PIP in Washington State: What It Pays, Who It Covers and How the Written Rejection Works

Washington is not a PIP-required state. You can drive legally here with no personal injury protection at all. But every insurer that sells you an auto liability policy has to offer it, and if you don't turn it down in writing, it goes on your policy. That's RCW 48.22.085. So if you think you don't have PIP, either you do, or a named insured on your policy signed a written rejection.

The minimum package the law describes is modest: $10,000 for medical bills, $2,000 for a funeral, $10,000 of lost income at no more than $200 a week, and $5,000 for household help. Ask for more and the insurer has to offer $35,000 medical and up to $700 a week of income.

Here's what Washington PIP actually pays, who it covers, how the written rejection works, and how it sits next to a claim against the driver who hit you.

Is Washington a PIP state?

Not in the way Florida is. Florida's no-fault law requires a policy to carry PIP with $10,000 in medical and disability benefits and $5,000 in death benefits (I covered how that works in the post on the Florida PIP 14-day rule). Washington never did.

What Washington requires is liability insurance: at least $25,000 per person and $50,000 per accident for injuries you cause, plus $10,000 for property damage (RCW 46.29.090, made mandatory to drive by RCW 46.30.020). I won't repeat the details here; they're in Washington car insurance requirements. The point for PIP is this: the person who causes a crash pays for the harm through their liability coverage, and if you were partly at fault, RCW 4.22.005 reduces what you can recover by your share of the fault without wiping it out.

PIP sits alongside that system, not in place of it. The Office of the Insurance Commissioner puts it in one line: PIP applies no matter who is at fault. You claim it from your own insurer, and you don't have to prove anyone else did anything wrong first. That's the whole reason to have it. A liability claim against the other driver can take a while to resolve. PIP is meant to pay medical bills and part of your lost wages while that plays out.

So the short answer to "is Washington a PIP state": it's an offer-required state. PIP is optional for you and mandatory for the insurer to offer.

The statutory PIP benefits, line by line

Two statutes set the numbers. RCW 48.22.095 is the minimum package every insurer must offer "for each insured." RCW 48.22.100 is the higher package the insurer must offer if a named insured asks for it. The definitions that decide how long each benefit lasts live in RCW 48.22.005.

Source: RCW 48.22.005, 48.22.095 and 48.22.100 (app.leg.wa.gov), accessed Oct. 13, 2026.

• Minimum (RCW 48.22.095)
• On request (RCW 48.22.100)

$0$10,000$20,000$30,000$40,000

MedicalFuneralIncomeServices

Source: RCW 48.22.095 and 48.22.100, accessed Oct. 13, 2026

Show the numbers

	Minimum (RCW 48.22.095)	On request (RCW 48.22.100)
Medical	$10,000	$35,000
Funeral	$2,000	$2,000
Income	$10,000	$35,000
Services	$5,000	$14,600

A few details in the definitions matter more than the headline numbers:

• Medical and hospital means "reasonable and necessary" care from providers licensed under Title 18 RCW, and it names prescriptions, prosthetic devices, eyeglasses, ambulance, hospital and professional nursing. The bills have to be incurred within 3 years of the crash.
• Income continuation is your lost income from work minus anything you earn during the benefit period. Payments don't start until 14 days after the accident, and they stop when you can reasonably do your usual job again, at 54 weeks after the crash, or at death, whichever comes first.
• Loss of services reimburses you for paying someone outside your household to do what you'd normally do at home without pay (the OIC's example is household chores), only if the work is actually done, capped at $40 a day and ending no later than 52 weeks after the crash.
• Every PIP payment is "limited to the actual amount of loss or expense incurred." PIP reimburses losses; it isn't a lump sum.

Look at the medical line again. $10,000 is what the minimum package offers for medical care, and $35,000 is what the insurer has to offer if you ask. When you're quoting, ask what each tier costs on your policy; the gap between the two is the number to weigh.

Who Washington PIP covers

"Insured" in RCW 48.22.005(5) is wider than the people named on the policy:

Source: RCW 48.22.005(5) and (9), RCW 48.22.090; Washington OIC, "Personal injury protection (PIP)," accessed Oct. 13, 2026.

The OIC's consumer page lists the same group: the person named on the policy, related household residents, step or foster children, and "any non-family passengers and pedestrians involved in an accident." It adds a caution worth repeating: to make a PIP claim, the car you or your relative was driving has to be on the declarations page of your policy.

That last rule catches people with a second vehicle insured separately, or a car they bought and never added. If it's yours and it isn't listed on the policy you're claiming under, the insurer isn't required to pay PIP for injuries in it.

The lost-income math

Income continuation is where the statute's numbers interact, so it's worth working one through. Three rules apply at once: the weekly cap ($200 on the minimum tier, $700 on the higher one), the 14-day wait, and the 85% ceiling. That ceiling counts everything that replaces wages: PIP, workers' compensation, disability insurance and other income continuation benefits combined can't exceed 85% of your weekly income from work.

