Reviewed and approved by Samuel Corso, licensed Texas insurance agent.

Published September 10, 2026 · Updated October 1, 2026

What is personal injury protection (PIP) in Texas — and do you need it?

This guide explains what personal injury protection (PIP) is, using the Texas Department of Insurance (TDI) consumer pages, and shows you how to check whether your own auto policy has it.

The short version. Personal injury protection (PIP) in Texas is an auto coverage that pays your and your passengers' medical bills, plus things like lost wages and other nonmedical costs, according to the Texas Department of Insurance's Auto insurance guide, which also says coverages vary by policy. The guide adds: "All auto policies in Texas include PIP coverage. If you don’t want it, you must tell the company in writing."

Here's what we'll cover: what TDI says about PIP being included in Texas auto policies, what it pays, how it compares with medical payments coverage, what TDI says about fault, where PIP comes in when another driver caused the accident, how it sits beside a health plan, the dollar limit, and how to check your own declarations page.

What TDI says about PIP being included in Texas auto policies

TDI's Auto insurance guide lists personal injury protection among eight basic auto coverages. The guide says all auto policies in Texas include PIP coverage, and that if you don't want it, you must tell the company in writing.

The same guide describes uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage in similar terms: "Insurance companies must offer you this coverage. If you don’t want it, you must tell the company in writing."

Those are TDI's words, and this guide does not add to them. For a reader, the practical point is that the question to start with may be whether PIP is on your policy today. Your policy documents answer that, and a later section walks through where to look. If you have a question about what applies to your own situation, TDI's guide lists 800-252-3439 for questions.

What TDI says PIP pays

TDI describes personal injury protection as paying medical bills for you and your passengers, along with some nonmedical costs. Its Auto insurance guide puts it this way: "It pays your and your passengers’ medical bills. But it also pays for things like lost wages and other nonmedical costs."

The guide does not list which nonmedical costs count or how lost wages are worked out. It does say that coverages vary by policy and that you should read your policy or talk to your agent to be sure of your exact coverages.

In plain terms, PIP covers your side of the car. The other driver's medical bills, when you cause an accident, fall under liability coverage in TDI's guide. The lost wages wording is the part to read closely in your own policy if a period off work would strain your household budget.

PIP versus medical payments coverage

Medical payments coverage and personal injury protection are listed separately in TDI's Auto insurance guide, which calls PIP similar to medical payments coverage. The guide says medical payments coverage "pays your and your passengers’ medical bills. It also pays if you’re hurt while riding in someone else’s car or while walking or biking."

Set side by side, the two descriptions share the medical bills, and the PIP description adds lost wages and other nonmedical costs. TDI's page Does my auto insurance cover my carpool in an accident? says both coverages cover medical bills whether you're at fault or not and even if you're riding in someone else's vehicle. TDI's guide does not go further than that, so the detail of each coverage is a question for your policy or your agent.

A way to think about the two is to ask which cost worries you. If it is medical bills, both descriptions mention them. If it is income while you cannot work, TDI's description of PIP is the one that mentions lost wages.

What TDI says about fault

On fault, TDI describes both personal injury protection and medical payments coverage as paying medical bills whichever driver was at fault. The wording comes from TDI's carpool page, which says of the two coverages: "Both cover medical bills whether you’re at fault or not and even if you’re riding in someone else’s vehicle." That page then suggests talking to your agent about differences in coverage.

A claim against another driver's insurance works differently. TDI's page Accident not your fault? Here's how to deal with the other driver's insurance. says the other driver's insurance company might say its driver wasn't at fault and refuse to pay, say both drivers were at fault, say its driver doesn't have enough insurance to pay all your costs, or not return your calls or emails. The same page says that if you have medical bills, your personal injury protection coverage, medical payments coverage, or uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage might pay.

Put simply, a coverage on your own policy is a second place to turn for medical bills when fault is disputed. Our guide on what to do after a car accident in Texas covers the steps after a crash, and how car insurance claims work in Texas covers the claim process.

Where PIP sits when the other driver caused it

After an accident another driver caused, personal injury protection can come into play if that driver's liability limits do not cover all your medical bills. TDI's Auto insurance guide describes 30/60/25 coverage, the minimum liability coverage, as at least $30,000 for injuries per person, up to a total of $60,000 per accident, and $25,000 for property damage.

For the case where the other driver's limits aren't enough to cover all your medical bills, the guide says to file a claim with your auto insurance company or your health insurance company, and continues: "Your auto insurance company will use either your PIP coverage, medical payments coverage, or your uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage to pay the difference. You might have to pay a deductible."

That sentence names three coverages on your own policy. A policy with none of the three would leave the other driver's liability coverage and your health plan as the remaining sources TDI mentions. Our guide on uninsured motorist coverage in Texas covers the third of those coverages.

