ABA CPT Codes: Every Code From 97148 to 97180, Explained

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is billed with the CPT adaptive behavior codes 97151-97158, each timed in 15-minute units. From January 1, 2027, six codes are added (97148, +97149, 97159, +97160, 97173 and 97180) and 0362T and 0373T end. Per the ABA Coding Coalition, the code depends on who delivers the service and who is present.

This page is the reference for every ABA billing code: who bills it, whether the patient is present, what it is billed with, the modifiers payers use and the older Medicaid codes. It follows the ABA Coding Coalition’s code conversion table and supplemental guidance. What changes on January 1 is on ABA CPT code changes for 2027, each code’s documentation is on its own page, linked in the table, and more billing pages are in CPT Codes & Billing.

What are the ABA CPT codes?

The ABA CPT codes are the Category I codes in the AMA’s CPT code set for adaptive behavior assessment and treatment. The AMA owns the codes and their wording; the ABA Coding Coalition, a coalition of ABA professional and advocacy organizations, prepared the 2027 code change application with the ABAI ABA Billing Codes Commission and publishes billing guidance on the codes (crosswalk cover letter, p. 1).

The codes billed through 2026 are the 2019 code set: 97151-97158 plus the Category III codes 0362T and 0373T. Every 2027 code is “Per 15 minutes” in the Coalition’s table, and its guidance gives the unit rule: 8 to 22 minutes of work is one unit, and under 8 minutes is not reportable (supplemental guidance, p. 31).

Every ABA CPT code in one table

Who is present comes from the “Attended By” column of the Coalition’s conversion table (pp. 2-3). QHP means a qualified health care professional, such as a BCBA; technician means an RBT or other behavior technician. Codes marked + are add-on codes that are never billed alone.

97151 is the one code that counts both face-to-face and non-face-to-face QHP time: its descriptor covers “administering assessments and discussing findings and recommendations, and non-face-to-face analyzing past data, scoring and/or interpreting the assessment, and preparing the report and/or treatment plan” (2027 wording, supplemental guidance p. 3). From 2027, 97180 is the only other code that counts time without the patient or caregiver (p. 2). How to log and bill it: CPT 97180 weekly log.

Which codes can a BCBA bill, and which can an RBT bill?

A BCBA bills the QHP codes: 97151, 97155, 97156, 97157 and 97158, and from 2027 also 97173 and 97180. An RBT or other technician delivers 97152, 97153 and 97154, and from 2027 the harmful-behavior codes 97148 and 97159 with their add-ons, billed under the rules of the employer and payer.

The Coalition’s table defines a QHP as a “Licensed Behavior Analyst, Licensed Assistant Behavior Analyst, Board Certified Behavior Analyst-Doctoral, Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Board Certified Assistant Behavior Analyst, or other credentialed professional whose scope of practice, training, and competence includes applied behavior analysis” (crosswalk, p. 2). Payers still set their own credentialing rules and rates; Montana Medicaid, for example, bills every service under the BCBA’s NPI and pays a BCaBA less for 97151 and 97155, using modifier TC (Montana fee schedule effective July 1, 2025; Montana moved to new rates from July 1, 2026, so check the current schedule before you quote a rate).

Can a BCBA bill 97153?

Yes, when the BCBA only fills in for the technician. Per the Coalition, “If the QHP simply serves as a proxy for the technician, the service should be reported as 97153 even though the session was conducted by a QHP,” and some payers want a modifier; if the BCBA also analyzes whether targets or protocols need to change, the 2027 code is 97173 (supplemental guidance, p. 24). More on the technician code: CPT code 97153.

Can an RBT bill 97155?

No. 97155 is a QHP code in both code sets: through 2026 it is QHP treatment with protocol modification, and from 2027 it is the QHP’s direction of a technician. The RBT’s time in that session is billed with the technician’s own code, such as 97153.

Which codes can be billed at the same time?

Only a few pairs run at the same time, and 97155 alongside a technician’s code is the main one: the BCBA directs while the technician bills their own code. From 2027 the Coalition’s guidance spells out the pairs:

Through 2026 the 97155 descriptor already “may include simultaneous direction of technician” (crosswalk, p. 3), so a BCBA could direct a technician who was billing 97153 at the same time (our reading). Payers can still be stricter. One DC Medicaid plan, HSCSN, told providers in 2022 that “97155 and 97153 cannot be billed at the same time” and authorized 97155 only for direct BCBA treatment (HSCSN letter, October 21, 2022). Check your contract. The documentation side is on 97153 and 97155 concurrent documentation.

Which code do I use?

Common situations and the code for each, with the 2026 code where it differs:

Sources for the 2027 column: supplemental guidance pp. 11-13 (97180), 16 and 23 (97155), 24 (97153 and 97173) and 25-27 (97156 and 97157).

What do the ABA modifiers mean?

ABA modifiers mostly tell the payer the provider’s education level, the place or mode of service, or that a service was distinct. Their meanings are set nationally, but whether a payer wants them on ABA claims is set by each payer. The Coalition lists HM, HN, HO and HP as the modifiers “commonly used with these codes” (crosswalk, p. 3).