Hypothetical example. Say you earn $1,000 a week and a crash keeps you off work for 10 weeks. The first two weeks fall inside the 14-day waiting period, so 8 weeks are payable. 85% of $1,000 is $850. Now run it twice: once with no other benefits, once with a disability plan paying $600 a week, which leaves $250 a week of room under the 85% ceiling.

Source: Calculation from RCW 48.22.005(3), 48.22.095(1)(c) and 48.22.100(3). Hypothetical figures, not a real claim.

Two things jump out of this example. On the minimum tier, PIP replaces $200 of a $1,000 paycheck, which is 20%. And the higher tier helps most when there's no other wage replacement. Once a disability plan is paying, the 85% ceiling does the limiting, not the PIP tier.

One more piece of arithmetic: $10,000 at $200 a week and $35,000 at $700 a week both run out after 50 weeks of maximum payments. The statute's payable window is at most 52 weeks (54 weeks after the crash minus the two-week wait), so for someone at the weekly cap the dollar limit and the time limit land close together.

When PIP doesn't pay

RCW 48.22.090 lists the situations where an insurer isn't required to provide PIP. Two more come from other statutes:

Source: RCW 48.22.090, 48.22.005(1), 46.72B.180; Washington OIC, "Learn how auto insurance works," accessed Oct. 13, 2026.

The rideshare line deserves a sentence of its own. RCW 46.72B.180 lets insurers exclude every coverage on a personal auto policy, PIP included, while you're logged in to a rideshare app or carrying a passenger. The commercial policy that applies in those periods has to include PIP to the extent RCW 48.22.085 and 48.22.095 require. If you drive for an app, find out which policy is covering you in each phase before you need it.

The written rejection, and what to do if you can't find it

The rejection rule is short and it has teeth. Under RCW 48.22.085(2), a named insured may reject PIP in writing, and once that happens:

• the rejection is binding "as to all levels of coverage" and on everyone who would otherwise have been covered, including your passengers and household; and
• the insurer doesn't have to put PIP back on any renewal, replacement or supplemental policy unless a named insured later asks for it in writing.

In other words, one signature at the original sale can follow a policy through years of renewals. Your spouse counts as a named insured under RCW 48.22.005(9) if you live together, so either of you may have signed it.

This is the same structure Washington uses for underinsured motorist coverage, which I walked through in uninsured motorist coverage in Washington. If you rejected one, check whether you rejected the other.

If you can't find a signed rejection:

1. Pull your current declarations page. If PIP is listed with limits, you have it, whatever you remember signing.
2. If PIP is missing, ask your insurer or agent in writing for a copy of the signed PIP rejection on file and the date it was signed. The statute requires the rejection to be in writing, so it's a reasonable request.
3. If you want PIP back, ask for it in writing. The statute puts that burden on the named insured.
4. If you've already had a crash and PIP was denied because of a rejection nobody can produce, call the OIC's Consumer Advocacy line at 800-562-6900 and, for the legal question, talk to an attorney.

PIP, health insurance and the other driver's liability claim

After a crash someone else caused, three pots of money can be in play: your PIP, your health insurance, and the at-fault driver's bodily injury liability coverage. Here's what the Washington sources I checked actually say about how they differ.

Source: Washington OIC PIP and "Filing an auto insurance claim" pages; RCW 4.22.005, 46.29.090, 48.22.095, accessed Oct. 13, 2026.

The subrogation row is the one people trip on. The OIC explains that when you file a claim, your insurer can try to recover what it paid from the person responsible, and that you should tell your insurer before you agree to a settlement with the at-fault driver or their insurer, so you don't damage that right. If PIP paid your medical bills and you later settle with the other driver, your own insurer may ask about it.

Health insurance is the piece I can't give you a single statewide rule for. Which plan pays first, and whether either one expects reimbursement out of a later settlement, depends on the wording of your auto policy and your health plan. Ask both, in writing, before you sign a settlement. If the at-fault driver only carries 25/50/10, the gap above their limits is what underinsured motorist coverage is for, and an umbrella policy addresses the other direction: your liability when you're the one at fault.

How a PIP claim has to be handled (new rules Oct. 18)

The OIC's rule for PIP claims is WAC 284-30-395. It's specific about what an insurer owes you once you say you're going to file for medical benefits:

• A written explanation of coverage, within a reasonable time and always before benefits are denied, limited or cut off. It has to say the insurer may do that only if treatment is not reasonable, not necessary, not related to the accident, or not incurred within three years. The rule calls those "the only grounds." The letter must also include the OIC's consumer hotline and website.
• The real reason, in plain language. If the insurer cuts off treatment based on a medical review, it has to give you "the true and actual reason" as the reviewer stated it. A line saying care is "not reasonable or necessary" is, in the rule's words, insufficient. You can ask for copies of the pertinent documents.
• A reviewer in the same field. The health care professional the insurer consults has to be licensed in the same field or specialty as your treating provider, and can't be an adjuster, claims manager or someone directly employed by the insurer.
• No holding your car claim hostage. An insurer can't refuse to pay a covered property damage claim solely because you skipped an independent medical exam requested under PIP.
• Arbitration closer to home. If your policy has an arbitration clause, the arbitration happens in the county where you live (or lived at the time of the crash) unless you agree otherwise.

