Most Common CPT Codes for Psychotherapy

CPT codes for psychotherapy are the five-digit codes, maintained by the American Medical Association (AMA), that therapists and other behavioral health providers use to bill insurance for the services they deliver. The most common ones are 90791 (initial diagnostic evaluation), 90832, 90834, and 90837 (individual therapy of increasing length), 90846 and 90847 (family and couples therapy), 90853 (group therapy), and 90839 with add-on 90840 (crisis therapy).

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CPT Codes are the five digit codes maintained by the AMA and used to describe medical procedures and services. Using the correct CPT Code (as well as any appropriate add-on codes) for the services provided to your clients will help ensure that insurance companies reimburse the correct amount as quickly as possible. While accepting insurance for mental and behavioral health services can sometimes result in more paperwork and the occasional headache, it’s also key to keeping the out-of-pocket cost of therapy down and ensuring mental healthcare remains accessible to as many people as possible.

Note: ICD10 Codes (Diagnosis Codes) are different than CPT Codes. If you need to look up ICD10 Codes for a diagnosis you can do so here.

What are the most common CPT codes for psychotherapy?

The table below lists each common psychotherapy CPT code, the service it covers, and its billable time range. Detailed notes on when to use each one follow.

Here are some of the most common psychotherapy CPT Codes:

What is CPT code 90791 (psychiatric diagnostic evaluation)?

A psychiatric diagnostic evaluation is an integrated biopsychosocial assessment, including client history, mental status, and treatment recommendations. It may include communication with family or other sources and review, and ordering of diagnostic studies.

When to Use Code 90791

This code is typically used for the first session/initial client assessment, and once per year after, at yearly progress evaluations.

When Not to Use Code 90791

This code can typically only be used once per year, per client, at the outset of treatment.

What to Document for Code 90791

• Session start and end time
• Diagnosis
• Symptoms
• Functional status
• Mental Status Examination
• Collection of a complete medical and psychiatric history
• Evaluation the client’s ability and capacity to respond to treatment
• Treatment plan, prognosis, and progress
• Name, signature, and credentials of provider

What is CPT code 90834 (45-minute psychotherapy)?

Used when providing insight oriented, behavior modifying, supportive, and/or interactive psychotherapy.

When to use Code 90834

For a therapy session 38-52 minutes in length. This length is session face-to-face time, not including any administrative (documentation) time.

When Not to Use Code 90834

Services not to be included in coding insurance claims with 90834 are: Teaching grooming skills and/or Recreational therapy (dance, art, or play)

What to Document for Code 90834

• Session start and end time
• Goal of session
• Interventions used
• Client response to interventions
• Plan for client next steps/continued treatment
• Name, signature, and credentials of provider

What is CPT code 90837 (60-minute psychotherapy)?

Used when providing insight oriented, behavior modifying, supportive, and/or interactive psychotherapy.

When to Use Code 90837

For a therapy session over 53 minutes in length. This length is session face-to-face time, not including any administrative (documentation) time.
*Please note: The 90837 code is viewed by insurance companies as a non-routine code generally used for clients in acute crisis or in need of stabilization. Example diagnoses may include PTSD, panic disorder, or OCD. Routine and recurring sessions billed with 90837 can be a trigger for an audit by insurers. If you determine that a longer session is necessary to treat your client, the best practice is to include justification as to why in your progress notes.*

When Not to Use Code 90837

Services not to be included in coding insurance claims with 90837 are: Teaching grooming skills, Monitoring daily living activities (ADL), Recreational therapy (dance, art, play), and/or Social interaction

What to Document for Code 90837

• Session start and end time
• Symptoms and severity (*particularly important with 90837)
• Goal of session
• Interventions used
• Client response to interventions
• Progress and what is left to work on (*particularly important with 90837)
• Plan for client next steps/continued treatment
• Name, signature, and credentials of provider

What is CPT code 90832 (30-minute psychotherapy)?

Used when providing insight oriented, behavior modifying, supportive, and/or interactive psychotherapy.

When to Use Code 90832

For a therapy session 16 to 37 minutes in length. This is face-to-face session time, not including any administrative (documentation) time. Sessions under 16 minutes cannot be billed as psychotherapy.

When Not to Use Code 90832

Services not to be included in coding insurance claims with 90832 are: Teaching grooming skills and/or Recreational therapy (dance, art, or play)

What to Document for Code 90832

• Session start and end time
• Goal of session
• Interventions used
• Client response to interventions
• Plan for client next steps/continued treatment
• Name, signature, and credentials of provider

What is CPT code 90847 (family or couples therapy)?

