How to File a Complaint Against an Insurance Company in Texas
If your insurer has denied your claim, underpaid you, or acted in bad faith, the Texas Department of Insurance gives you a free and powerful tool to fight back. Here is exactly how to use it.
Step 1: Try to Resolve It With Your Insurer First
Before filing a formal complaint, make one documented attempt to resolve the issue directly with your insurance company. Contact your insurer in writing — email or certified letter — clearly stating the problem, the resolution you are seeking, and a reasonable deadline for response. Keep a copy of everything. This creates a paper trail that strengthens any subsequent TDI complaint and demonstrates that you attempted good-faith resolution before escalating.
Step 2: File Your Complaint With the Texas Department of Insurance
The TDI was created specifically to protect Texas consumers from dishonest and unethical insurance companies — and filing a complaint is completely free. To file a complaint against your auto or home insurance company in Texas, you can contact the Texas Department of Insurance online, by phone, or by mail. Filing online is often the quickest and most convenient method — TDI typically acknowledges receipt of online complaints within 24 to 48 hours. To submit your complaint electronically, visit tdi.texas.gov and use their online complaint system. You can create an account to track your complaint status — or proceed as a guest.
Upload all supporting documents, including denial letters, photographs, contractor estimates, and your complete correspondence timeline with the insurer. If you prefer paper, download and print the complaint form from the TDI website and mail it to: Texas Department of Insurance, MC 111-1A Consumer Protection, P.O. Box 149091, Austin, TX 78714-9091 — or email it to
Step 3: TDI Contacts Your Insurer
Once your complaint is received, TDI gets to work. TDI will contact the company and ask for a response to your complaint — companies have 15 days to respond and can ask for a 10-day extension. When a company responds, TDI will review their response and tell you what it means for your complaint. If TDI finds that your insurer violated the law during its investigation, the insurance company may face additional penalties — including fines and regulatory action.
Step 4: Know What TDI Can and Cannot Do
Understanding TDI's limits prevents frustration. TDI cannot make a company pay a claim unless not paying violates a law or the terms of your policy — and cannot help with complaints against another person's insurance company or settle disputes when you and the company disagree about the facts. TDI is a regulatory agency, not a collection service — its power is in holding insurers legally accountable, not in forcing specific dollar amounts.
Step 5: Escalate to Legal Action When Necessary
If the insurance company doesn't answer the complaint at all, you may need a bad-faith insurance attorney to file a lawsuit against them. Most Texas property damage and bad faith attorneys work on contingency — you pay nothing unless they recover money for you. Call the TDI Help Line at 800-252-3439, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time, to speak with a consumer protection specialist at no cost.
