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CO-A7 Denial Code (Deactivated): Presumptive Payment

CO-A7 reported a presumptive payment adjustment, meaning an amount connected to a payment made on a presumed basis before full adjudication. X12 deactivated it without naming a successor; the official text gives no further detail.

X12 deactivated CARCA7 on July 1, 2015. Payers should no longer use it on new remittances, but it can still appear on older ERAs, corrected claims, and appeals.

Code: CO-A7 (CARC A7)
Status: Deactivated StoppedJuly 1, 2015 (in use since January 1, 1995).
Code set: Claim Adjustment Reason Codes (CARC)
Group codes: CO (Contractual Obligation): Handled as a payment adjustment between payer and provider, not as patient responsibility.
Official description: Presumptive Payment Adjustment
X12 Claim Adjustment Reason Codes, retrieved September 25, 2026
Last verified: September 24, 2026 against the official X12 list.

What CO-A7 meant

The official description of CARC A7 is simply “Presumptive Payment Adjustment.” It was used to reconcile a payment made on a presumed basis with the final result of processing. That could increase or reduce what the provider ultimately received. Since X12 did not define the term further, payers could apply it in slightly different ways.

What replaced it

No replacement was named. Depending on the situation, current remittances might use CO-143 when part of a payment is deferred, CO-129 when earlier processing was incorrect, or CO-B13 when an earlier remittance already paid the claim. Reversal and correction claims on the 835 also handle many of these cases.

If you still see CO-A7

It stayed in the code list longer than many early codes, so you may find it in remittances from the last decade or so. Look for the earlier payment it relates to and confirm the net amount is right. If the adjustment is unclear, ask the payer which earlier payment it offsets.

CO-143 (Portion of payment deferred.): Portion of payment deferred.
CO-129 (Prior processing information appears incorrect.): Prior processing information appears incorrect.
CO-B13 (Previously paid.): Previously paid; payment may have been made in an earlier remittance.

CO-A7 FAQ

What is a presumptive payment?

The code text does not define it. In general usage it describes paying on a presumed basis, for example before all information is available, with later adjustment once the claim is fully processed.

Does CO-A7 require any action?

Only reconciliation. Match the adjustment to any earlier payment on the same claim so the account balance is correct.

Important: read before using this information

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