For Humana Medicare Advantage, a claim is due 1 year from the date of service, unless your agreement or a state or federal law says otherwise. Corrected claims get no extra time. A claim dispute must reach Humana within 18 months of the original decision notice. A non-participating provider has 65 calendar days from the denial notice to appeal.
If you search "Humana timely filing," you will find numbers anywhere from 90 days to a year. Most of that confusion comes from two things. Humana runs very different lines of business, and it left the employer health plan market. So a number that was right for a Humana commercial plan in 2022 is no use for the Humana patient in your waiting room today.
This guide sticks to what Humana's own 2026 documents say and tells you plainly where they are silent.
The deadlines, in one table
| Situation | Deadline | Clock starts |
|---|---|---|
| New claim, Medicare Advantage | 1 year unless your agreement or the law says otherwise | Date of service |
| New claim, Humana Healthy Horizons (Medicaid) | Set by the state Medicaid manual | Date of service |
| Corrected claim | Same as a new claim | Original date of service |
| Claim dispute (payment or denial) | 18 months | Date you got the original decision notice |
| Appeal, non-participating provider (Medicare Advantage) | 65 calendar days | Date of the denial notice |
| Dispute of a denied authorization (Medicare Advantage) | 7 calendar days or until discharge, whichever is later | Notice of the denied authorization |
The 1-year limit and the 18-month dispute window are in Humana's 2026 provider manual for physicians, hospitals and other providers. The manual puts one condition on both: your agreement, or a state or federal law, can set a different time. If your contract has a number, that number wins.
Humana deadline calculator
Pick what you are filing, then enter the date that starts the clock.
Which Humana plan is this?
Look at the member ID card before you look up a deadline. The answer depends on the plan.
Medicare Advantage. This is most of Humana's business now: HMO, PPO, PFFS and special needs plans. The 1-year rule in the table above is for these plans.
Humana Healthy Horizons (Medicaid). Humana runs Medicaid plans in several states. For these, the manual points you to the state-specific Medicaid provider manual, and each state sets its own limit. Do not use the Medicare Advantage number for a Medicaid patient.
Commercial employer plans. In February 2023 Humana announced it would leave the employer group commercial medical business: fully insured, self-funded and Federal Employee Health Benefit medical plans. The exit was phased over 18 to 24 months. If you are still working an old commercial claim, the filing limit comes from your agreement and state law, not from the Medicare Advantage manual. Humana dental and vision plans were not part of that exit.
Tip. If a patient shows an old Humana commercial card for a 2026 visit, check eligibility before you bill. The coverage has very likely ended, and the claim belongs to whatever plan replaced it.
Send us the list: payer, date of service, denial code and amount. No patient names needed. We will tell you which claims can still be fixed, which need an appeal, and which deadlines are close. Free, usually within 2 business days. Want the full picture? Get a free 90-day denial audit from your ERA files.
Run a billing company? Add a trained biller from $8/hour, first 25 claims free.
Corrected claims: no new clock
Humana's manual does not give corrected claims their own window. A corrected claim is still a claim, so it has to reach Humana inside the original limit, counted from the original date of service. For Medicare Advantage, that is 1 year.
How you send it matters. In a June 2025 provider notice, Humana asked for corrected claims to be sent electronically with the right frequency code:
- Professional claims (837P): put frequency code 7 in Loop 2300, field CLM05-3.
- Institutional claims (837I): make the third digit of the type of bill 7.
Humana says corrected claims that do not follow these rules may be denied. Include the original claim number so the new claim replaces the old one instead of looking like a duplicate. A duplicate usually comes back as CO-18.
Example. Visit on March 3, 2026, Medicare Advantage. The claim is due by March 3, 2027. A coding error found in January 2027 can still go in as a corrected claim. The same error found in April 2027 is too late for a corrected claim, so your only route left is a dispute, and the original filing date has to have been on time.
Claim disputes vs appeals
Humana uses different words for different people, and the deadlines are far apart.
Claim dispute: 18 months. This is the route for a participating provider who thinks a claim was paid wrong or denied wrongly. Humana's manual says the dispute must be received within 18 months from the date you received notice of the original claim decision. Start it in Availity Essentials, or call Humana provider services at 800-448-6262 and keep the reference number. Humana says most disputes get a reply in 30 to 45 days.
Appeal by a non-participating provider: 65 calendar days. If you are not contracted with Humana and a Medicare Advantage claim is denied, you appeal in writing within 65 calendar days of the denial notice. You must include a signed Waiver of Liability statement, which says you will not bill the patient whatever the outcome.
Authorization denials: 7 calendar days. For Medicare Advantage, if an authorization is denied before the claim, the manual gives 7 calendar days from the notice, or until discharge if that is later, to dispute it. This one is easy to miss because it happens before any claim exists.
A late-filing denial normally shows on the remittance as CO-29, the time limit for filing has expired. To win it, you need proof the claim reached Humana on time: a clearinghouse or Availity acceptance report with the date. A claim that was rejected at the clearinghouse never reached Humana, so a rejection report does not count.
Non-participating providers
Humana's 2026 manual says a non-participating provider can appeal claim denials for Medicare members only with a Waiver of Liability form. Without it the appeal cannot go forward. The steps:
- Write the appeal within 65 calendar days of the date on the denial notice.
- Attach the signed Waiver of Liability statement and a copy of the denial or remittance.
