Experts say it is incredibly difficult to assess a timeline of when the casualties occurred Wildfires in California they will receive their insurance payments, noting that it can be a few weeks to several years.

Candise Shanbron, managing partner of the property damage law firm Cernitz Law, told FOX Business that no one knows how long it will be before residents affected by this week’s fires in Los Angeles see the insurance payments.

Brian Braswell, senior vice president of independent insurance brokerage The Daniel and Henry Co., said the timing depends in part on the insurance company, the coverage in place and the terms of the policy, as well as the volume of claims.

“Companies are inundated with claims. Imagine you had 100 claims a month, and now you have a million,” Braswell said.

Firefighters continue to battle wind and fire as homes burn in Malibu along Pacific Coast Highway near Carbon Canyon Road in the Palisades fire on January 8, 2025. (David Crane/MediaNews Group/Los Angeles Daily News via Getty Images/Getty Images)

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Aside from the sheer volume of claims being handled, especially during a catastrophic event, Braswell said the complexity of the claim could also influence the speed of payment.

The efficiency of the insurance company’s claims processing system will also be a factor, he added.

A firefighter battles the Palisades Fire as it burns homes on the Pacific Coast Highway amid a strong wind storm on January 8, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Apu Gomes/Getty Images/Getty Images)

Braswell estimated it could be as short as a few weeks or as long as years. However, “adjusters are motivated to pay/close claims to get them off their desk and onto the next one,” Braswell added.

Shanbron said the process looks different for everyone, even if they’re dealing with the same injury.

For example, insurance companies are “constantly analyzing financial data and calculating how much money they need to have in reserves at any given time to reinvest those funds and pay claims,” ​​Shanbron said.

According to Shanbron, this is why some homeowners will get paid right away, while others with the exact same type of damage for the same loss may not get paid for six months or even years.

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In some cases, “they might deny the claim outright, hoping nothing ever comes of it, or they deny the claim knowing they’ll end up being sued, but at least the denial and waiting for the lawsuit to be filed will give them longer than they need,” Shanbron said.

Plumes of smoke are seen as a brush fire burns in Pacific Palisades, California on January 7, 2025. (DAVID SWANSON/AFP via Getty Images/Getty Images)

But given both the nature of fire losses and the demographics of the area affected by the fires, Shanbron doesn’t think most insurance companies are “dragging their feet.”

Still, Braswell said victims shouldn’t wait to look at their insurance policy or ask questions and get a check because “California’s insurance market is already troubled and it’s about to get worse “.

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Anthony Lopez, CEO of Your Insurance Advocat, told FOX Business that while the timeline can be affected by various challenges, there are proactive steps victims can take to “potentially make up for the delay.” These include contacting your insurance provider immediately after the damage occurs, providing detailed documentation of the home or business over time, sealed before and after photos, and an estimate from a general contractor that describes repair or replacement costs, Lopez said.