Although it is recommended you notify your insurer as soon as possible if you’re making a claim, your policy states that a written declaration must be made within 90 days of the loss or damage. If you don’t make your claim within the 90 days, the insurance company may not be legally bound to honour your claim. In practice, however, most companies will honour a claim made within one year if there is a plausible reason for the delay.
If you’re making a claim against another driver, you should notify his or her insurance company as quickly as possible. Under some circumstances, and in some provinces, the claim against the other driver must be started within one year; in others, within two years.