plan, use our BCBS CO-29 appeal template, and swap in Anthem's policy numbers.

ERISA doesn't create a 12-month provider filing window. The Labor Department's claims procedure rule, 29 CFR 2560.503-1, gives group health plan claimants at least 180 days to appeal an adverse benefit determination. Your Anthem contract still sets the claim filing deadline.

Anthem Appeal Timely Filing Limits by Market

The Anthem timely filing limit for claims and the window to dispute a denial are separate clocks, and the dispute window changes by market. Virginia adds a sequence rule: HealthKeepers can't process a claim payment appeal without a reconsideration on file.

Table: Anthem claim dispute and appeal windows by market, verified September 30, 2026

The 60-day figure that circulates as Anthem's appeal rule comes from Indiana Medicaid. For an Anthem Blue Cross Medi-Cal denial, you have 365 days from the date on the notice, and Availity's path runs from Claims & Payments to Claim Status Inquiry, then Dispute the Claim.

How to Reopen a Denied Insurance Claim in California

To reopen a denied Anthem claim in California, file a provider dispute within 365 days of the plan's action. If the claim went in late, show good cause with the dispute. Pick the channel by product:

• Medi-Cal: Availity's Dispute the Claim option, or the PDR form by mail to P.O. Box 60007
• California commercial: the Availity Dispute button, or Anthem's Grievances and Appeals Department at P.O. Box 60007, Los Angeles, CA 90060-0007

If CO-29s are only part of a larger backlog, our denial management services work Anthem disputes along with the rest of your payer mix, from the first reconsideration through the appeal.

If CO-29s keep landing on the same Anthem product, you're looking at a workflow pattern. Send us a few remits for a free RCM review, and we'll tell you within 48 hours which claims you can still recover.

Why Anthem Claims Miss the 90-Day Window, and the Workflow That Stops It

Anthem timely filing denials trace back to a handful of workflow gaps, and you can spot most of them before day 30 if someone owns the queue. The Anthem Blue Cross timely filing limit of 90 days leaves little room for a claim that sits in a rejection report or a coding hold.

Six Causes Behind Anthem Timely Filing Denials

Look for these six gaps when an Anthem remit comes back with CO-29:

1. Unworked rejections. A claim the clearinghouse rejected didn't get a receipt date, so the clock kept running while it waited.
2. The wrong entity or payer ID. A wrong Anthem Blue Cross Blue Shield payer ID sends the claim to the wrong system, and the rejection costs filing days.
3. Primary coverage found after the visit. The claim bounces between payers, and the days add up on both clocks.
4. Credentialing gaps. Anthem denies claims for dates before a provider's effective date, and a slow enrollment can push the rebill past the window.
5. Charges held for coding or documentation. Each day a chart waits for a signature comes off the 90.
6. The wrong clock applied. Teams apply Medicaid rules to a commercial claim, Original Medicare's year to a Medicare Advantage claim, or the original date to a secondary claim.

Our Indiana guide breaks down the Anthem Indiana enrollment timeline, which Anthem puts at 45 days from a complete application. Start enrollment well before the provider's first Anthem visit. In any state, our provider credentialing services file each payer application within 48 hours and follow up weekly.

A Day-30 Workflow for Anthem Claims

Follow these six steps to get a clean claim to Anthem by day 30, with 60 days left for anything that goes wrong:

1. Verify eligibility, coordination of benefits, and the Anthem entity on the card at scheduling and again at check-in.
2. Release charges within 48 hours of the visit.
3. Use electronic claims submission, and save the reconciliation report by claim number the same day.
4. Work rejections each business day, and fix them within 48 hours.
5. Age AR by date of service. Flag 90-day Anthem claims at day 45 and day 60, and sort by the shortest window first.
6. Track secondary and corrected claims on their own clocks, and recheck Anthem's policy pages each quarter.

Sort a queue by dollar value, and a $140 Anthem claim at day 70 sits behind a $2,000 claim at day 200 on a 365-day Medicaid plan. The big claim has 165 days left and the small one has 20, so sorting by claim filing deadline puts the $140 claim first.

Build your payer grid with timely filing deadlines by Anthem entity, line of business, and claim type. The policies behind this guide carry April 2026 and October 2025 dates, so a grid you built in 2024 may already be out of date.

What It Costs to Outsource Anthem Billing and Credentialing

Many medical billing companies charge a percentage of collections for full-service billing and a fee per payer application for credentialing. Compare what each fee covers before you compare the rates, since a lower percentage with add-on fees can cost more by year end.

MedSole RCM is a full-service revenue cycle management company that charges 2.99% of monthly collections for medical billing, with no setup fees and month-to-month terms, and $99 per payer application for provider credentialing, with applications filed within 48 hours.

Because the Anthem Blue Cross timely filing limit leaves so little slack, ask any billing company whether it works Anthem claims by deadline. Our full-service medical billing runs at a 99% clean claim rate and puts benefit verification, claims submission, denial management, and AR follow-up inside the 2.99%, and first claims go out within 10 business days.

Table: MedSole RCM pricing for billing, credentialing, and recovery, verified September 30, 2026

Ask these five questions before you hand any company your Anthem claims:

• Do you track Anthem deadlines by entity and line of business?
• Can you show me the reconciliation report for any claim?
• How often does your team work rejections?
• Is AR aged by date of service or by bill date?
• What's inside the percentage you charge?

