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MA52 Remark Code (Deactivated): Missing or Invalid Date

MA52 meant a date on the claim was missing, incomplete, or invalid, without identifying which date. X12 deactivated it without naming a replacement; payers now use remarks for specific dates, such as M52, M59, or MA40.

X12 deactivated RARCMA52 on June 2, 2005. Payers should no longer use it on new remittances, but it can still appear on older ERAs, corrected claims, and appeals.

Code: MA52 (RARC MA52)
Status: Deactivated StoppedJune 2, 2005 (in use since January 1, 1997).
Code set: Remittance Advice Remark Codes (RARC)
Group codes: CO (Contractual Obligation): Usually paired with CARC 16 under CO; correcting the date was the provider's job.
Official description: Missing/incomplete/invalid date.
X12 Remittance Advice Remark Codes, retrieved September 25, 2026
Last verified: September 24, 2026 against the official X12 list.

What MA52 meant

Remark MA52 was the one-size-fits-all date error. Any date on the claim could trigger it: a date of service, an admission date, an onset date, and so on. It told the billing office something was wrong with a date but left it to find which one.

What replaced it

No successor was named, and the approach changed instead: payers now flag the particular date. Examples include M52 for the “from” date of service, M59 for the “to” date, MA40 for the admission date, and N300 for occurrence span dates.

If you still see MA52

It only appears in older remittances. If you work an old claim with MA52, check every date field systematically. For current date rejections, read the specific remark, fix that field, and resubmit.

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.
MA40 (Missing/incomplete/invalid admission date.): Missing, incomplete, or invalid admission date.
N300 (Missing/incomplete/invalid occurrence span date(s).): Missing, incomplete, or invalid occurrence span dates.

MA52 FAQ

Was MA52 a replacement for another code?

Yes. X12 suggested MA52 in place of M72, the remark about full eight-digit dates. MA52 was later retired as well.

How do I find the bad date without a specific remark?

Check every date on the claim: service dates, admission and discharge dates, onset or accident dates, and occurrence dates, for missing values, impossible values, or inconsistencies.

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