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CO-267 Denial Code: Claim Spans Multiple Months

CO-267 means the claim or service line covers dates in more than one month, which the payer won't process as submitted. A remark code, often N74, explains the requirement. Split the services into separate claims by month and resubmit.

Quick facts

Code
CO-267 (CARC 267)
Status
Active In use since November 1, 2014; last modified April 1, 2015.
Code set
Claim Adjustment Reason Codes (CARC)
Group codes
  • CO (Contractual Obligation): The standard group. The provider needs to rebill correctly; the patient isn't responsible.
Official description
Claim/service spans multiple months. At least one Remark Code must be provided (may be comprised of either the NCPDP Reject Reason Code, or Remittance Advice Remark Code that is not an ALERT.)
X12 Claim Adjustment Reason Codes, retrieved September 25, 2026
Last verified
against the official X12 list.

What CO-267 means

CARC 267 says the claim or service spans multiple months. The payer requires each claim, or each service line, to fall within a single month, and this one doesn’t. The usage note requires at least one remark code; the most common is N74, which tells you to resubmit as separate claims, each covering one calendar month.

This code shows up almost exclusively when services are billed as a date range, the “from” and “to” dates in box 24A on a professional claim or the statement covers period on an institutional claim. A single-date visit can’t span months.

Example: a residential program bills a stay from the 20th of one month through the 10th of the next on one claim. The payer processes by calendar month, so it returns CO-267 and asks for two claims: the 20th through month-end, and the 1st through the 10th.

Common causes

  • Institutional claims with a statement period crossing a month boundary, where the payer requires monthly billing.
  • DME rental lines with a span covering more than one rental month.
  • Home health, hospice, or residential services billed as one span.
  • Recurring outpatient services grouped on one line with a date range.
  • Rate changes at the start of a month, where the payer needs separate claims for each rate period (N62).

How to fix it

  1. Read the remark codes to confirm the payer’s split rule: by calendar month, rate period, or another boundary.
  2. Split the services so each claim or line only includes dates in one month.
  3. Recalculate units and charges for each new claim so they match the dates.
  4. Submit the split claims, following the payer’s instructions on whether to send new claims or a corrected claim with resubmission code 7 in box 22.
  5. Check timely filing for the earliest dates, since rebilling doesn’t always reset the clock.

How to prevent it

  • Set billing cycles to calendar months for payers that require it.
  • Configure your billing system to break spans at month boundaries automatically.
  • Keep a payer rules list for date-span limits and billing frequency.
  • Validate date spans before submission. A Claims Validator can flag spans that cross a month for payers with this requirement.

Specialty notes

DME suppliers billing monthly rentals, hospice and home health agencies, and residential behavioral health programs are the main groups affected. Institutional claims for these services may also require specific frequency codes for each monthly bill.

Remark codes that may appear with CO-267

  • N74 (Resubmit with multiple claims, each claim covering services provided in only one calendar month.): Resubmit with multiple claims, each covering services in only one calendar month.
  • N62 (Dates of service span multiple rate periods.): Dates of service span multiple rate periods, so separate claims are needed for each rate period.
  • N812 (The start service date through end service date cannot span greater than 18 months.): The service date range can't exceed 18 months, a related date-span limit.
  • CO-268 (The Claim spans two calendar years.): The claim spans two calendar years, a year-level version of this split requirement.
  • CO-239 (Claim spans eligible and ineligible periods of coverage.): The claim spans eligible and ineligible coverage periods; rebill separate claims.
  • CO-16 (Claim/service lacks information or has submission/billing error(s).): General missing or invalid information, which some payers use for date span errors instead.
  • CO-135 (Interim bills cannot be processed.): Interim bills can't be processed, another institutional billing-period issue.

CO-267 FAQ

Why do payers require one claim per month?

Monthly billing lines up with how many payers apply eligibility, rates, benefit accumulators, and program rules. A claim crossing months can mix rate periods or eligibility periods, so the payer asks you to separate them.

How do I fix CO-267?

Split the original claim so each new claim includes only dates within a single month, then submit them. If the original claim was adjudicated, follow the payer's instructions; many want new claims for each month rather than a corrected replacement.

Which providers see CO-267 most?

Providers who bill date ranges: institutional providers, home health and hospice, DME rental suppliers, and some behavioral health and residential programs that bill spans of days.

Is CO-267 an appeal situation?

No. It's a billing format requirement. Rebilling correctly is faster than appealing.