Behavioral Health CPT Codes: A 2026 Reference Guide
Behavioral health billing lives and dies by correct CPT coding. Below are the codes most practices use every day, with the time thresholds and pairing rules that, when missed, turn into denials and downcodes.
Intake and diagnostic evaluation
| Code | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 90791 | Psychiatric diagnostic evaluation | No medical services; used by therapists, psychologists, and clinical social workers |
| 90792 | Psychiatric diagnostic evaluation with medical services | Includes medical assessment; billed by psychiatrists and psychiatric NPs/PAs |
Deep dive: 90791 vs 90792 — frequency limits and documentation.
Individual psychotherapy (time-based)
These codes are chosen by the documented face-to-face time of the session. Bill the code whose time threshold matches your note.
| Code | Typical time | Billable range |
|---|---|---|
| 90832 | 30 minutes | 16–37 minutes |
| 90834 | 45 minutes | 38–52 minutes |
| 90837 | 60 minutes | 53 minutes or more |
Tip: 90837 draws more payer scrutiny than 90834, document the medical necessity for a longer session. See our deep dive on 90837 vs 90834.
Family and group therapy
| Code | Description | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 90846 | Family psychotherapy without patient present | ~50 minutes |
| 90847 | Family psychotherapy with patient present | ~50 minutes |
| 90853 | Group psychotherapy | Per group session, per patient |
Deep dive: 90846 & 90847 — the identified-patient rule and couples coverage.
Add-on codes
Add-on codes are never billed alone, they accompany a primary service.
| Code | Description | Billed with |
|---|---|---|
| 90833 | Psychotherapy, 30 min | An E/M visit (psychiatry) |
| 90836 | Psychotherapy, 45 min | An E/M visit (psychiatry) |
| 90838 | Psychotherapy, 60 min | An E/M visit (psychiatry) |
| 90785 | Interactive complexity | Diagnostic eval or psychotherapy |
| 90840 | Crisis psychotherapy, each add'l 30 min | 90839 (crisis, first 60 min) |
Deep dive: 90833, 90836 & 90838 — the two-clock rule for billing therapy with E/M.
Crisis, assessment, and E/M
| Code | Description |
|---|---|
| 90839 | Psychotherapy for crisis, first 60 minutes |
| 96127 | Brief emotional/behavioral assessment |
| 99202–99215 | Evaluation & management (E/M) for medication management and psychiatry visits |
Code-by-code deep dives
Every major code family above has a dedicated billing guide:
- CPT 90832 — 30-minute psychotherapy
- CPT 90834 — 45-minute psychotherapy
- CPT 90837 — 60-minute psychotherapy (and its audit profile)
- 90837 vs 90834 — choosing between them
- CPT 90791 & 90792 — psychiatric diagnostic evaluations
- CPT 90839 & 90840 — psychotherapy for crisis
- CPT 90833, 90836 & 90838 — psychotherapy add-ons with E/M
- CPT 90846 & 90847 — family and couples therapy
- H codes — the Medicaid code set (H0031, H0038, H2014 & more)
- Telehealth modifiers — 95, GT, 93, FQ & POS 02/10
Why coding accuracy drives revenue
Time-based mismatches, missing add-on pairings, and wrong telehealth modifiers are among the most common reasons behavioral health claims get denied or downcoded. The fix is catching these before submission, exactly what an AI behavioral health billing specialist does: it aligns the billed code to the documented time, applies correct modifiers, and flags invalid pairings. For the full process end to end, see our mental health billing guide; for specialty-specific rules, see psychiatry billing and addiction treatment billing.
This guide is for general reference only. CPT codes and payer rules change, always verify against current CPT guidance and your specific payer policies. CPT is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association.
Frequently asked questions
What is the time difference between CPT 90832, 90834, and 90837?
They are time-based psychotherapy codes: 90832 is 30 minutes (billable for 16-37 minutes), 90834 is 45 minutes (38-52 minutes), and 90837 is 60 minutes (53 minutes or more). You bill based on the documented face-to-face time.
What is the difference between CPT 90791 and 90792?
Both are psychiatric diagnostic evaluations. 90791 is the evaluation without medical services; 90792 includes medical services and can only be billed by providers who can perform medical assessment, such as psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners.
What are psychotherapy add-on codes?
Add-on codes are billed alongside another service. Psychotherapy add-on codes 90833 (30 min), 90836 (45 min), and 90838 (60 min) are billed with an E/M visit for psychiatry. 90785 (interactive complexity) and 90840 (crisis, each additional 30 min) are also add-on codes.
Code it right the first time.
See how Stable scrubs behavioral health claims for coding errors before they're submitted.
Book a Demo