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N833 Remark Code: Patient Share of Cost Waived

N833 means the payer waived the patient's share of cost for this claim or service. The patient does not owe the share-of-cost amount that would normally apply, and the provider shouldn't collect it.

Quick facts

Code
N833 (RARC N833)
Status
Active In use since July 1, 2020.
Code set
Remittance Advice Remark Codes (RARC)
Group codes
  • CO (Contractual Obligation): Any amount the payer didn't pay here is a provider adjustment, not a patient balance, because the share of cost was waived.
  • OA (Other Adjustment): Some payers report the waived amount as an other adjustment. It still isn't billable to the patient.
Official description
Patient share of cost waived.
X12 Remittance Advice Remark Codes, retrieved September 25, 2026
Last verified
against the official X12 list.

What N833 means

Share of cost is a Medicaid concept. Some members qualify for coverage only after they pay or incur a set amount of medical expenses each month, and providers may collect that amount from the patient. The payer tracks how much has been met and reports it on the remittance, often with CARC 142.

N833 tells you that for this claim the share of cost was waived. The patient owes nothing toward it for this service, and the provider shouldn’t collect it. The code is informational in effect, but it has a direct billing consequence.

Common causes

The waiver itself is a payer or program decision, not a claim error. It may reflect state rules, a change in the member’s eligibility, or a program-specific policy. The remark doesn’t say why, and practices shouldn’t assume the reason.

What to do

  1. Post the remittance as reported. Don’t create a patient balance for share of cost on this claim.
  2. Check for amounts already collected from the patient toward share of cost for this service and determine whether a refund is due.
  3. Update your share-of-cost tracking for the member so future claims aren’t billed with the wrong amount.
  4. Call the payer if the waiver seems inconsistent with the member’s eligibility, rather than billing the patient on your own interpretation.

How to prevent problems

  • Verify share-of-cost status at each visit through the state’s eligibility system.
  • Don’t collect share of cost until you know it applies to the service.
  • Keep share-of-cost reports separate from other patient responsibility so waivers are easy to spot.

Codes that may appear with N833

  • PR-142 (Monthly Medicaid patient liability amount.): Monthly Medicaid patient liability amount, the share-of-cost adjustment that N833 says was waived.
  • N861 (Alert: Mismatch between the submitted Patient Liability/Share of Cost and the amount on record for this recipient.): The share of cost submitted on the claim doesn't match what the payer has on record.
  • N842 (Alert: Patient cannot be billed for charges.): An alert that the patient can't be billed for the charges.

N833 FAQ

What is a share of cost?

It's an amount some Medicaid members must pay or incur in medical expenses in a period before Medicaid pays, similar to a deductible. The rules vary by state program.

Why would a share of cost be waived?

The payer or program decided not to apply it for this service or period. Reasons depend on state rules and the member's circumstances; the remittance doesn't usually explain.

What if the patient already paid the share of cost?

If the payer waived it for this service, review whether a refund is due to the patient, following your state program's rules.