Personal injury protection (PIP) is the part of a Texas auto policy that pays your medical bills, a share of lost income and certain other costs after a crash, no matter who caused it. Texas insurers must include it on every auto liability policy unless a named insured rejects it in writing.
If you've just been in a wreck, you probably don't want a lecture on insurance law. You want to know who's paying the ER bill this month. That's PIP's job, and Texas law puts your insurer on a 30-day clock to pay it. This guide covers what it pays, how much you have, how fast your insurer has to pay, how it works with MedPay and health insurance, and how to check whether someone signed it away. For every other coverage on the policy, start with our complete Texas auto insurance guide.
What is personal injury protection (PIP) in Texas?
The short answer: In Texas, PIP is auto coverage that pays reasonable medical and funeral expenses, lost income and essential household services for you, your household and your passengers after a crash, regardless of fault.
The definition is in Texas Insurance Code §1952.151. In plain English, PIP pays reasonable expenses from an accident, incurred within three years of it, for:
- Medical care: necessary medical, surgical, x-ray and dental services, prosthetic devices, ambulance, hospital and professional nursing.
- Funeral expenses.
- Lost income, if the injured person was earning an income.
- Essential services, if the injured person wasn't earning an income, such as paying someone to handle the household care they usually do.
Who it covers: the named insured, members of your household, and anyone driving or riding in your car with permission, including guests. So your passengers can use your PIP too.
Is PIP required in Texas?
The short answer: Texas insurers must include PIP on every auto liability policy, but you aren't forced to keep it, because any named insured can reject it in writing.
Section 1952.152 bars an insurer from issuing a Texas auto liability policy, including one through the state's assigned-risk plan, unless it provides PIP. The coverage comes off only if an insured named in the policy rejects it in writing. TDI's auto insurance guide (updated December 11, 2025) puts it this way: "All auto policies in Texas include PIP coverage. If you don't want it, you must tell the company in writing."
That's different from liability. The 30/60/25 liability minimum is what the law makes you carry; our guide to what 30/60/25 means covers that. PIP is something the law makes the insurer offer, and you keep it unless you sign it off.
It also doesn't make Texas a no-fault state. Texas is an at-fault state, and PIP is a coverage that pays regardless of fault, which our guide to how Texas fault rules work explains.
How much PIP coverage do you get in Texas?
The short answer: Texas law doesn't require insurers to provide more than $2,500 of PIP per person, but $2,500 isn't a cap on what you can buy, and many drivers choose a higher limit.
The wording matters here. Section 1952.153 says the law doesn't require an insurer to provide PIP "in an amount that exceeds $2,500 for all benefits, in the aggregate, for each person." In plain English: $2,500 per person is the most the law makes an insurer include, not the most you're allowed to have.
You'll see $2,500 a lot. TDI's page on insurers of last resort (updated October 6, 2025), for example, says Texas Automobile Insurance Plan Association policies come with $2,500 of PIP. The total for each person can't exceed the maximum limit on your policy, so the number on your declarations page is the one that counts.
Insurers can sell more than the $2,500 the law requires (§1952.161 lets them offer broader benefits), and the options vary by carrier. We'll show you what each company in our lineup offers.
What does Texas PIP pay for, including lost wages?
The short answer: Texas PIP pays medical and funeral costs, lost income for people who earn one (80% under standard policy terms, per the Office of Public Insurance Counsel) and essential household services for people who don't, up to your PIP limit.
The statute says PIP covers "replacement of income lost" but doesn't set a percentage. The percentage comes from the policy. The state's Office of Public Insurance Counsel says on its auto insurance basics page (updated December 30, 2024) that "PIP pays 80% of your lost income." Check your own policy form to confirm how yours calculates it.
A few rules shape what gets paid:
- Three-year window. Expenses must be incurred within three years of the accident (§1952.151).
- Proof of injury for lost income. Your insurer can require reasonable medical proof of the injury that's keeping you from work.
- Two exclusions. PIP excludes someone who intentionally injured themselves or who was hurt while committing a felony or fleeing police.
| Expense | Does PIP pay? | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| ER, hospital, doctor, x-ray, dental | Yes | Reasonable and necessary, incurred within three years |
| Ambulance and nursing | Yes | Listed in §1952.151 |
| Lost wages | Yes, for income producers | 80% under standard policy terms, per OPIC |
| Help at home for a non-earner | Yes | Essential services the injured person usually provides for the household |
| Funeral | Yes | Within your PIP limit |
| Pain and suffering | No | That's a liability or UM/UIM claim |
| Car repairs | No | Collision, UM property damage or the at-fault driver's liability |
Does PIP pay if you caused the accident?
The short answer: Yes, Texas PIP pays without regard to who caused the crash and without regard to health insurance or other collateral sources, so it pays even when you were at fault.
Section 1952.155 says PIP benefits are payable without regard to fault and without regard to "any collateral source of medical, hospital, or wage continuation benefits." In plain English: your insurer can't refuse PIP because you ran the light, and it can't send you to your health plan first.
The same section has a quieter rule about subrogation, the insurer's right to get its money back from whoever caused the crash. A company that pays PIP generally has no right to recover it from the at-fault driver. The exception: if the at-fault driver had no insurance or other proof of financial responsibility, your insurer can go after that driver. This limits your insurer, not you. It doesn't stop you from making your own injury claim against the driver who hit you.
One more wrinkle for passengers. If a passenger collects PIP from your policy and later makes a liability claim against you, the PIP already paid is credited against what they're awarded (§1952.159). It works the same way if you ride with a friend and collect from their PIP.
How fast does an insurer have to pay a PIP claim in Texas?
