CPT codes used in therapy estimates

A Good Faith Estimate needs a service code for each expected item. These are the codes a psychotherapy practice reaches for most.

Reviewed August 2026 · Not legal advice

Every expected item on a Good Faith Estimate needs a service code beside it. For psychotherapy that is nearly always a CPT code from the 908xx range, occasionally a HCPCS Level II code for behavioural health services that CPT does not cover.

Verify before you rely on this

CPT is maintained and copyrighted by the American Medical Association, and the descriptors and time rules are revised. The summaries below are in our own words as a starting point for recognising which code applies — check a current CPT manual or your billing software for the authoritative descriptor.

Codes a psychotherapy practice reaches for

Code	Service
90791	Diagnostic evaluationThe intake. No medical services component, so this is the one most non-prescribing therapists use for a first session.
90792	Diagnostic evaluation with medical servicesThe prescriber's equivalent of 90791. Used by psychiatrists and psychiatric nurse practitioners.
90832	Individual psychotherapy, 30 minutesCommonly applied to sessions of roughly 16 to 37 minutes.
90834	Individual psychotherapy, 45 minutesRoughly 38 to 52 minutes. The standard therapy hour for most practices.
90837	Individual psychotherapy, 60 minutes53 minutes and above.
90846	Family psychotherapy, client not presentAround 50 minutes. Work with partners or parents without the identified client in the room.
90847	Family psychotherapy, client presentAround 50 minutes. Couples and family sessions including the client.
90853	Group psychotherapyPer client, per group session, excluding family groups.
90839	Crisis psychotherapy, first 60 minutesFor an urgent presentation. Rarely something you would put on an estimate in advance.
90840	Crisis psychotherapy, each additional 30 minutesAn add-on to 90839, never billed alone.
90785	Interactive complexityAn add-on for sessions complicated by third parties, mandated reporting, or communication barriers.

Session length decides the individual therapy code

90832, 90834 and 90837 describe the same service at three lengths, and the time actually spent in the session determines which applies. A practice that runs a 50-minute hour is generally in 90834 territory; one that runs a full 60 minutes is in 90837.

For an estimate this matters less as a billing question than as an arithmetic one. Pick the code matching the session you actually offer, and put your real fee for it beside the code.

HCPCS codes

Some behavioural health services are coded with HCPCS Level II codes — a letter followed by four digits, such as the H-series used for substance use assessment and community mental health services, often in publicly funded settings. The estimate form accepts either; use whichever your practice actually bills under.

Putting codes on the estimate

A first-session estimate for ongoing weekly therapy typically has two lines: one intake evaluation, then the individual therapy code repeated for the number of sessions you expect. The number of units on that second line drives the total, which is the figure the $400 dispute threshold is measured against — one unit when you expect thirty understates the estimate badly.

Diagnosis codes are a separate field and are required only where applicable. At intake you often do not have one yet, and that is a legitimate thing to say on the form. For the full content requirements see what has to appear on a Good Faith Estimate.

EstimateHarbor is not a law firm and this page is not legal advice. It summarises the federal rule at 45 CFR § 149.610 as we read it, for general information. Your state may impose additional requirements, and how the rule applies to your practice is a question for your own counsel or professional association.