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CO-140 Denial Code: Member ID and Name Don't Match

CO-140 means the patient or insured health identification number and name on the claim do not match the payer's records. The ID may belong to someone else, or the name may be spelled differently from the enrollment file. Correct the demographics and resubmit.

Quick facts

Code
CO-140 (CARC 140)
Status
Active In use since June 30, 1999.
Code set
Claim Adjustment Reason Codes (CARC)
Group codes
  • CO (Contractual Obligation): The provider must correct the identifying data. The amount is not billable to the patient while the claim can be fixed.
Official description
Patient/Insured health identification number and name do not match.
X12 Claim Adjustment Reason Codes, retrieved September 25, 2026
Last verified
against the official X12 list.

What CO-140 means

CARC 140 says patient/insured health identification number and name do not match. The payer looked up the member ID from the claim and found a name that differs from the one you sent. It will not pay until the two agree, because it cannot be sure the claim belongs to the right person.

This is one of the most avoidable denials. It usually comes from registration: a typo in the ID, a nickname, a recent marriage or legal name change, or a dependent billed under the subscriber’s name.

Example: a patient registered as “Beth” is enrolled as “Elizabeth.” The ID is right, but the name is not, so the payer returns CO-140. The practice resubmits with the enrolled name.

Common causes

  • The patient’s name in box 2 (or the insured’s in box 4) does not match the payer’s enrollment record.
  • A mistyped member ID in box 1a, or an ID with a missing prefix or suffix.
  • A dependent’s claim submitted with the subscriber’s ID and the dependent’s name, when the payer issues dependents their own IDs (or the reverse).
  • A name change not yet reported to the payer, or reported to the payer but not updated in your system.
  • Hyphenated names, suffixes (Jr., III), and spaces handled differently by your system and the payer.
  • A replaced member ID, such as a reissued Medicare Beneficiary Identifier.

How to fix it

  1. Run eligibility using the ID, name, and date of birth, and note exactly how the payer lists the member.
  2. Compare the claim to the eligibility response, field by field: ID, first and last name, suffix, date of birth, relationship to insured.
  3. Correct the registration in your practice management system so future claims are right.
  4. Resubmit. If the payer rejected the claim before adjudication, send it as a new claim. If it adjudicated, send a corrected claim with resubmission code 7 in box 22.
  5. If the patient’s legal name changed, ask them to update it with their plan, then bill using the name the payer has on file.

How to prevent it

  • Scan both sides of the insurance card at every visit and compare the name and ID to your registration.
  • Use real-time eligibility at check-in so mismatches surface before the claim is created.
  • Avoid nicknames in the billing name field; keep a separate preferred-name field for clinical use.
  • Run a pre-submission check such as a Claims Validator to catch malformed IDs.
  • For a verification workflow, see eligibility and COB denials.

Remark codes that may appear with CO-140

  • MA36 (Missing/incomplete/invalid patient name.): The patient name is missing, incomplete, or invalid.
  • N382 (Missing/incomplete/invalid patient identifier.): The patient identifier is missing or invalid; for Medicare, check whether the MBI was reissued.
  • N329 (Missing/incomplete/invalid patient birth date.): The patient birth date is missing or invalid, often checked alongside name and ID.
  • CO-31 (Patient cannot be identified as our insured.): The patient cannot be identified as the payer's insured at all, a broader eligibility failure.
  • CO-16 (Claim/service lacks information or has submission/billing error(s).): General missing or invalid claim information.
  • CO-32 (Our records indicate the patient is not an eligible dependent.): The patient is not an eligible dependent under the policy.
  • CO-109 (Claim/service not covered by this payer/contractor.): The claim was sent to the wrong payer.

CO-140 FAQ

Why would a correct member ID fail CO-140?

Because the name doesn't match how it is enrolled: a nickname, a missing hyphen or suffix, a recent name change, or first and last names reversed. Payers match both fields.

Is CO-140 a rejection or a denial?

Many payers reject name and ID mismatches at the front end. When the claim reaches adjudication and returns CO-140, correct the data and resubmit; an appeal is rarely needed.

Should I use the name on the insurance card?

Yes. Bill the patient's name exactly as it appears on the card or in the eligibility response, even if the patient uses a different name day to day.