Built by operators who ran ABA billing.
ABA CPT codes, in plain English.
A 2026 reference to the core ABA CPT® codes — assessment, treatment, family and group services — with what each one means, who delivers it, and how 15-minute units work. General information, not billing advice; verify with your payer.
- guide, kept current
- 2026
- most direct service codes
- 15-min units
- what each code means
- Plain English
- rules and rates vary
- Per payer
What are ABA CPT codes?
The code set that turns ABA sessions into claims.
ABA CPT® codes are the Current Procedural Terminology codes maintained by the American Medical Association for Applied Behavior Analysis services. They describe assessment, direct treatment, protocol modification, and family and group services, and they are what payers reimburse against. Most ABA codes are timed — billed in 15-minute units — so the duration captured during a session directly determines the units on the claim.
The set includes the Category I codes 97151–97158 and the Category III (emerging-technology) codes 0362T and 0373T. Which codes a payer accepts, the modifiers it requires, the daily unit caps, and the reimbursement rate all vary by payer and by state Medicaid program. This page is a plain-English reference; it is general information, not billing advice. Always verify codes, modifiers, and rates with your Medicaid Administrative Contractor (MAC) or payer before billing.
The code table
Core ABA CPT® and Category III codes
Assessment conducted by the BCBA — record review, interviews, observation, and analysis to build the treatment plan. Reported in 15-minute units.
Supporting assessment administered by a technician under the direction of the BCBA. Reported in 15-minute units.
Category III code for a supporting assessment with physician or other QHP on-site direction, each 15 minutes. Some payers require this in specific scenarios.
Direct one-on-one treatment delivered by a technician (RBT) following the protocol designed by the BCBA. The most-billed direct-service code. Reported in 15-minute units.
Protocol treatment delivered to two or more clients in a group by a technician. Reported in 15-minute units.
BCBA-delivered treatment that includes modifying the protocol in real time; may overlap with a technician delivering 97153. Reported in 15-minute units.
Caregiver / family guidance and training, with or without the client present. Reported in 15-minute units.
Family guidance delivered to multiple sets of caregivers in a group, without the client present. Reported in 15-minute units.
BCBA-delivered group treatment with protocol modification for two or more clients. Reported in 15-minute units.
Category III code for exposure-style protocol-modification treatment requiring two or more technicians for safety, with physician/QHP direction. Each 15 minutes. Payer-specific.
Provider eligibility, supervision requirements, concurrent-billing rules, and unit caps vary by payer and state. Confirm each code against your payer policy before submitting.
Common modifiers
Modifiers that ride along with ABA codes
Modifier requirements differ significantly by payer and state. These are common examples — verify the exact set your payer requires.
From session to coded claim — with the codes built in.
Wilma encodes the ABA CPT and Category III code set with the correct time units and per-payer modifier rules. Sessions captured on the schedule convert to coded claims, and with the AI add-on every claim is scrubbed against payer rules before it ships.
Codes encoded natively
97151–97158, 0362T, 0373T with the right 15-minute unit logic.
Per-payer modifier rules
Provider-level, telehealth, and state Medicaid modifiers applied per claim.
Units from the session
Captured session duration drives the units on the claim — no manual math.
Scrubbed pre-submission
AI add-on flags unit, modifier, and authorization mismatches before the claim ships.
FAQ
Questions about ABA CPT codes.
What are the main ABA CPT codes?
Are ABA CPT codes billed in 15-minute units?
What is the difference between 97153 and 97155?
What are 0362T and 0373T?
Which modifiers are used with ABA CPT codes?
How does Wilma handle ABA CPT codes?
See ABA codes turn into clean claims.
Thirty minutes. Bring your payer mix and a recent claim — we’ll show how Wilma encodes the codes, applies the modifiers, and scrubs before the claim ships.
This page is general information, not billing, legal, or coding advice. Codes, descriptions, modifiers, unit rules, and reimbursement rates vary by payer and by state Medicaid program and change over time — always verify with your Medicaid Administrative Contractor (MAC) or payer before billing. CPT® is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association. CPT codes, descriptions, and other data are copyright © American Medical Association. All Rights Reserved. CPT is provided “as is” without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose. The AMA does not directly or indirectly practice medicine or dispense medical services.
Keep reading
Related guides on running an ABA practice — the same operation, from a different angle.
- ABA billing servicesWhen to run billing in-house and when to hand it over — and what each really costs.
- Bring ABA billing in-houseUnit maths, modifier rules, scrubbing before submission, and denials you can count.
- ABA billing softwareCPT 97151–97158, pre-submission claim scrubbing, and a denial workflow that closes the loop.
- Best ABA data collection softwareData collection apps compared on offline capture, graphing and note handoff.
- ABA scheduling softwareAuthorization-aware scheduling that respects credentials, drive time and cancellations.
- All-in-one ABA softwareOne system for intake, scheduling, data, notes, billing and payroll tracking.