The news: the OIC's claims-handling rewrite (WSR 26-17-089, Matter R 2025-05) takes effect October 18, 2026. It amends 15 sections from WAC 284-30-300 through 284-30-395. For the PIP rule itself the change is a restatement that violating any of its standards is an unfair practice; the standards above carry over. The 10-day acknowledgment and 30-day investigation deadlines aren't new (the acknowledgment rule now says "business days" instead of "working days"). What's new is what happens when an investigation runs long: the insurer has to tell you in writing why, then update you in writing every 30 days. Here are the timelines that apply to every claim, PIP included:

Source: WSR 26-17-089 (OIC Matter R 2025-05), filed Aug. 18, 2026, effective Oct. 18, 2026; WAC 284-30-395.

Each 30-day update has to summarize decisions that affect the claim, which medical or service providers the insurer has consulted, each item it's still waiting for, and, if the adjuster changed, confirmation that the new one has reviewed the file. On a long PIP claim with ongoing treatment, those letters tell you exactly what's holding things up. Keep them.

What to check on your declarations page

Five minutes with your declarations page answers most of this:

1. Is PIP listed at all? If not, someone rejected it in writing, or it's a policy type where it isn't required to be offered.
2. Which limits? Look for the medical figure ($10,000, $35,000 or another amount) and the income line. If you see only one number, ask your agent what the income continuation and loss of services limits are.
3. Is every car you own listed? PIP isn't required to pay for you or a relative in a car you own that's missing from the page.
4. Who's a named insured? Anyone listed there (and a resident spouse) can reject PIP, or ask for it back in writing.
5. Do you drive for an app? Ask, in writing, whether your personal policy excludes PIP while you're logged in.

If you want a second set of eyes on any of that, start with my Washington auto insurance page and the Washington insurance FAQ. From the state side, the OIC's Consumer Advocacy line is 800-562-6900 (8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday to Friday).

FAQ

Is Washington a PIP state?

Washington does not require drivers to buy PIP, but insurers must offer it on every new or renewal auto liability policy under RCW 48.22.085. If no named insured rejects it in writing, it stays on the policy.

What does PIP cover in Washington State?

The minimum PIP package in RCW 48.22.095 is $10,000 for medical and hospital bills, a $2,000 funeral benefit, $10,000 of income continuation at up to $200 a week, and $5,000 for loss of services at up to $200 a week. On request, insurers must offer $35,000 medical, $35,000 income at up to $700 a week, and $14,600 for loss of services.

How long does Washington PIP pay medical bills?

PIP medical and hospital benefits cover reasonable and necessary expenses incurred within three years of the accident, up to the policy limit (RCW 48.22.005(7)).

Can I reject PIP in Washington?

Yes. A named insured can reject PIP in writing. The rejection applies to all levels of coverage and everyone who would have been covered, and it carries to renewals until a named insured asks for PIP again in writing.

Does PIP cover passengers and pedestrians in Washington?

Yes. Washington PIP covers people injured while occupying or using your insured car with permission, and pedestrians accidentally struck by it, in addition to you and related household members.

Your own policy wording and Washington law control how any claim is paid. Confirm your situation with a licensed agent, the Washington Office of the Insurance Commissioner, or, for legal questions, an attorney.

Sources

1. RCW 48.22.005, definitions for PIP (app.leg.wa.gov)
2. RCW 48.22.085, PIP must be offered; written rejection
3. RCW 48.22.090, PIP exceptions
4. RCW 48.22.095, minimum PIP coverage
5. RCW 48.22.100, higher PIP limits on request
6. RCW 46.72B.180, commercial transportation services coverage
7. RCW 46.29.090, minimum liability limits
8. RCW 46.30.020, mandatory liability insurance
9. RCW 4.22.005, effect of contributory fault
10. WAC 284-30-395, PIP claim settlement standards
11. WAC 284-30-360, acknowledging claim communications
12. WAC 284-30-370, prompt investigation of claims
13. WSR 26-17-089, OIC Matter R 2025-05 claims-handling rules (filed Aug. 18, 2026)
14. Washington OIC: Personal injury protection (PIP)
15. Washington OIC: Learn how auto insurance works
16. Washington OIC: Filing an auto insurance claim
17. Florida Statutes s. 627.736, required PIP benefits