Used for face-to-face or telehealth couples and family psychotherapy sessions of 26 minutes or longer.

When to Use Code 90847

Bill 90847 when the main purpose of a session is treating the identified patient’s condition through work with their partner or family. Examples of this include: When there is a need to observe and correct, through psychotherapeutic techniques, the client’s interaction with partner/family members; When there is a need to assess the conflicts or impairments within the relationship/family, and assist, through psychotherapy, the family members in the management of the client/symptoms. (The ‘identified client’ is the patient whose diagnosis and treatment plan the session addresses, not necessarily the policyholder.)

When Not to Use Code 90847

Do not bill 90847 when the service being performed is taking a family history or requesting a brief update on the patient’s behavior prior to or after an individual session. This code also does not cover family counseling/therapy with professional caretakers for, or staff of, the clients.

What to Document for Code 90847

• Session start and end time
• Diagnosis
• Others present and their relationship to the client (*particularly important with 90847)
• Rationale for the need for couples/family treatment (*particularly important with 90847- see “When to use” above for examples)
• Goal of session
• Interventions used
• Client response to interventions
• Plan for client next steps/continued treatment
• Name, signature, and credentials of provider

What is CPT code 90839 (crisis psychotherapy)?

Used as the principal code for a crisis psychotherapy session requiring urgent assessment and history of the crisis state, mental status exam, and disposition.

When to Use Code 90839

Bill 90839 for the first 30 to 74 minutes of urgent psychotherapy with a patient in acute crisis. The CPT descriptor says “first 60 minutes,” but any crisis session from 30 up to 74 minutes is billed with 90839 alone. Add-on code 90840 is billed for each additional 30 minutes only once the session reaches 75 minutes. This length is session face-to-face time, not including any administrative (documentation) time *Please note: In order to use this code, the presenting problem must typically be life-threatening or complex and require immediate attention to a patient in high distress. It is especially important to document the medical necessity of the situation, the risk, any referrals to other services, and communication with other contacts when billing this code.

When Not to Use Code 90839

Services not to be included in coding insurance claims with 90839 are: Teaching grooming skills, Monitoring daily living activities (ADL), Recreational therapy (dance, art, play), and/or Social interaction

What to Document for Code 90839

• Session start and end time
• Symptoms and severity (*particularly important with 90839)
• Medical necessity of situation (*particularly important with 90839)
• Risk involved in situation (*particularly important with 90839)
• Communication with resources/client contacts (*particularly important with 90839)
• Interventions used
• Client response to interventions
• Plan for client next steps/continued treatment
• Name, signature, and credentials of provider

What new billing codes did Medicare add for behavioral health in 2025?

Medicare added several behavioral health billing codes in its Calendar Year 2025 Physician Fee Schedule, its first meaningful expansion for crisis and digital care in years. The most relevant for therapists is G0560, safety planning intervention, a standalone code (not an add-on) billed in 20-minute units for work done with a client at risk of suicide or overdose, such as building a written safety plan. CMS also finalized G0544, a monthly bundled code for protocol-driven post-discharge follow-up contacts (four calls in a month) after a patient leaves the emergency department following a crisis. For technology-assisted care, CMS finalized new HCPCS codes, including G0553 and G0554, covering FDA-cleared digital mental health treatment devices used alongside an ongoing plan of care.

These are HCPCS G-codes specific to Medicare, so commercial payer adoption varies, and most require the billing clinician to personally perform the service. They sit alongside the standard CPT codes rather than replacing them. A session could still be billed under 90837 while G0560 captures separate safety-planning time under Medicare rules. Confirm each payer’s coverage and documentation requirements before billing, because private insurers may not recognize these codes yet. (Sources: NBCC, 2024; APA Services, 2025.)

Common Add-On Codes

Add-on codes are billed alongside a primary service and are only paid when that primary service is also paid. If the primary code is denied, the add-on is denied with it.

Here is a list of common add-on codes for psychotherapy:

90840: Psychotherapy for Crisis; each additional 30 minutes

Used if/when a crisis psychotherapy session lasts longer than 60 minutes. The add-on code, 90840, can be billed for each additional 30 minutes of psychotherapy for crisis. List separately in addition to code for primary service.

All documentation requirements of Code 90839 apply to Code 90840.