Look up another code

N275 Remark Code: Other Payer Purchased Service ID

N275 means the identifier a previous payer uses for the purchased service provider was missing, incomplete, or invalid. It arises on secondary claims for purchased services, such as purchased diagnostic tests, when the payer needs that prior-payer ID.

Code: N275 (RARC N275)
Status: Active In use since December 2, 2004.
Code set: Remittance Advice Remark Codes (RARC)
Group codes: CO (Contractual Obligation): A correctable coordination of benefits data issue. The patient does not owe the amount.
Official description: Missing/incomplete/invalid other payer purchased service provider identifier.
X12 Remittance Advice Remark Codes, retrieved September 25, 2026
Last verified: September 24, 2026 against the official X12 list.

What N275 means

Some billing providers pay an outside entity to perform part of a service, most often a diagnostic test, and then bill the payer for it. The claim identifies that outside entity as the purchased service provider. If a secondary payer is involved, it may also want the identifier the primary payer assigned to that supplier. N275 says that value wasn’t present or wasn’t valid.

Usually paired with CARC 16, it is a request for complete COB data, not a denial of the purchased service itself.

Where purchased-service COB claims go wrong

Issue	What it looks like
No prior-payer ID stored	You know the supplier’s NPI but never recorded the primary payer’s number for them
Manual secondary claim	COB loops were keyed by hand and the purchased service section was skipped
Qualifier missing	The number was sent but the payer can’t tell what type of ID it is
Supplier changed	The purchased test was performed by a different supplier than the one on the primary claim

What to do

Confirm the purchased service line and which outside supplier performed it.
Find the identifier the primary payer used for that supplier, from the primary remittance or by contacting the primary payer.
Add it, with the correct qualifier, to the other-payer purchased service provider field on the secondary claim.
Check that the purchased service provider and charges match between the primary and secondary claims.
Resubmit as a replacement claim with frequency code 7.

How to prevent it

Keep a record for each outside supplier that includes its NPI, address, and any payer-assigned numbers. When you bill purchased services to payers that coordinate benefits, test the secondary claim format before sending volume. The eligibility and COB guide outlines a secondary billing checklist you can adapt.

Codes that may appear with N275

CO-16 (Claim/service lacks information or has submission/billing error(s).): The claim lacks required information; N275 points to the other payer's purchased service provider identifier.
OA-22 (This care may be covered by another payer per coordination of benefits.): Coordination of benefits applies, and the payer needs complete prior-payer information.

N283 (Missing/incomplete/invalid purchased service provider identifier.): The purchased service provider's own identifier on this claim is the problem.
M133 (Claim did not identify who performed the purchased diagnostic test or the amount you were charged for the test.): The claim did not identify who performed the purchased test or what you were charged.
N277 (Missing/incomplete/invalid other payer rendering provider identifier.): The prior payer's identifier for the rendering provider is the problem.

N275 FAQ

What is a purchased service provider?

The outside supplier that actually performed a service you bought and are billing for, such as the technical component of a diagnostic test performed by another entity.

When does the other-payer ID come into play?

When a claim with a purchased service goes to a secondary payer, and that payer wants to know how the primary payer identified the purchased service supplier.

Does this change what I can bill for the purchased service?

No. N275 is about identification on the COB claim. Payer-specific pricing rules for purchased services are a separate matter.

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.

Code definitions, payer usage, contracts, and laws change, and payers may apply the same code differently. The information is provided “as is,” without warranties of any kind, express or implied, including accuracy, completeness, or currency. You are solely responsible for verifying it against the current official X12 code lists, CMS guidance, your payer contracts, and payer policies before relying on it, and for every billing, coding, collection, and appeal decision you make.

Using this information does not guarantee that any claim will be paid or that any appeal will succeed. To the fullest extent permitted by law, ClaimsRevenue and MOODRX LLC are not liable for any loss or damage arising from its use. Official code descriptions are published by X12 and are quoted for reference only. See our full Claims Validation Disclaimer.