What Utah’s PIP Coverage Actually Pays For
By Dr. Andrew Kakishita, DC | Pleasant Grove, UT Chiropractor
You are already paying for this coverage. Most people just do not know what it actually covers, or when it runs out.
What PIP Actually Covers
Every auto insurance policy in Utah is required to include Personal Injury Protection, or PIP. It is a no-fault benefit, meaning it pays out regardless of who caused the accident, and it covers you as the driver as well as any passengers in your vehicle. Utah law breaks PIP into a few specific categories:
- Medical expenses: at least $3,000 per person, covering reasonable treatment related to the accident
- Lost wages: the lesser of $250 per week or 85% of your lost gross income, for up to 52 weeks, though there is typically a short waiting period before this kicks in
- Household services: up to $20 per day, for up to 365 days, to help cover tasks around the house you cannot manage while recovering
- Funeral costs: up to $1,500 in the event of a fatal accident
This coverage applies even if the other driver has no insurance at all, since it comes from your own policy rather than theirs.
Where the Coverage Falls Short
Here is the part that catches people off guard. That $3,000 medical minimum sounds like a safety net, but a single trip to the ER or one round of imaging can burn through it fast. Once your PIP medical benefits are exhausted, the bills do not stop, they just shift to your own health insurance or to you directly. The wage and household benefits have real caps too. If you make more than about $15,000 a year, the $250 weekly cap means you will not be made fully whole for lost income, even though the policy is technically covering you. For example, if you earn $1,000 a week and miss two weeks of work recovering, PIP would only replace $500 total under the weekly cap, even though you actually lost $2,000 in income. That gap is real money PIP simply will not cover. PIP also does not cover pain and suffering. If you want to pursue anything beyond your medical bills, you generally have to meet a specific injury threshold, either exceeding $3,000 in medical expenses or sustaining a qualifying serious injury, before you are allowed to take that route against the at-fault driver.
Can You Get More Than the Minimum
Yes, and it is worth asking about. Insurance companies typically let you purchase PIP coverage well above the $3,000 state minimum for a relatively small increase in premium. If you carry only the state minimum right now, this is worth a five-minute call to your agent, ideally before you ever need to use it.
What If You Are a Passenger, or Do Not Own a Car
PIP is not limited to just the vehicle owner. If you are a passenger in someone else's car, you are typically covered under that vehicle's PIP policy. If you are covered under more than one policy, for example your own and a household member's, Utah generally allows you to draw from more than one PIP policy rather than being limited to just one.
PIP vs. MedPay: They Are Not the Same
You may also see something called MedPay on your policy, which is easy to confuse with PIP. MedPay is a separate, optional add-on that only covers medical expenses, it does not include lost wages, household help, or funeral costs the way PIP does. Some people carry both, since MedPay can sometimes provide additional medical coverage alongside PIP once PIP is exhausted. If you are not sure what you have, your insurance agent can tell you in a two-minute phone call, and it is worth knowing before you need either one.
How to Actually Use It
Using your PIP benefits does not require filing a lawsuit or proving anything about who caused the accident. You typically just need to notify your own insurance company that you were in an accident, and your medical provider bills your PIP coverage directly for treatment related to the crash. Keep records of your visits and any missed work, since you will need documentation, like an employer statement and a doctor's note, to access the wage and household service benefits specifically.
What This Means for Your Care
Because PIP has real caps, how your treatment is documented and billed matters. At Kinetic Chiropractic, we handle billing carefully so your PIP benefits are used efficiently, and we help you understand what is left in your coverage as you go, rather than you finding out the hard way at the pharmacy counter or the front desk of a hospital.
A Few Common Questions
Does PIP cover chiropractic care?
Generally yes, as long as the care is reasonable and related to injuries from the accident.
What if my medical bills go over $3,000?
Once PIP medical benefits are exhausted, remaining bills typically move to your health insurance, or you may have grounds to pursue the at-fault driver directly if you meet the injury threshold.
Do I need a lawyer to use my PIP benefits?
No, PIP is a no-fault benefit on your own policy, you do not need to prove fault or hire an attorney simply to access it.
Does it matter whose insurance I use, mine or the other driver's?
For PIP purposes, you use your own policy first, regardless of fault. A claim against the other driver's insurance only comes into play later, if you meet the injury threshold for a liability claim.
If you have been in an accident and are not sure what your coverage actually includes, come in and we can help you sort through it, no strings attached.