What to Know About the Pet Insurance Waiting Period
Key takeaways:
Almost every pet insurance policy has a waiting period before coverage begins. After the waiting period ends, you’ll be eligible to submit claims for new illnesses and injuries.
If your pet gets sick during the waiting period, the cost of treatment for that condition won’t be covered. The condition also may be excluded from coverage when the waiting period ends.
The length of a pet insurance waiting period depends on several factors. These include the type of coverage provided. Some insurance plans will waive or reduce waiting periods under certain conditions.
Table of contents
When you buy pet insurance, you may be surprised to find out that your animal isn’t covered right away. That’s because most pet insurance companies have waiting periods before coverage begins. This waiting period can range from 24 hours to 12 months. The length depends on the coverage and the insurance company.
It’s important to understand how waiting periods work. This can help you have the right expectations about your pet’s health plan.
How does a pet insurance waiting period work?
A pet insurance waiting period typically starts the date you pay the first premium. It ends on the date coverage begins. Waiting periods protect insurance companies against fraudulent claims for preexisting conditions. For example, let’s say a dog fractured their leg. A pet owner would be concealing a preexisting condition by buying a new policy after the break to help cover the costs of surgery.
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Your pet’s coverage begins when the waiting period ends. That’s when you can start submitting claims for new covered illnesses or injuries.
Waiting periods can vary based on the type of pet insurance plan:
Comprehensive: These policies cover accidents and illnesses, such as chronic conditions and infections.
Accident-only: These plans provide more limited coverage, such as for emergency care and injuries.
Wellness: This type of policy is often sold as a rider to an accident plan or a comprehensive plan. But they may be offered on their own.
What is a typical waiting period for pet insurance?
Not all pet insurance waiting periods are the same. Factors that affect the length include coverage type, the insurance company, and your state.
Most insurance companies have three categories of waiting periods:
Accident: These policies cover emergency care and treatment after an unexpected event, such as a broken bone or a swallowed object. You may need to wait 1 to 15 days after the health plan is in force before accident coverage begins.
Illness: These policies cover treatment for a range of illnesses, from minor infections to serious conditions. You can expect to wait 14 to 30 days before illness coverage begins.
Orthopedic and cruciate ligament conditions: This coverage is part of accident and comprehensive policies. Included injuries and conditions affect a pet’s bones, cartilage, joints, tendons, or muscular skeleton. These usually have the longest waiting period for coverage, which can range from 14 days to 12 months.
Explore pet insurance: Find out if pet insurance makes sense for you and your pet by understanding how much coverage costs and what plans cover.
What pet insurance won’t cover: Learn which preexisting conditions are excluded from coverage before enrolling in a plan.
How to care for a special-needs pet: An animal rescuer shares how caring for pets with health issues can be easier and less expensive than you might think.
It’s important to understand that if you buy a comprehensive policy, you’ll have at least two sets of waiting periods. There will be one waiting period for accidents and another for illnesses. Before buying a pet insurance plan, shop around and check coverage waiting periods. This can help you choose the right plan for you and your pet — and help you avoid unexpected coverage denials.
Are there pet insurance policies without waiting periods?
Most pet insurance companies don’t have a waiting period for wellness plans. These cover routine checkups and other preventive care.
Some insurance companies have very short waiting periods for accident coverage. As of June 2025, MetLife and Embrace offered next-day accident coverage. Other plans from Lemonade and Felix have 2-day waiting periods for accidents. All of those plans have 14-day waiting periods for illnesses. Many wellness plans, such as those offered by ASPCA Pet Health Insurance and Fetch, take effect immediately or the next day.
Keep in mind that reduced waiting periods don’t always mean full coverage. Most insurance companies will still have extended waiting periods before they cover new illnesses or orthopedic and cruciate ligament conditions.
What if you need veterinary care during a waiting period?
Typically, an illness or injury that occurs during a pet insurance waiting period won’t be covered. The treatment will likely become an out-of-pocket expense.
Also, if your pet gets injured during the waiting period, this may affect future coverage. This is because the injury could be considered a preexisting condition and may not be covered after the waiting period.
If you’re within the waiting period for coverage or you don’t have pet insurance, you still have options. These are some ways you may be able to reduce the costs of your pet’s healthcare:
Nonprofit animal groups: National advocacy organizations such as Humane World for Animals and regional groups such as the Animal Health Foundation in the Los Angeles area have financial assistance programs and other resources. These can help you cover the costs of pet healthcare.
Low-cost clinics: Some veterinary clinics, like Emancipet in Texas and Pennsylvania, provide affordable pet healthcare.
GoodRx savings: You can use GoodRx for Pets to help you save as much as 80% off the cash price of your pet’s medication.
Why do waiting periods exist?
Pet insurance can help cover the costs of unexpected accidents and illnesses as well as routine and preventive care. Waiting periods for coverage protect insurance companies from fraudulent claims and activity. They are designed to prevent someone from buying a policy to cover a preexisting injury and then dropping coverage after treatment.
How to reduce pet insurance waiting periods
After you buy a policy, you may be able to waive or reduce waiting periods under certain conditions. This can include having a licensed veterinarian conduct a physical exam of your pet. Some insurance companies, like Figo and AKC Pet Insurance, will waive the waiting period if your pet has an exam within the plan’s first 30 days. But not every state allows this.
Other insurance companies, like ManyPets, will waive the waiting period if you’re switching policies. You’ll need to prove that your pet had prior coverage at least 24 hours before you buy your new plan.
The bottom line
If you want to buy a pet insurance policy, you’ll typically have a waiting period before coverage begins. Pet insurance companies have waiting periods because policies cover only unexpected events. If a pet is already dealing with an injury or illness, then a new policy won’t cover the cost of treating that preexisting condition.
The length of a waiting period can vary depending on the type of coverage and insurance company. There are also ways you can shorten the waiting period in some states, such as having a veterinary exam for your pet.
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References
AKC Pet Insurance. (n.d.). Sample policies and insurance disclosures.
ASPCA Pet Health Insurance. (n.d.). Pet insurance in plain English.
Dauterive, H. (2024). What are pet insurance waiting periods? Bankrate.
Embrace Pet Insurance. (n.d.). Pet insurance waiting periods.
Felix. (n.d.). FAQs.
Fetch. (n.d.). How long does pet insurance take to kick in?
Figo. (n.d.). Sample policies and insurance disclosures.
Lemonade. (n.d.). What is a pet insurance waiting period?
MetLife Pet Insurance. (2024). MetLife Pet Insurance’s no waiting period explained.
Metz, J. (2025). Pet insurance with no waiting periods. Forbes.
Teich, D. (2024). What is a “waiting period” for pet insurance? ManyPets.
