If you haven’t received your $400 auto insurance refund check yet, there’s something wrong. Today is the deadline for auto insurance companies to get those checks to their customers. The governor’s office has released the following:
Governor Gretchen Whitmer is reminding Michiganders that today is the deadline for auto insurers to issue $400 per eligible vehicle insurance refunds. Eligible Michiganders who did not receive their share of the $3 billion catastrophic fund surplus should contact their insurance company or the Department of Insurance and Financial Services (DIFS).
“Thanks to the bipartisan auto insurance reform I signed in 2019, we have delivered $400 auto refund checks per vehicle totaling $3 billion to Michigan drivers,” said Governor Whitmer. “Our efforts put money back in the pockets of Michigan drivers this year and have also delivered more than $1 billion in statewide premium savings since the law took effect. Let’s continue finding ways to lower costs for families.”
Auto insurance companies were directed to issue Michigan Catastrophic Claims Association (MCCA) catastrophic fund surplus refund checks to eligible Michiganders as quickly as possible, and in no event later than today, May 9, 2022. The $400 per-vehicle refunds for eligible drivers were made possible by cost savings created by Michigan’s historic bipartisan auto insurance reform law signed by Governor Whitmer in 2019.
“If you are eligible for a refund but have not yet received it, you should contact the auto insurer that covered your vehicle on October 31, 2021 to ensure that your refund has been issued,” said Michigan Department of Insurance and Financial Services Director Anita Fox. “If you cannot reach a resolution with the insurance company, or if you were offered a refund in a form other than a paper check or direct deposit, call DIFS at 833-ASK-DIFS Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. for assistance, or visit Michigan.gov/MCCArefund for more information.”
Today marks the most recent milestone in a multi-step process that began in late 2021. Cost controls, consumer protections, and other savings put into place by the state’s new bipartisan auto insurance law led to a $5 billion surplus in the MCCA catastrophic fund. In November 2021, Governor Whitmer called on the MCCA to return the maximum amount of surplus funds back to Michigan drivers while ensuring the viability of the fund. Earlier this year, the MCCA transferred $3 billion to the Michigan auto insurers responsible for issuing refunds to eligible drivers, while retaining $2 billion of the surplus to ensure continuity of care for accident survivors. DIFS then required insurers to issue refunds to eligible Michiganders as quickly as possible, but not later than May 9.
Michiganders who had a car, motorcycle, or RV that was insured to drive legally on Michigan roads as of 11:59 p.m. on October 31, 2021, are eligible for a refund. The refunds are $400 per vehicle and $80 per historic vehicle. Refunds should have been issued to eligible drivers by the company that insured their vehicle on the date of record. This may not be the company that currently insures their vehicle.
For questions or concerns that cannot be resolved directly by an auto insurer, contact DIFS by calling Monday through Friday 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. at 833-ASK-DIFS (833-275-3437) or by emailing autoinsurance@michigan.gov.
Additional information is available at Michigan.gov/MCCArefund.
