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Claim submission — England and Wales

The claim has been submitted.
This is what that means.

Submission formally notifies the insurer. A defined response period begins. The insurer's response determines how the process continues.

Independent guidance. Not affiliated with the OIC portal, the Motor Insurers' Bureau or any government body.
What submission triggers

The claim is formally notified to the insurer through the OIC portal. A 30 working day response window begins. The insurer's response to that notification determines how the process continues.

The response will state one of three positions: full admission, partial admission, or denial. Each leads to a different path. The liability decision stage explains what each response means.

The steps below show what submission does within the OIC process — what it triggers, what the response window means, and where the process goes from here.

Claim submission — how the process continues 1 of 4

The claim has been submitted
through the OIC portal.

Submission is the formal notification of the claim to the other party's insurer. At this point, the claim enters the OIC process. A defined response window begins.

Claim status
Submitted and notified
The insurer has been formally notified through the portal
Response window open · 30 working days

The insurer's response to this notification determines how the process continues. The response window runs from the date of submission through the portal.

Submission triggers a defined
process period.

The insurer has 30 working days to respond to the claim with a formal liability position.

→
The claim is formally on record within the OIC portal. The submission creates a formal record that both parties and the portal can reference throughout the process.
→
The 30 working day response window begins from the date of submission — not the date of the accident. Working days exclude weekends and bank holidays.
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During this period, the claim is under review. The insurer assesses the claim and considers their liability position.
30 working days is typically six to seven calendar weeks from the date of submission. If 30 working days pass without a formal response, the portal provides a mechanism for recording a non-response within the process.

The response takes
one of three forms.

The insurer's liability response determines how the process continues from this point.

→
Full admission — responsibility is accepted in full. The claim proceeds to the liability decision stage, then the medical stage follows where liability is admitted.
→
Partial admission — responsibility is accepted in part. A proportion is attributed to the claimant. The claim proceeds to the liability decision stage.
→
Denial — responsibility is not accepted. The response includes written reasons. The process allows the denial to be challenged.

What each response means — and what each path involves — is explained at the liability decision stage.

Where the process
continues from here.

The liability response is the next defined event in the process. Each outcome leads to a different path.

→
Admitted (full or partial) — the process proceeds to the liability decision stage. The liability decision stage explains what the admission means and what follows.
→
Denied — the denial can be challenged within the portal. The problems with your claim page covers the escalation process.

The liability response is the insurer's formal position — not a final determination. Where it is disputed, the process provides mechanisms to respond to it.

What comes next
The liability decision → The liability response — what each outcome means and how the process continues from each one. Claim timeline → How the submission stage fits within the full OIC process from notification to settlement. If the process has stopped or something feels wrong → Situations where the process has not continued as expected — including what the portal provides when a deadline passes.
01

What 30 working days means

The response window is a defined process period — not an informal waiting time.

The insurer has 30 working days from the date the claim is submitted through the portal to respond with a formal liability position. Working days exclude weekends and bank holidays — 30 working days is typically six to seven calendar weeks. The clock runs from submission, not from the date of the accident.

The response window is a formal part of the OIC process. The insurer is required to respond within it. During this period, the claim is under review within the portal — no exchange of information is required from the claimant's side while the window is open.

If the deadline passes without a formal response, the portal records this as a non-response within the process. The claim timeline shows how this period sits within the full sequence from submission to settlement.

What happens during this period →

Last reviewed: 10 April 2026

Please note

ClaimTalk provides general guidance only and not legal advice. This page draws on publicly available sources including the OIC portal's Pre-Action Protocol for Personal Injury Claims below the Small Claims Limit in Road Traffic Accidents.

ClaimTalk cannot respond to questions about individual claims. If you need advice specific to your situation, a regulated solicitor is the appropriate route.

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