PIP and your health insurance

A health plan appears next to personal injury protection in TDI's Auto insurance guide, which says that if the other driver's limits aren't enough to cover all your medical bills, you file a claim with your auto insurance company or your health insurance company. TDI also touches on health plans on a page about a different coverage, What is uninsured motorist coverage, and do I really need it?, where it says: "Your health plan will kick in to cover your injuries, but it won’t cover long-term care needs or help if you aren’t able to work."

TDI wrote that sentence to explain uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage, and its page does not connect it to PIP.

What PIP costs on your policy is a figure your insurance company or agent can give you.

What TDI says about PIP dollar limits

A dollar limit applies to personal injury protection in TDI's description of Texas auto coverages. The Auto insurance guide lists liability, personal injury protection, uninsured/underinsured motorist, towing and labor, and rental coverages as having dollar limits, and says: "This is the most the company will pay, even if the cost is higher." The guide adds that if you don't have enough coverage, you'll have to pay the difference yourself.

Your PIP limit is on your policy. Whether it suits your household depends on things only you know, such as how long you could manage without a paycheck. You can ask your company or agent what your limit is and what other limits it offers.

How to check whether your policy has PIP

Whether personal injury protection is on your Texas auto policy is something you can check on the declarations page. TDI's Auto insurance guide describes that page as the first page of your policy, with a summary of your policy, including your coverages, dollar limits, and deductibles.

Steps you can take:

1. Open your declarations page. It is the first page of your policy in TDI's description.
2. Look through the coverage list. Look for a line for personal injury protection or PIP, and a separate line for medical payments.
3. Note what you find. A line with a dollar limit suggests the coverage is on the policy. If you cannot find a line, or cannot tell what it means, ask your company or agent.
4. Ask about the other written-rejection coverage. If you ask about PIP, you can ask about uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage in the same conversation.

Our guide on what car insurance is required in Texas covers the other lines on that page, and how to compare auto insurance in Texas covers matching the coverage lines on two quotes before you look at the totals.

Questions to weigh before keeping or rejecting PIP

TDI's pages do not say whether you should keep personal injury protection on a Texas auto policy. These are questions of our own that you can put to your household:

• Income. Could you manage a period without pay? TDI's description of PIP mentions lost wages.
• Passengers. Do you drive other people, such as family or a carpool? TDI's description of PIP includes your passengers' medical bills, and its carpool page says you may want to add personal injury protection or medical payments coverage.
• Health plan. What would your health plan leave you to pay after an accident?
• Other people's cars, walking and biking. TDI's description of medical payments coverage mentions being hurt while riding in someone else's car or while walking or biking.

One related point concerns paid driving. A table in TDI's Auto insurance guide lists accidents that happen while you're driving for a ride-hailing service or delivering food or other items for a fee among the things most policies don't cover, and says to read your policy or talk to your agent to be sure of your exact coverages. Our guide on rideshare insurance in Texas covers that topic.

Key facts

• TDI's Auto insurance guide says all auto policies in Texas include PIP coverage, and that if you don't want it, you must tell the company in writing.
• The guide describes PIP as paying your and your passengers' medical bills, plus things like lost wages and other nonmedical costs, and says coverages vary by policy.
• Medical payments coverage, in the same TDI guide, is described as paying your and your passengers' medical bills, and as also paying if you're hurt while riding in someone else's car or while walking or biking.
• TDI's carpool page says personal injury protection and medical payments coverage both cover medical bills whether you're at fault or not, and suggests talking to your agent about differences in coverage.
• If the other driver's limits aren't enough to cover all your medical bills, your auto insurance company will use your PIP, medical payments, or uninsured/underinsured motorist coverage to pay the difference, and you might have to pay a deductible, according to TDI's guide.
• TDI's page on uninsured motorist coverage says a health plan will cover your injuries but won't cover long-term care needs or help if you aren't able to work.
• Personal injury protection is among the coverages TDI's guide lists as having dollar limits, which it describes as the most the company will pay.
• The declaration page, per TDI's guide, is the first page of your policy, with a summary of your coverages, dollar limits, and deductibles.

Sources: Texas Department of Insurance, Auto insurance guide, What is uninsured motorist coverage, and do I really need it?, Does my auto insurance cover my carpool in an accident? and Accident not your fault? Here's how to deal with the other driver's insurance. This page is general information, not legal advice — for a question about your own policy, read the policy, ask your agent, or contact the Texas Department of Insurance.

Take the next step

Open your declarations page and look for personal injury protection and medical payments coverage, then note any dollar limit beside each one. If you are pricing a policy, our guides on getting car insurance quotes in Texas and comparing auto insurance cover what to have ready, including checking that the quotes you compare carry the same coverages.

Get a second opinion on your policy — free. Credify is a licensed insurance agency in Texas that helps you compare car insurance from roughly 20 licensed Texas carriers, so you can see whether your personal injury protection coverage fits your needs. It takes a few minutes, and there's no obligation. 📞 Talk to Credify 24/7.

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