N704 Remark Code: No Appeal, But You Can Resubmit
N704 is an alert that the decision can't be appealed, but the claim or service can be resubmitted with corrected information if a correction is warranted. It usually accompanies denials for incomplete or incorrect claim data.
Quick facts
- Code
- N704 (RARC N704)
- Status
- Active In use since March 1, 2014; last modified March 14, 2014.
- Code set
- Remittance Advice Remark Codes (RARC)
- Group codes
-
- CO (Contractual Obligation): The denied amount is the provider's to correct. The patient isn't responsible while the claim can still be fixed and resubmitted.
- Official description
Alert: You may not appeal this decision but can resubmit this claim/service with corrected information if warranted.
X12 Remittance Advice Remark Codes, retrieved September 25, 2026- Last verified
- against the official X12 list.
What N704 means
N704 tells you which door to use. An appeal is the wrong one: the payer won’t reconsider this decision through its appeal process. Instead, if the claim had an error, correct it and send it again. The remark almost always travels with a reason code about missing or invalid data, such as CARC 16, plus other remarks naming the problem.
What to do
- Read the other codes on the line to identify exactly what’s missing or wrong.
- Fix the data, whether a patient identifier, provider number, code, date, or other element.
- Resubmit the way the payer requires, either as a new claim or as a replacement with resubmission code 7 in box 22.
- Don’t file an appeal. It will likely be dismissed and waste time against filing limits.
- Watch timely filing. Resubmissions still have to meet the payer’s limit; see the timely filing guide.
The difference between a rejection and a denial matters here. See claim rejection vs. denial for how the two paths work.
Codes that may appear with N704
- CO-16 (Claim/service lacks information or has submission/billing error(s).): The claim lacks information or has billing errors, the typical situation where resubmission, not appeal, is the path.
Related and easily confused codes
- MA130 (Your claim contains incomplete and/or invalid information, and no appeal rights are afforded because the claim is unprocessable.): A Medicare message that a claim with incomplete or invalid information is unprocessable and has no appeal rights.
- N211 (Alert: You may not appeal this decision.): Alert that you may not appeal this decision, without the resubmission guidance.
- MA01 (Alert: If you do not agree with what we approved for these services, you may appeal our decision.): Alert explaining appeal rights when a decision can be appealed.
N704 FAQ
Why can't I appeal?
Payers generally reserve appeals for coverage and payment decisions. When a claim fails for missing or wrong data, fixing the data is the expected route, so the appeal process doesn't apply.
Should the resubmission be a new claim or a replacement?
Follow the payer's instructions. If the original was rejected as unprocessable, a new claim is common; if it was processed and denied, a replacement with resubmission code 7 is often required.
What if nothing on the claim was wrong?
Contact the payer to ask what it found incorrect. If it made an error, ask it to reprocess rather than resubmitting an identical claim.