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N154 Remark Code: Payment Delayed for Address Correction

N154 is an alert that the payment on this claim was delayed while the provider's mailing address was corrected. The claim itself was not affected; the timing of payment was.

Code: N154 (RARC N154)
Status: Active In use since October 31, 2002; last modified April 1, 2007.
Code set: Remittance Advice Remark Codes (RARC)
Group codes: OA (Other Adjustment): Informational. The alert explains a delay, not an adjustment to the amount.
CO (Contractual Obligation): Any contractual adjustment on the claim is explained by its own reason code.
Official description: Alert: This payment was delayed for correction of provider's mailing address.
X12 Remittance Advice Remark Codes, retrieved September 25, 2026
Last verified: September 24, 2026 against the official X12 list.

What N154 means

Payers mail checks and correspondence to the address in their provider file. If mail comes back as undeliverable or the address is flagged as wrong, the payer may hold payments until it is fixed. N154 tells you that happened here: the money was held, the address was updated, and the payment is now being released.

What to do

Post the payment normally; the amount is not affected.
Confirm the address on file with the payer is now correct for payments and correspondence.
Check other payers if your practice recently moved, since they may have the same outdated address.
Consider enrolling in electronic funds transfer so payments are not delayed by mailing issues.

Address changes should be reported to every payer and to NPPES when they happen. The provider enrollment guide covers keeping provider data consistent across payers.

Codes that may appear with N154

CO-45 (Charge exceeds fee schedule/maximum allowable or contracted/legislated fee arrangement.): A routine fee schedule adjustment on a claim whose payment was delayed.

MA74 (Alert: This payment replaces an earlier payment for this claim that was either lost, damaged or returned.): This payment replaces an earlier one that was lost, damaged, or returned.
N112 (This claim is excluded from your electronic remittance advice.): The claim was excluded from the electronic remittance advice.

N154 FAQ

Does N154 affect interest on late payments?

Prompt-pay rules vary by state and payer, and delays caused by provider data problems may be treated differently. Check your state's rules and your contract.

Which address needs updating?

Usually the pay-to or correspondence address in the payer's provider file. Make sure it matches your enrollment and the address on your claims.

Would electronic payment avoid this?

Electronic funds transfer removes the dependence on a mailing address for payment, though correspondence still uses it.

Important: read before using this information

This page is general educational information about a standard industry code set. It is not medical billing, coding, legal, reimbursement, or compliance advice, and it does not create a professional or advisory relationship with ClaimsRevenue.

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