August 31, 2026
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seva firm
After a serious car accident, everyday responsibilities can suddenly become difficult or impossible. Cooking dinner, cleaning the house, doing laundry, mowing the lawn, or caring for children may be manageable one day and out of reach the next. Many injured people assume they must either let those tasks go or pay for help entirely out of pocket.
Michigan No-Fault insurance may provide another option. A benefit commonly called “replacement services” can reimburse an injured person for certain household help made necessary by accident-related injuries. It is not the largest No-Fault benefit, but for a family already dealing with medical appointments and lost income, it can make a meaningful difference.
What Are Replacement Services Under Michigan No-Fault Law?
Michigan’s No-Fault Act provides benefits for ordinary and necessary services that an injured person would have performed for themselves or their dependents if the accident had not occurred. The benefit is generally limited to $20 per day and is available during the first three years after the date of the accident.
Replacement services are different from medical care and attendant care. Attendant care involves assistance with personal needs connected to an injury, such as supervision, medication, bathing, dressing, or mobility. Replacement services involve non-medical tasks that keep a household functioning.
What Household Tasks May Qualify?
The specific tasks depend on what the injured person normally did before the crash and what their injuries now prevent them from doing. Common examples include:
• Cooking and meal preparation
• Cleaning and vacuuming
• Laundry and ironing
• Grocery shopping and errands
• Lawn care and snow removal
• Childcare
• Transportation for children or dependents
• Basic home maintenance
The key question is not simply whether a task was completed. The claim should show that the injured person ordinarily performed the task before the accident, could not reasonably perform it because of accident-related injuries, and obtained someone else to do it instead.
Who Can Provide Replacement Services?
A family member, friend, neighbor, or hired service may perform replacement services. You do not necessarily need to hire a professional cleaning company or landscaping business. A spouse or relative may qualify when that person actually performs the services because the injured person cannot.
However, insurers frequently examine family-provided claims closely. The person providing the help should keep accurate records and should expect to confirm what work was performed, when it was performed, and why it was needed. A vague statement prepared months later is much easier for an insurer to challenge than a daily record created at the time.
Do You Have to Actually Pay the Person Helping You?
Michigan law refers to expenses “reasonably incurred.” That language matters. A replacement-service claim is not automatic simply because an injured person was unable to do household work. There should be a real agreement or understanding that the provider will be paid for the services.
The safest practice is to document the arrangement from the beginning and keep proof of payments when payments are made. Do not exaggerate the hours, list tasks that were not performed, or recreate records from memory if accurate records can be kept daily.
How Do You Prove a Replacement-Services Claim?
Good documentation can prevent avoidable disputes. An injured person should consider keeping:
• A disability note or prescription from a treating doctor explaining relevant restrictions
• A daily replacement-services log identifying the date, task, provider, and amount charged
• Receipts, invoices, canceled checks, or electronic payment records
• A description of the household tasks the injured person regularly handled before the accident
• Copies of all documents submitted to the No-Fault insurer
Medical support should match the services claimed. For example, restrictions against lifting, bending, prolonged standing, or driving may explain why help was needed with laundry, cleaning, shopping, lawn care, or transportation. The doctor does not need to supervise household work, but the medical record should clearly establish the accident-related limitations.
How Much Will Michigan No-Fault Pay?
The statutory limit is up to $20 per day, not $20 for each task or each provider. If several people perform different chores on the same day, the combined replacement-services claim generally cannot exceed the daily limit. The benefit is also limited to the first three years after the accident.
The $20 daily cap may not cover the full market cost of hired help. Even so, consistent claims can add up over a long recovery. At the maximum rate, the benefit can be worth hundreds of dollars in a month.
Why Do Insurance Companies Deny Replacement Services?
Common disputes include missing medical restrictions, incomplete logs, no proof that services were actually provided, disagreement over whether the expense was incurred, or an insurer’s claim that the injured person could still perform the task. Insurers may also question forms containing identical entries every day without details.
If an insurer asks for additional documentation, respond carefully and keep a copy. Michigan PIP benefits become overdue when an insurer does not pay within 30 days after receiving reasonable proof of the fact and amount of the loss. Deadlines can affect a claim, so an unexplained delay or denial should not be ignored.
Talk With a Michigan No-Fault Lawyer
Replacement services are easy to overlook, especially when medical bills and wage loss feel more urgent. But these benefits exist because an injury affects more than a person’s ability to work—it affects the daily work of running a home and caring for a family.
If you were injured in a Michigan car accident and your insurer is delaying, reducing, or denying replacement-service benefits, The Seva Law Firm can review your claim and explain your options. Call (248) 385-5704. Our office is located at 100 W. Big Beaver Rd, Suite 500, Troy, MI 48084.
This article provides general information and is not legal advice. Every claim depends on its specific facts and insurance coverage.
Can Michigan No-Fault pay for help with household chores after a car accident?
Yes. If accident-related injuries prevent you from handling ordinary tasks you performed before the crash, PIP replacement-services benefits may reimburse the cost of getting help. Qualifying tasks can include cooking, cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping, childcare, lawn care, snow removal, errands, and transportation for dependents.
Michigan law generally limits replacement services to $20 per day during the first three years after the accident. A spouse, relative, friend, neighbor, or professional service may provide the help, but the service must actually be performed and the expense must be reasonably incurred.
Strong documentation matters. Keep:
• A doctor’s note describing your restrictions
• A daily log with the date, task, provider, and charge
• Receipts or payment records
• Copies of everything sent to the insurer
Replacement services are separate from medical or attendant-care benefits. Insurers may deny claims because records are incomplete, medical restrictions are unclear, or there is no proof the work was performed.
If your Michigan No-Fault insurer is delaying or denying household-help benefits, call The Seva Law Firm at (248) 385-5704. 100 W. Big Beaver Rd, Suite 500, Troy, MI 48084.