The short answer: A Texas insurer must pay PIP benefits as claims arise and no later than 30 days after it receives satisfactory proof of the claim, and a late payment can cost it a 12% penalty plus interest and attorney's fees.
Section 1952.156 sets the 30-day clock, and it lets the policy set a deadline for your first proof of loss, which can't be shorter than six months after the accident.
If the insurer doesn't pay when due, the next section, §1952.157, lets you sue for the benefits plus reasonable attorney's fees, a 12% penalty and interest. In plain English: the law gives insurers a real reason to pay on time.
Here's how to keep a PIP claim moving:
- Report the crash to your insurer as soon as you're safe, and ask to open a PIP claim.
- Get treated and keep every bill and receipt.
- Send proof of lost income, like pay stubs or a letter from your employer, plus your doctor's note.
- Submit your first proof of loss early. Your policy sets the deadline, and the law won't let it be under six months.
- Track the 30 days. If payment stalls, ask in writing why, and call TDI at 800-252-3439 if you need help.
Our guide to car insurance after an accident in Texas walks through the rest of the claim, from the scene to the repair shop.
What's the difference between PIP and MedPay in Texas?
The short answer: In Texas, MedPay pays medical and funeral costs only, while PIP also pays lost income and essential services, and PIP is the one insurers must include unless you reject it in writing.
Medical payments coverage (MedPay) is an optional coverage that pays medical and funeral costs after a crash, regardless of fault. Texas law leaves MedPay in place alongside PIP: §1952.161 says the PIP rules don't affect the offering of medical payments coverage. TDI's guide says PIP "is similar to medical payments coverage" but "also pays for things like lost wages and other nonmedical costs."
| Question | PIP | MedPay |
|---|---|---|
| On the policy by default? | Yes, unless rejected in writing (§1952.152) | No, optional where the insurer offers it |
| Medical and funeral | Yes | Yes |
| Lost income | Yes (80% under standard terms, per OPIC) | No |
| Essential household services | Yes, for non-earners | No |
| Depends on fault? | No | No |
| Walking or biking | Check your policy form | TDI says it also pays if you're hurt walking or biking |
Whether MedPay is available, and at what limits, depends on the insurer. The practical point: if you can only keep one, PIP pays for more kinds of loss.
Do you need PIP if you have good health insurance?
The short answer: Usually yes, because Texas PIP pays regardless of your health insurance and covers lost income and household help that health plans don't, and it can help with costs your plan leaves to you.
TDI's uninsured motorist tips (updated October 14, 2024) make the point directly: your health plan will cover your injuries, "but it won't cover long-term care needs or help if you aren't able to work." PIP fills the work part.
Because PIP pays regardless of collateral sources, having health insurance doesn't shrink it. In plain English: PIP can help with costs your health plan leaves you, like deductibles and copays, and replace part of the paycheck you missed. Your passengers may not have health insurance at all, and your PIP covers them too.
The PIP rules apply only to auto policies, not to health or accident policies (§1952.160). How your health plan treats a crash claim is set by your health plan, so read its terms or call it if you're unsure.
What does the Texas PIP rejection form mean, and can you undo it?
The short answer: Signing a Texas PIP rejection form removes PIP from your policy and its renewals with that insurer until you ask for it back in writing, and you can request it again at any time.
There's no single state PIP rejection form. TDI's personal auto review checklist (updated March 11, 2026) says selection and rejection forms used for PIP "are not subject to approval and are not part of the policy." In plain English: each insurer uses its own form, and you won't find it in your policy booklet.
Here's what you give up when you sign it. If you're hurt, there's no fault-free money from your own policy for medical bills or lost wages, unless you carry MedPay, and none for your passengers either. You're left waiting on the other driver's insurer, your health plan or your own UM/UIM.
The rejection also sticks. Under §1952.152(b), once a named insured rejects PIP, the insurer, or an affiliated one, doesn't have to add it back at renewal or reinstatement unless a named insured asks in writing. TDI's Consumer Bill of Rights for personal auto insurance says the company "is not required to reoffer these coverages upon renewal, but you may request them at any time."
To check and restore it:
- Find your declarations page and look for a PIP line with a dollar limit.
- If it's missing, ask your insurer or agent whether a named insured signed a rejection, and ask for a copy.
- Request PIP in writing at the limit you want, and ask about higher limits while you're at it.
- Check the updated declarations page to confirm the PIP line and limit.
- Check UM/UIM too. It's rejected the same way, and our guide to uninsured motorist coverage in Texas explains why it matters.
If a lower premium was the reason it came off, there are better places to save. Our guide on how to lower car insurance in Texas covers levers that keep your protection intact, and our guide to Texas liability limits covers the other half of a well-built policy.
Our public carrier lineup for auto coverage is Geico, Progressive, Liberty Mutual and Safeco. We re-confirm which carriers can write your specific policy before every quote, because appetite and appointments change, and we're not appointed with every carrier in Texas. When we re-shop coverage, clients save on average about $500 a year, and we quote PIP on every policy we price. Start on our auto insurance page or get a quote.
The bottom line
PIP is the coverage that pays you first, no matter who caused the crash: medical bills, lost income and help at home, usually within 30 days of proof. It's already on your policy unless someone signed it away. Pull your declarations page, find the PIP line, and if it's missing or thin, we'll help you put it back.
Last reviewed by the Watson Insurance team on November 7, 2026. Statute references are to Texas Insurance Code chapter 1952, subchapter D, read on statutes.capitol.texas.gov; TDI and OPIC guidance is re-checked each quarter. Educational only, not personalized insurance advice.
