Get the right page first
You need the declarations page for the policy period that includes the crash date. Insurers reissue the page at every renewal and whenever a vehicle or driver changes, so the one in your glovebox may be out of date. Download it from your insurer’s app or ask your agent for the page “in effect on” the crash date. If you live with a spouse or relative who has their own policy, get theirs too, because it may be the policy that pays. Our guide to which insurer pays explains the order.
The six lines that matter after a crash
| Look for | What it tells you |
|---|---|
| Named insured and drivers | Who the policy covers directly. Your spouse and resident relatives are usually covered for PIP even if not listed. |
| Personal injury protection (PIP) medical limit | Unlimited, $500,000, $250,000, $250,000 with exclusions, $50,000, or none. This is the most you can collect for medical care, attendant care and other allowable expenses. |
| Coordinated or excess medical | Whether your health insurance pays crash-related medical bills first. |
| Bodily injury liability | Shown as two numbers, such as 250/500. It protects you if you injure someone else. |
| Uninsured and underinsured motorist | Whether you can claim pain and suffering against your own policy after a hit-and-run or a crash with a driver who has too little insurance. |
| Collision type and deductible | Broad form, standard or limited, and what you pay before your insurer fixes your car. |
Your PIP medical level
Since July 2020, Michigan drivers choose a PIP medical limit under MCL 500.3107c. The choices are unlimited, $500,000, $250,000, $250,000 with exclusions for household members who have qualified health coverage, $50,000 for some Medicaid enrollees, and no PIP medical for a named insured with Medicare Parts A and B. The limit applies per person, per crash. If no valid selection was made, the statute treats the policy as unlimited unless the premium you paid shows a different level was chosen.
The medical limit does not cap wage loss or household help. Those are paid on their own terms: 85% of gross income up to $7,455 per 30 days for accidents from October 1, 2026 through September 30, 2027, and up to $20 a day for replacement services, each for three years. See PIP medical benefits and choosing a PIP coverage level.
If you see “$250,000 with exclusions” or “opt out,” find out which household members were excluded. An excluded person cannot collect PIP medical under that policy and must rely on health coverage. If that health coverage ended, the named insured has 30 days to add PIP medical for that person, and a crash during that window is claimed through the assigned claims plan.
Coordinated coverage
A line reading “coordinated medical” or “PIP medical: excess” means you chose a lower premium in exchange for having your health plan pay first under MCL 500.3109a. PIP then pays what health insurance does not, such as copays, deductibles and services the plan excludes. This affects which bills go where, and it matters when the health plan has a network or prior authorization rule. Our page on health insurance, Medicare and PIP walks through it.
Bodily injury liability
The two numbers are per person and per accident. Since July 1, 2020 the default is $250,000 and $500,000 under MCL 500.3009, and a driver may choose as low as $50,000 and $100,000 by signing a form. The other driver’s numbers matter more to you than your own, because they set what that driver’s insurer will pay on your claim. See how much insurance the other driver has.
Uninsured and underinsured motorist coverage
Michigan does not require UM or UIM coverage, so many policies have none. If yours shows it, note the limits. It pays what the at-fault driver should have paid for pain and suffering when that driver had no insurance, could not be identified, or had limits too low for your injuries. The coverage’s notice and filing deadlines are set by the policy, and the Michigan Supreme Court enforces them as written (Rory v. Continental Insurance, 2005). Read uninsured and underinsured drivers for how these claims work.
Collision and the mini-tort
Collision type decides who pays to repair your car. Under MCL 500.3037, broad form pays regardless of fault and waives the deductible if you were not more than 50% at fault. Standard pays regardless of fault but always applies the deductible. Limited pays only if you were not more than 50% at fault. Whatever your insurer does not pay, up to $3,000, may be recoverable from the at-fault driver. See property protection and the mini-tort.
Some insurers print a premium credit for the PIP choice, such as a dollar or percentage reduction. MCL 500.3109a(4) requires the reduction for an exclusion to appear on the declarations page, so it is a useful clue to what was selected.
If the page is confusing or seems to conflict with what you were told when you bought the policy, send it to us. We will tell you what it means for your claim.
Sources: MCL 500.3009; MCL 500.3037; MCL 500.3107; MCL 500.3107c; MCL 500.3107d; MCL 500.3109a; MCL 500.3114; MCL 500.3135(3)(e); DIFS Bulletin 2026-20-INS; Rory v. Continental Ins. Co. (Mich. 2005); DIFS consumer guide to Michigan auto insurance coverages.
Questions people ask us
Where do I find my declarations page?
Insurers send it with every new policy and renewal, and most post it in their app or online account under policy documents. Your agent can email a copy the same day. Ask for the page in effect on the date of the crash, not the current one.
My declarations page does not show a PIP medical level. What does that mean?
Some insurers list it under a different name, such as personal injury protection or PIP medical limit, or on a separate coverage selection form. Ask the insurer for the signed PIP selection form. If no valid choice was made, MCL 500.3107c treats the policy as unlimited unless your premium payment shows a different level was chosen.
Does my declarations page cover my spouse and kids?
For PIP, usually yes. A Michigan policy generally covers the named insured, the spouse, and relatives of either who live in the same household. Uninsured motorist and collision coverage depend on the policy’s own terms.
What if the declarations page and the policy disagree?
Keep both, and the signed selection forms. Disputes over what coverage was chosen often turn on those forms and on what premium was charged. A lawyer can request the full underwriting file from the insurer.