If enrollment is your bottleneck, our $99 payer enrollment service files each Anthem application within 48 hours and follows up with the payer each week until you get a decision.

Anthem Blue Cross Timely Filing Limit FAQs

How long do I have to submit a claim to Anthem Blue Cross?

The Anthem Blue Cross timely filing limit is 90 days from the date of service for contracted commercial and Medicare Advantage professional claims. Medi-Cal allows 180 days in network and 210 days out of network. Anthem's Medicaid plans run from 90 days to 15 months, depending on the state, and your provider agreement has the final say.

What is the timely filing limit for Anthem Blue Cross in California in 2026?

Contracted physicians have 90 days from the date of service for commercial and Medicare Advantage claims. California law requires Blue Cross of California to give non-contracted providers at least 180 days. Medi-Cal allows 180 days for participating providers and 210 days for nonparticipating providers, and Medi-Cal disputes are due within 365 days of the notice.

Is the Anthem Medicare timely filing limit 90 days or 12 months?

For contracted providers, the Anthem Medicare timely filing limit is 90 days for Medicare Advantage claims submitted on or after October 1, 2019. Original Medicare's one-year limit under 42 CFR 424.44 covers fee-for-service claims and doesn't carry over to an Anthem Medicare Advantage contract. Non-contracted providers weren't part of the 2019 amendment.

What is the Anthem timely filing limit for corrected claims?

The Anthem timely filing limit for corrected claims depends on the market. New York Medicaid allows 60 days from the EOP, Medi-Cal allows six months from payment, and Virginia HealthKeepers Plus allows 12 months from the EOP. Commercial plans follow your agreement. Use frequency code 7 or 8 so Anthem doesn't deny the correction as a duplicate.

What is the Anthem timely filing limit for secondary claims?

The Anthem timely filing limit for secondary claims uses the same number of days as the original claim, counted from the primary payer's remittance advice or EOP date. Attach the primary EOB through Availity's Claims and Payments application. If the primary payer denied the claim, send its denial letter, dated and printed on letterhead.

What is the Anthem appeal timely filing limit?

Anthem has no single appeal window. Indiana Medicaid allows a reconsideration within 60 calendar days of the remittance advice, Virginia HealthKeepers Plus allows 12 months from the EOP, and California Medi-Cal allows 365 days from the notice. California regulation guarantees at least 365 days for disputes on DMHC-licensed plans, and the original claim's filing limit runs on a separate clock.

What is the Anthem OH timely filing limit?

Ohio runs two clocks. Contracted commercial and Medicare Advantage professional claims get 90 days from the date of service. Anthem's Ohio Medicaid policy (G-06050, October 2025) allows 365 days for participating and nonparticipating providers, and inpatient hospital claims get 365 days from the date of discharge.

What is the Anthem BCBS timely filing limit for New York claims?

New York Medicaid, through Anthem Blue Cross and Blue Shield HP, allows 90 days for participating providers and 15 months for nonparticipating providers under Anthem's April 2026 policy. For commercial and Medicare Advantage claims, use your agreement's filing term. Anthem told providers that Empire's switch to the Anthem name didn't change existing agreements.

What is the Medi-Cal timely filing limit with Anthem Blue Cross?

Anthem Blue Cross gives Medi-Cal participating providers 180 days and nonparticipating providers 210 days. The count starts at the date of service, or at the last day of service for consecutive-day services. If other coverage paid first, it starts at that plan's EOP date. Corrected Medi-Cal claims get six months from the date of payment.

What is the denial code for untimely filing on an Anthem claim?

Anthem uses CO-29, the X12 claim adjustment reason code for "The time limit for filing has expired." Before you write the claim off, check whether a rejected first submission pushed your accepted date past the limit, and pull the clearinghouse-assigned receipt date. If the claim arrived in time, dispute it in Availity with that proof attached.

What insurances have a 90-day timely filing limit?

Anthem sets 90 days for contracted commercial and Medicare Advantage claims, and its Indiana and New York Medicaid plans use 90 days for participating providers. Cigna gives participating providers 90 days in most cases, as our guide to Cigna's 90-day window explains. See UnitedHealthcare's commercial minimum for UHC's 90-day floor. Your contract can change any of these.

How much does it cost to outsource Anthem billing and credentialing?

MedSole RCM is a full-service revenue cycle management company that charges 2.99% of monthly collections for medical billing, with no setup fees and month-to-month terms, and $99 per payer application for provider credentialing, with applications filed within 48 hours. Many billing companies price billing as a percentage of collections, so compare what each fee includes.

Anthem's clocks are short, and they're predictable once someone owns them. For a second set of eyes on your Anthem AR, request a free RCM review.

Anthem Blue Cross Timely Filing Limit Sources and Verification Log

We checked each deadline in this guide against Anthem's published documents on September 30, 2026. The table lists each source by document code, date, or citation, and each one links from the section where we used it.

Table: Sources behind this guide, by document code or citation

Recent changes that affect Anthem filing rules:

• June 15, 2026: Anthem's Medi-Cal proof policy stopped accepting fax confirmations.
• January 1, 2025: Anthem left Kentucky Medicaid.
• December 27, 2022: Anthem's Indiana Medicaid timely filing policy took effect.
• October 1, 2019: The 90-day amendment took effect for contracted commercial and Medicare Advantage professional claims.