Who pays and how to start
Frankenmuth Mutual Insurance Company, based in Frankenmuth, Michigan, sells through independent agents. Court cases also name Frankenmuth Insurance Company, so check your declarations page for the exact company that issued your policy and use that name on your application. Under Michigan’s priority rules, Frankenmuth usually pays your PIP benefits if it insures you, your spouse or a relative who lives with you. Fault does not decide which company pays. See which insurer pays.
How to report a claim to Frankenmuth
Frankenmuth’s claims pages list these options:
- Phone. Claims at 800-234-4433, available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- Online. A claim form for personal auto and business auto.
- Your agent. The site recommends consulting your independent agent first.
- Documents. Claims fax 989-652-6231, or email to ficlaims@fmins.com.
Official claims page: fmins.com/claims/how-to-report-a-claim. Reporting the crash opens a claim number. It does not replace the written application for benefits.
Michigan steps that apply to every insurer
- Application for benefits. Complete and return the insurer’s application. It gives the written notice MCL 500.3145 requires: your name and address, and the time, place and nature of the injury. See no-fault forms.
- Wage and household forms. Send employer wage verification and disability slips for wage loss, and daily logs for replacement services.
- Reasonable proof. Under MCL 500.3142, PIP benefits are overdue if not paid within 30 days after the insurer receives reasonable proof of the fact and amount of the loss. Overdue benefits earn 12% interest a year.
- One-year rules. Give written notice within one year of the crash unless the insurer has already paid. A lawsuit recovers only losses incurred in the year before it is filed, with that period tolled from a specific claim until the insurer formally denies it. Use the deadline calculator.
If payments stop, read what to do when benefits are denied.
Michigan appellate decisions involving Frankenmuth
These are decisions in which a Frankenmuth company was a party. Each one turned on its own facts and issues. Unpublished Court of Appeals opinions are not binding precedent under MCR 7.215(C)(1). The summaries are ours and leave out much of each court’s reasoning; the links go to the opinions. Case status checked on the courts’ dockets October 25, 2026.
- Frankenmuth Mutual Insurance Co v Michigan Automobile Insurance Placement Facility, Michigan Court of Appeals No. 362955, August 10, 2023 (unpublished). Read the opinion. The injured woman’s temporary stay in her father’s camper didn’t make her domiciled in his household, so Frankenmuth, which insured his vehicle, wasn’t first in priority, and her claim belonged with the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan.
- Frankenmuth Mutual Insurance Co v Sentry Casualty Co, 347 Mich App 432 (2023), Michigan Court of Appeals No. 361259, June 22, 2023 (published). Read the opinion. A truck registered in Michigan only proportionally under the International Registration Plan, and never operated here, didn’t need Michigan no-fault coverage, so its insurer wasn’t in the PIP priority order for an employee’s injury.
- Call v L & KJ Enterprises, LLC, Michigan Court of Appeals No. 366229, conflict panel, April 20, 2026 (published). Read the opinion. The court overruled an earlier decision and held that a no-fault insurer that paid PIP benefits, here Frankenmuth, can sue a responsible party who isn’t a motorist, such as a repair shop, to recover what it paid.
Report the crash, then send Frankenmuth the written application for benefits and keep a copy. If Frankenmuth denies benefits, says you weren’t part of the household, or cuts off payments, call us before the one-year deadline. The review is free, and there is no fee unless money is recovered.
Sources: MCL 500.3114, 500.3116, 500.3142, 500.3145 and 500.3148; MCR 7.215(C)(1), (J)(3); Frankenmuth Mut Ins Co v MAIPF (Mich App, unpublished, Aug 10, 2023, No. 362955); Frankenmuth Mut Ins Co v Sentry Cas Co, 347 Mich App 432 (2023); Call v L & KJ Enterprises, LLC (Mich App special panel, Apr 20, 2026, No. 366229); Frankenmuth Insurance claims pages (fmins.com), reviewed October 25, 2026.
Grove & Associates is not affiliated with Frankenmuth Insurance. Company names are used only to identify the insurer.
Questions people ask us
How do I report an auto claim to Frankenmuth Insurance?
Frankenmuth’s site lists claims at 800-234-4433, available 24/7, and an online claim form for personal auto. It recommends talking with your independent agent first. In Michigan, you still need to send a written application for no-fault benefits within one year.
Do I file my PIP claim with Frankenmuth if the other driver was at fault?
Only if Frankenmuth is first in priority under MCL 500.3114, usually because it insures you, your spouse or a relative you live with. A claim against the at-fault driver for pain and suffering is a separate claim.
Frankenmuth says I didn’t live with the policyholder. What now?
Whether you were “domiciled” in the policyholder’s household is decided from the facts: where you slept, kept your things, got mail and intended to live. If one insurer says you weren’t part of the household, another policy or the Michigan Assigned Claims Plan may owe benefits, so give written notice to each within one year.
What happens if Frankenmuth does not pay within 30 days?
Benefits not paid within 30 days after the insurer receives reasonable proof are overdue and earn 12% interest a year under MCL 500.3142. If a court finds the delay or refusal unreasonable, MCL 500.3148 lets it award attorney fees as well.
