Effective July 1, 2026, Florida significantly modernized its chiropractic laws by enacting Senate Bill 192, which removes the long-standing $1,500 limitation on patient prepayments that chiropractic physicians may collect for future examination and treatment.
For many years, section 460.413(1)(y), Florida Statutes, prohibited chiropractors from accepting advance payments exceeding $1,500, even when the funds were properly maintained in trust. Exceeding that amount constituted grounds for disciplinary action by the Florida Board of Chiropractic Medicine.
Why the Legislature Changed the Law
According to the Florida Senate’s Bill Analysis, since the $1,500 cap was enacted in 2012, the Department of Health received twelve complaints alleging violations of section 460.413(1)(y), with nine of those complaints involving nothing more than collecting advance payments in excess of $1,500. The Legislature recognized that the statutory cap had become outdated and unnecessarily restrictive, particularly for modern treatment programs that often involve bundled services or extended care plans.
As a result, the Legislature repealed the monetary limitation while preserving the consumer protections already contained within Florida’s trust accounting rules.
What Changed?
As of July 1, 2026, there is no statutory limit on the amount of patient funds a chiropractic physician may collect in advance for future services.
However, the removal of the $1,500 cap does not eliminate the obligation to safeguard patient funds. Unearned patient payments must still be maintained and accounted for in accordance with Rule 64B2-14.001, Florida Administrative Code, until the services have been performed.
What Remains Required
Florida chiropractors who collect advance payments should continue to comply with the Board’s trust accounting requirements, including:
• Maintaining patient prepayments in a separate bank account that is distinct from the practice’s regular operating account.
• Using those funds only for the patient and the treatment for which they were collected.
• Maintaining detailed accounting records for each patient, including deposits, services rendered, transfers, and remaining balances.
• Performing quarterly reconciliations of trust account records.
• Filing the required annual certification of substantial compliance with the Board of Chiropractic Medicine during license renewal.
Importantly, while the Rule requires a separate account for patient funds, it does not require chiropractors to establish a formal bank trust account or create a legal trust. A separately designated checking account used exclusively for holding unearned patient funds is generally sufficient, provided the required accounting procedures are followed.
Practical Considerations
Practices offering prepaid wellness programs, neuropathy programs, rehabilitation packages, laser therapy, decompression therapy, or other bundled cash-pay treatment plans may now collect the full cost of treatment in advance without violating Florida law. Nevertheless, those funds should remain in the separate patient trust account until they are earned through the delivery of services.
The legislative change provides chiropractors with greater flexibility in structuring treatment plans while continuing to protect patients through robust accounting and recordkeeping requirements. The focus of regulatory compliance has shifted away from how much may be collected and toward how responsibly patient funds are maintained.
Practices utilizing advance payment arrangements should review their internal accounting procedures, trust account protocols, and patient documentation to ensure continued compliance with Florida law.
