The short version
Florida requires a minimum of $10,000 in Personal Injury Protection. PIP pays 80% of reasonable and necessary medical expenses, 60% of lost gross income, and a $5,000 death benefit. Under the 14-day rule, the injured person must receive initial medical care within 14 days of the accident to be eligible for benefits at all. Without a qualifying emergency medical condition, medical benefits are capped at $2,500 instead of $10,000.
The numbers
| Benefit | Amount or rate |
|---|---|
| Minimum PIP limit, private passenger vehicle | $10,000 |
| Medical expenses — reasonable and necessary | 80% |
| Lost gross income | 60% |
| Death benefit | $5,000 |
| Medical cap without an emergency medical condition | $2,500 |
| Minimum Property Damage Liability | $10,000 |
Worked example. A claimant has $3,000 of reasonable and necessary medical bills with a qualifying EMC. PIP pays 80% — $2,400. On lost wages of $5,000, PIP pays 60% — $3,000. The percentages, not the limit, do the work on most files.
The limit matters at the top end: $14,000 of medical bills with a qualifying EMC on a basic $10,000 policy means PIP pays the $10,000 limit, not 80% of $14,000.
The 14-day rule
An injured person must receive initial medical care within 14 days of the motor vehicle accident to be eligible for PIP benefits. Miss that window and the benefit is not reduced — it is unavailable.
This is the rule that catches people who feel fine for a fortnight after a minor collision. The clock runs from the accident, not from the day symptoms appear.
The emergency medical condition cap
The second condition governs how much is available. If the injured person does not have an emergency medical condition, PIP medical benefits are capped at $2,500. An EMC determination is what opens access to the full $10,000 medical limit.
Not every provider may make that determination. A massage therapist is not authorized under Florida law to diagnose an emergency medical condition for PIP purposes — a distinction the exam tests directly, because it decides the size of the claim.
Why Florida does not require bodily injury liability
Florida generally does not require private passenger vehicle owners to carry Bodily Injury Liability in order to register a vehicle, because PIP and Property Damage Liability satisfy the basic no-fault registration requirements. The minimum PDL limit is $10,000.
Financial responsibility is a separate matter: Florida's Financial Responsibility Law requires a driver to demonstrate the ability to pay for damages after certain accidents or violations, such as a DUI conviction — typically evidenced by filing an SR-22.
What PIP does not do
Florida no-fault law has been amended repeatedly and applies differently depending on the policy and facts. This page explains it in general terms for 6-20 exam study; it is not legal or coverage advice. Verify current law and your own policy.
Where it is examined
Auto Insurance (Florida PIP/No-Fault & PAP) is 10% of the Florida 6-20 All-Lines Adjuster Examination, and it is one of the most calculable areas on the test — percentages applied to bills and wages, limits applied to totals. Once the six numbers above are memorized, most PIP questions reduce to arithmetic.
PIP questions are arithmetic once you know the numbers
FLAdjusterPrep drills all 10 content areas with 300 exam-style questions and a plain-English explanation on every answer — including worked PIP, ACV and depreciation calculations.