- Mail it to Humana, Grievance and Appeal Department, P.O. Box 14165, Lexington, KY 40512-4165.
Commercial appeals go to a different box: Humana, Grievance and Appeal Department, P.O. Box 14546, Lexington, KY 40512-4546. For those, the time limit comes from the member's policy or state law.
Payer ID and addresses
Paper claims box explained in full: PO Box 14601, Lexington, KY 40512.
| What | Where |
|---|---|
| Electronic claims | Payer ID 61101 (encounters: 61102), through Availity Essentials or your clearinghouse |
| Paper medical claims | The address on the back of the member's ID card. Humana's manual lists P.O. Box 14601, Lexington, KY 40512-4601 |
| Paper encounters | P.O. Box 14605, Lexington, KY 40512-4605 |
| Medicare Advantage appeals | Grievance and Appeal Department, P.O. Box 14165, Lexington, KY 40512-4165 |
| Commercial appeals | Grievance and Appeal Department, P.O. Box 14546, Lexington, KY 40512-4546 |
| Claim disputes and questions | Availity Essentials, or provider services at 800-448-6262 |
Medicaid plans have their own state addresses. Always check the back of the ID card first, because it shows the address for that member's exact plan.
Habits that keep Humana claims inside the window:
- Check eligibility at every visit. It tells you if the patient is on Medicare Advantage, Medicaid or an old commercial plan, and each has its own rules.
- Work rejections the same day. A rejected claim never reached Humana, and the clock keeps running.
- Send corrected claims with code 7 and the original claim number.
- Keep the acceptance report for every claim. It is the only proof that wins a timely filing dispute.
Compare other payers in our timely filing limits by payer list. If a Humana claim comes back denied, the denial code lookup explains the code and the usual fix, and the free 835 ERA reader turns the remittance file into plain English.
Questions
What is the Humana timely filing limit?
For Medicare Advantage, Humana's 2026 provider manual gives 1 year from the date of service, unless your provider agreement or a state or federal law sets a different time. For Humana Healthy Horizons (Medicaid), the limit comes from the state-specific Medicaid manual.
What is the Humana timely filing limit for corrected claims?
Humana does not give corrected claims a separate window. A corrected claim has to fit inside the same limit as the original claim, counted from the original date of service. Send it electronically with claim frequency code 7.
How long do I have to dispute a Humana claim?
Humana's 2026 manual says claim disputes must be received within 18 months from the date you received notice of the original claim decision, unless your agreement or state or federal law sets another time.
How long does a non-participating provider have to appeal a Humana Medicare Advantage denial?
65 calendar days from the date of the denial notice, in writing, with a signed Waiver of Liability statement. Send it to Humana Grievance and Appeal Department, P.O. Box 14165, Lexington, KY 40512-4165.
What is the Humana payer ID?
Humana's Medicare Advantage claims flyers list payer ID 61101 for claims and 61102 for encounters. Paper claims go to the address on the back of the member's ID card, usually P.O. Box 14601, Lexington, KY 40512-4601.
Does Humana still have commercial health plans?
Humana exited its employer group commercial medical business, including fully insured, self-funded and Federal Employee Health Benefit medical plans. It announced the exit in February 2023 and phased it out over 18 to 24 months. Older commercial claims follow your agreement and state law.
Losing Humana claims to deadlines?
Send us 25 claims. We will check each one against Humana's filing and dispute windows and flag the ones that are close. Free, no setup fee, month-to-month.
Start the free 25-claim trialFiling limits, appeal windows and claim addresses change quietly. Get one short email a month with what changed and the free tools we add.
One email a month. No spam. Unsubscribe any time.Related: Corrected claim limits by payer · HealthSpring timely filing limit · Aetna timely filing limit · UnitedHealthcare timely filing limit · Cigna timely filing limit · Timely filing calculator
More guides from our blog
- E/M downcoding: how to spot 99214 and 99215 cuts and get paid
- Corrected claim timely filing limits for 2026, payer by payer
- Aetna timely filing limit for 2026: new claims, corrected claims, appeals and Medicare
- Cigna and HealthSpring timely filing limit for 2026: new claims, corrected claims, appeals
- 7 common claim denial codes, and how to stop each one before it happens
- HealthSpring timely filing limit for 2026: claims, corrected claims and appeals
- 190 new ICD-10 codes went live on October 1. Here's what breaks first on your claims.
- How much does medical billing cost in 2026? In-house vs outsourced, in real numbers
- Modifier 25 in 2027: what Medicare’s proposed 50% cut looks like in dollars
- Provider credentialing in medical billing: timelines, documents and CAQH in 2026
- Timely filing limits by payer for 2026, checked against each payer’s own manual
- UnitedHealthcare timely filing limit for 2026: claims, corrected claims and appeals
Free tools
- Payer claim addresses and fax numbers
- Free 835 ERA reader
- Denial code lookup
- Timely filing calculator
- Credentialing timeline calculator
Sources, read October 23, 2026: Humana 2026 Provider Manual for physicians, hospitals and healthcare providers (claims submission, provider claims dispute process, pre-claim dispute); Humana corrected claims reminder (June 24, 2025); Humana Grievances and Appeals / Inquiry Directory for non-participating providers; Humana Medicare Advantage electronic claims flyers (payer IDs); Humana press release, "Humana to Exit Employer Group Commercial Medical Products Business" (February 23, 2023). Deadlines in your own provider agreement take priority over the manual.