Where the definitions come from:

• HM, HN, HO, HP, TC and GT: the CMS HCPCS file, October 2026.
• 59: CMS MLN fact sheet MLN1783722, which quotes CPT.
• Telehealth place-of-service codes: CMS MLN booklet MLN901705.

The “how payers use it” column gives examples, not rules: the Coalition’s own shorthand (HM for high-school education, HN for a four-year degree) is looser than the HCPCS wording, and payers map credentials to modifiers differently. Use the modifier list in each payer’s ABA policy.

Do any Medicaid programs still use HCPCS codes like H2019 or H0031?

We could not verify any state that still bills ABA with these HCPCS codes; the examples we found converted to the CPT codes in 2022. You may still see them on old authorizations or contracts. In the CMS HCPCS file they are not ABA-specific: H0031 is “Mental health assessment, by non-physician”, H0032 “Mental health service plan development by non-physician”, H2012 “Behavioral health day treatment, per hour”, H2014 “Skills training and development, per 15 minutes” and H2019 “Therapeutic behavioral services, per 15 minutes”.

Florida Medicaid’s conversion, effective August 1, 2022, as one of its plans relayed it (Sunshine Health notice):

DC’s HSCSN made a similar switch effective October 1, 2022: H0031 to 97151, “H2019 HN” to 97153 and “H2019 HO” to 97155 (HSCSN letter). If your state still lists them, follow its fee schedule.

Are the ABA codes changing?

Yes. For dates of service from January 1, 2027, CPT adds six adaptive behavior codes, deletes 0362T and 0373T, and revises 97151-97158. From January 1, 2027, 97155 is no longer dual-use: a BCBA treating the patient with no technician bills new code 97173, and the BCBA’s non-face-to-face work gets its own code, 97180. The full old-to-new crosswalk, the 97155 split, a sample authorization and the payer tracker are on ABA CPT code changes for 2027.

How do you audit your ABA claims?

A monthly sample of claims, checked code by code against the note and the authorization, can catch coding errors before a payer does. The checks that matter most:

1. Credential matches the code. QHP codes are billed for a QHP’s time; technician codes for a technician’s (or a QHP standing in, billed as 97153). Check the rendering provider and NPI the payer expects, and its modifier for that credential.
2. Units match the times. Count only face-to-face time with active engagement, except for 97151 and 97180, and apply the 8-minute rule: 8 to 22 minutes is one unit (supplemental guidance, pp. 2 and 31).
3. The note supports the code. From 2027, a note for a code that includes analysis (97155, 97156, 97157, 97158, 97173 and 97180) must show the analysis, including a decision not to change anything (pp. 1-2 and 22).
4. No pairs that cannot run together. Check the concurrency table above, especially 97155 with 97173, and 97154 with 97158.
5. Authorized units per code. Units billed stay within the authorization for each code, and authorizations that run into 2027 are converted the way the payer specifies.
6. Medical necessity is current. The treatment plan and progress data support the hours billed; see ABA insurance audit documentation.

These checks matter beyond payment. The BACB Ethics Code requires behavior analysts to “identify their services accurately” on bills and requests for reimbursement and, when they find an error, to correct it and inform the relevant parties (Code 2.06, Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts); billing misrepresentation is what a payer audit looks for. For BCBA-specific audit preparation, see 97155 documentation audit guide and the BCBA audit readiness checklist.

Sources

• American Medical Association. CPT Professional Edition (owner of the code set; descriptors quoted here as the Coalition and CMS print them).
• ABA Coding Coalition. 2027 Adaptive Behavior Assessment and Treatment Code Conversion Table, with cover letter dated September 11, 2026.
• ABA Coding Coalition. Supplemental Guidance on Interpreting and Applying the Revised 2027 CPT Codes for Adaptive Behavior Services (published October 2026).
• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services. Alpha-Numeric HCPCS file, October 2026; MLN1783722, Proper Use of Modifiers 59 & -X{EPSU}; MLN901705, Telehealth & Remote Patient Monitoring (December 2025).
• Montana Healthcare Programs. Medicaid Applied Behavior Analysis Services Fee Schedule, effective July 1, 2025.
• Montana Healthcare Programs. July 1, 2026 Fee Schedule Updates, provider notice, June 30, 2026.
• Health Services for Children with Special Needs (DC). ABA Billing Codes Change, October 21, 2022.
• Sunshine Health (Florida). Prior Authorization Required for New ABA CPT Codes, July 26, 2022.
• Behavior Analyst Certification Board. Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts, Code 2.06.

This page is billing information, not legal advice. Check each payer’s policy before you bill. CPT is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association. Sources last checked on October 29, 2026.

Updated October 29, 2026: rewritten as a reference for every ABA code, including the 2027 codes, with who bills each one, which codes run together, modifiers and legacy Medicaid codes, and merged with our 97153-97158 billing guide. Corrected: billing 97155 while a technician bills 97153 is how 97155 is designed to be used, not an error to avoid.

Reviewed by the Praxis Notes team on October 29, 2026.