CARC 29 appeal letter template — Timely Filing Limit Expired

CARC 29 indicates the payer denied the claim because it was received after the contractual or regulatory filing deadline; an appeal is appropriate when evidence shows the claim was actually submitted on time or a filing exception applies.

When to appeal vs. correct & resubmit

Appeal CARC 29 when you have proof the claim was originally submitted within the payer's filing window (e.g., clearinghouse acceptance report, timestamped submission log, or prior payer correspondence), or when a documented exception applies (e.g., retroactive eligibility, coordination of benefits delay, or payer system error). If the claim truly was filed late with no mitigating circumstance, correct the root cause in your workflow and do not appeal; instead focus on preventing recurrence, as a late-filing appeal without supporting proof is unlikely to be reconsidered.

Appeal letter template

Copy the template, replace every [bracketed] field with your details, and keep only the paragraph that fits your situation.

[Date]

[Payer Name]
Appeals Department
[Payer Address]

Re: Appeal of Claim Denial — CARC 29 (Time Limit for Filing Expired)
Patient Name: [Patient Name]
Member ID: [Member ID]
Claim #: [Claim #]
Date(s) of Service: [DOS]
Provider: [Provider Name, NPI]
CPT/HCPCS: [CPT/HCPCS]

Dear Appeals Reviewer,

This letter formally appeals the denial of the above-referenced claim under CARC 29, "The time limit for filing has expired." We respectfully request reconsideration based on the following:

[State the basis for appeal — e.g., "The claim was originally submitted on [Original Submission Date] via [clearinghouse/portal name], within the contractual filing deadline, as evidenced by the attached submission confirmation."]

[If applicable, describe any delay cause outside provider control, e.g., retroactive eligibility determination, coordination-of-benefits delay, or payer system/processing error, with supporting dates.]

Enclosed please find documentation supporting timely submission and/or the circumstances justifying an exception to the filing deadline, including: [list attached documents].

We ask that [Payer Name] review the enclosed evidence and reprocess Claim #[Claim #] for payment. Please direct any questions or requests for additional information to [Provider Name, NPI] at [Phone] or [Email].

Thank you for your attention to this matter.

Sincerely,
[Provider Name, NPI]
[Practice Name]
[Phone]
[Email]

What to attach

• Original EOB/ERA showing CARC 29 denial
• Clearinghouse or payer portal submission/acceptance report with timestamp
• Proof of original timely claim submission (e.g., 837 transaction log, fax confirmation, certified mail receipt)
• Documentation of any eligibility, COB, or payer-caused delay (dates and correspondence)
• Copy of payer's timely filing policy or contract provision, if available
• Patient account ledger showing claim submission history

Frequently asked questions

More free billing tools: all appeal letters · denial codes · NCCI edits · Medicare fees

This template is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal, medical, or billing advice. It is a general starting point to be customized by qualified billing staff based on payer-specific requirements. Submitting an appeal does not guarantee reconsideration, reprocessing, or payment of the claim.