90832 vs 90834: Time Range, Rate Gap and Billing Rules

The 90832 time range is 16 to 37 minutes of face-to-face psychotherapy; at 38 minutes the session becomes 90834, which runs to 52 minutes. 90832 is the CPT code for a 30-minute psychotherapy session, and it's the right code for short check-ins, sessions cut short and school-day or lunch-hour appointments. Choose between them by the minutes you document, nothing else.

90832 vs 90834 at a glance

The 90832 time range: 16 to 37 minutes

The ranges come from Medicare contractor guidance. First Coast tells providers to "choose the code closest to the actual time," listing 16–37 minutes for 90832 and 38–52 minutes for 90834, and says "Do not report psychotherapy of less than 16 minutes duration" (A57520). The lines sit at the midpoints: a 30-minute code is earned past 15 minutes, and the halfway point between 30 and 45 minutes is 37.5, so 38 minutes moves you up.

Count face-to-face psychotherapy only. The time it takes to schedule the next visit, settle a copay or write the note doesn't count toward either code.

Rate difference between 90832 and 90834

The amounts above are what psychiatrists and clinical psychologists are allowed. Psychiatric NPs and PAs get 85% of them, and clinical social workers, marriage and family therapists and mental health counselors 75% (rates by provider type).

Because Medicare's amounts are the reference point commercial payers, EAPs and cash-pay practices price against, the 90832 rate is also the quickest sanity check on what a half-hour session is worth in your market. If a payer's 90832 rate is close to its 90834 rate, or far below Medicare, the contract check makes that visible.

When 90832 is the right code

• The session was short by design. Brief supportive sessions, check-ins between longer sessions, and sessions for patients who tolerate 30 minutes.
• The session ended early. A planned 45-minute session that stopped at 30 minutes is 90832, not a reduced 90834.
• It happened with an E/M visit. Then it's not 90832 at all: a prescriber bills the E/M plus 90833 for 16–37 minutes of psychotherapy. See psychotherapy add-on codes.

Documentation for 90832 and 90834

The note requirements are the same for both codes:

1. Minutes. Start and stop times or total psychotherapy time (First Coast A57520).
2. What was done. The therapeutic approach and the content of the session, tied to the treatment plan.
3. Progress. How the patient is responding, with periodic summaries over the course of treatment.
4. Who did it and a signature. CGS's psychotherapy review checked signatures alongside time and the treatment plan.

90832 and 90834 by telehealth

Both codes are on the Medicare Telehealth Services List. CMS has permanently removed geographic and location restrictions for behavioral health telehealth, and audio-only is permitted for a patient at home (CMS Telehealth FAQ, February 26, 2026). Bill POS 10 when the patient is at home (paid at the office rate) or POS 02 elsewhere (paid at the facility rate), and add modifier 93 for audio-only. The in-person visit requirement for mental health telehealth doesn't apply until after December 31, 2027.

The time ranges are identical by video or phone. More detail: telehealth rules for therapy.

FAQ

What is the time range for 90832?

16 to 37 minutes of face-to-face psychotherapy. At 38 minutes the session is 90834.

What is the CPT code for a 30-minute psychotherapy session?

90832, as long as the psychotherapy itself ran at least 16 minutes. With a same-day E/M visit by a prescriber, it's the add-on 90833 instead.

Can I bill 90834 for a 37-minute session?

No. 37 minutes is the top of the 90832 range. 90834 starts at 38 minutes.

What if a session is under 16 minutes?

It isn't reportable as psychotherapy. First Coast says not to report psychotherapy of less than 16 minutes.

Does Medicare pay 90832 for telehealth?

Yes. 90832 is on the Medicare telehealth list. With the patient at home (POS 10), it's paid at the same office rate as an in-person session.

Keep reading

• Mental health billing: the full behavioral health code set, payment by provider type and telehealth rules.
• 90834 vs 90837: the 52/53-minute line and why 90837 gets more scrutiny.
• Psychotherapy CPT codes: every therapy code, including crisis, family and group.
• Behavioral health fee schedule: download every psychotherapy rate for your ZIP.

Sources: First Coast Billing and Coding Article A57520, Psychiatric Diagnostic Evaluation and Psychotherapy Services (revision effective Jan 1, 2025); CGS, Service Specific Post-Payment Review of Psychotherapy (April 26, 2021); CMS Telehealth FAQ (updated Feb 26, 2026); 42 CFR 414.53, 414.52, 414.56. Verified October 7, 2026.