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MA06 Remark Code (Deactivated): Beginning/Ending Dates

MA06 meant the claim's beginning date, ending date, or both were missing, incomplete, or invalid. X12 deactivated it and suggested MA31, which covers the beginning and ending dates of the period billed.

X12 deactivated RARCMA06 on August 1, 2004. Payers should no longer use it on new remittances, but it can still appear on older ERAs, corrected claims, and appeals.

Code: MA06 (RARC MA06)
Status: Deactivated StoppedAugust 1, 2004 (in use since January 1, 1997).
Code set: Remittance Advice Remark Codes (RARC)
Group codes: CO (Contractual Obligation): Typically paired with CARC 16 under CO; the provider needed to fix the dates.
Official description: Missing/incomplete/invalid beginning and/or ending date(s).
X12 Remittance Advice Remark Codes, retrieved September 25, 2026
Last verified: September 24, 2026 against the official X12 list.

What MA06 meant

Remark MA06 said a date range on the claim was unusable because one or both ends were missing or wrong. It commonly affected institutional claims and services billed over a span of time, where the payer needs a clear start and end to process the claim.

What replaced it

X12’s note suggests MA31. MA31 is active and covers missing or invalid beginning and ending dates of the period billed. For line-level service dates, payers may use M52 for the “from” date or M59 for the “to” date.

If you still see MA06

It appears only in older data. For a current date-range rejection, compare the header period with each line’s service dates and the payer’s rules for billing periods, such as monthly billing for some rentals. Correct the dates and resubmit.

MA31 (Missing/incomplete/invalid beginning and ending dates of the period billed.): The suggested replacement: missing, incomplete, or invalid beginning and ending dates of the period billed.
M52 (Missing/incomplete/invalid 'from' date(s) of service.): Missing, incomplete, or invalid 'from' date of service.
M59 (Missing/incomplete/invalid 'to' date(s) of service.): Missing, incomplete, or invalid 'to' date of service.

MA06 FAQ

Which dates does MA31 refer to?

The start and end of the billing period, such as the statement covers period on an institutional claim or the from and to dates on a rental or recurring service.

What makes a date range invalid?

An end date before the start date, dates in the future, a range that crosses a period the payer requires to be billed separately, or dates that conflict with service line dates.

Important: read before using this information

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