What does denial code CO-147 mean?

CO-147 means the payer has no active negotiated rate on file for this provider or service, so it could not price the claim under a contract. The cause is on the payer's side, in contract loading, rather than anything wrong with the claim itself.

Should I resubmit a CO-147 denial?

Not until the rate is loaded - the same claim will deny again. Escalate to provider relations to confirm the effective dates and product lines on file, get the contract loaded, then request bulk reprocessing of every affected claim rather than resubmitting one by one.

CO-147: The contracted rate has expired or is not on file

CO-147 signals a contract-loading problem rather than anything wrong with the claim, which is why resubmitting it unchanged accomplishes nothing. Either the agreement lapsed, a renewal was not loaded, or the provider was never linked to the group's contract on the payer's side. It matters far beyond a single claim: until the rate is loaded, every claim from that provider prices incorrectly or denies, so the right response is escalation rather than claim-by-claim rework.

What it means: The payer has no current negotiated rate loaded for this provider or service, so it cannot price the claim under a contract.
Who pays the balance: Contractual - a loading failure on the payer's side is not the patient's to absorb.
Group code CO: Contractual Obligation - the provider absorbs the balance and cannot bill the patient

Why CO-147 happens

The contract reached its end date and the renewal was not loaded before the term expired.
A newly credentialed provider was never linked to the group's existing agreement.
The payer loaded the contract for some service categories or locations but not all of them.
A merger or tax identification number change orphaned the existing rate record.
The claim was priced against a product line the contract does not cover, such as a Medicaid or exchange plan under a commercial agreement.

How to fix a CO-147 denial

1
Confirm what the payer actually has loaded
Contact provider relations and ask for the effective dates and product lines on file for that tax identification number and provider. This is the fact the claim turns on.
2
Check whether the product line is in scope
A commercial contract frequently does not cover the payer's Medicaid or exchange products. If the claim was for an out-of-scope product, the fix is a contract amendment, not a reprocessing request.
3
Request bulk reprocessing once the rate is loaded
Ask for every affected claim to be reprocessed rather than resubmitting them one at a time. Payers will usually run a project when the cause is their own loading failure.
4
Hold or flag affected claims while it is resolved
Continuing to submit into an unloaded contract generates more denials and more rework, but track the filing deadline so held claims do not age out.

Deadlines depend on the payer

Filing limits and appeal windows for CO-147 vary by payer and often by plan type within the same payer. Look up the specific payer to see its verified deadlines and the source document they came from.

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Preventing CO-147 denials

Calendar every contract's end date with a renewal reminder well before the term expires.
Confirm the payer has loaded each newly credentialed provider against the group contract before releasing their claims.
Re-verify contract scope whenever a payer adds a product line or the practice changes its tax identification number.

CO-147 frequently asked questions

What does denial code CO-147 mean?: CO-147 means the payer has no active negotiated rate on file for this provider or service, so it could not price the claim under a contract. The cause is on the payer's side, in contract loading, rather than anything wrong with the claim itself.
Should I resubmit a CO-147 denial?: Not until the rate is loaded - the same claim will deny again. Escalate to provider relations to confirm the effective dates and product lines on file, get the contract loaded, then request bulk reprocessing of every affected claim rather than resubmitting one by one.

Related denial codes

CO-45 CO-8 CO-109 CO-256

Last reviewed August 5, 2026.

Denial code explanations are original plain-English summaries written for reference and are not the official X12 code descriptions. Payer handling of any code varies by contract - always verify against the remittance advice and your payer agreement before adjusting a claim.