What is personal injury protection (PIP) on my Texas car policy, and what does it pay?

Car insuranceOtherTexasChecked Nov 6, 2026

From K.Actuary, founded by Sangmin Kwon, ASA · sources checked 2026-11-06 · Source: Texas Insurance Code · § 1952.151 «Personal Injury Protection» View original ↗

In short

PIP pays reasonable bills from a car accident, such as medical and funeral costs, and lost income.
A bill must be incurred within three years after the accident.
A policy must offer it unless a named insured rejects it in writing.

What this means

The Texas Insurance Code defines personal injury protection (PIP) as part of an auto liability policy. It pays the named insured, household members, and authorized drivers or passengers all reasonable expenses that arise from an accident and are incurred not later than the third anniversary of the accident [1].

The expenses are for necessary medical, surgical, x-ray or dental services, ambulance, hospital, professional nursing or funeral services. For an income producer, PIP also replaces income lost because of the accident [1].

An insurer must provide PIP in or with the policy unless an insured named in the policy rejects it in writing [2]. The law does not require an insurer to provide more than $2,500 for all benefits, in total, for each person [3].

Your next step

Look on your policy for "personal injury protection". If you do not see it, ask your agent whether you rejected it in writing. Keep your medical bills; they must be incurred within three years of the accident [1].

Check it yourself

Open the three Texas Insurance Code sections below (1952.151, 1952.152, 1952.153). Each is short.

Where this comes from (3)

[1] Texas Insurance Code · § 1952.151 «Personal Injury Protection» · checked 2026-11-06
“Personal injury protection” consists of provisions of an automobile liability insurance policy that provide for payment to the named insured in the policy, members of the insured’s household, and any authorized operator or passenger of the named insured’s motor vehicle, including a guest occupant, of all reasonable expenses that: (1) arise from an accident; (2) are incurred not later than the third anniversary of th…
[2] Texas Insurance Code · § 1952.152 «Personal Injury Protection Coverage Required» · checked 2026-11-06
An insurer may not deliver or issue for delivery in this state an automobile liability insurance policy, including a policy provided through the Texas Automobile Insurance Plan Association under Chapter 2151 (Texas Automobile Insurance Plan Association), that covers liability arising out of the ownership, maintenance, or use of any motor vehicle unless the insurer provides personal injury protection coverage in the p…
[3] Texas Insurance Code · § 1952.153 «Maximum Required Amount of Personal Injury Protection» · checked 2026-11-06
This subchapter does not require an insurer to provide personal injury protection coverage in an amount that exceeds $2,500 for all benefits, in the aggregate, for each person.

How we found this

We matched your question to 3 official sources, quoted the exact lines, and re-checked each quote against its source on 2026-11-06.

What we don’t know yet

Your own plan or notice may say something different. If your letter cites another rule, send it and we will look again.

Every answer is checked against the official rule it quotes.

Information only — not legal advice. Your plan, insurer or agency decides.

This answer quotes the official sources listed above, with the date we checked them. Your own policy, notice and state rules control. We are not your lawyer or your insurer. We don’t file, argue or negotiate claims for you — you send any letter or form yourself.

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