What is a superbill?

A superbill is an itemized statement from your provider that you send to your health insurance company to ask for reimbursement when you see an out-of-network provider.

Many therapists don't accept insurance directly. You pay the therapist yourself, and if your plan has out-of-network benefits, the insurer pays part of that money back to you. The superbill is the document that proves what you paid for.

What a superbill includes

• Provider details: name, credentials, address, phone, NPI (National Provider Identifier), license number and tax ID.
• Your details: name, date of birth and, often, your insurance member ID.
• Diagnosis code: an ICD-10 code such as F41.1. Insurers usually require one to reimburse therapy.
• Services: the date of each session, its CPT code (for example 90837 for a 60-minute psychotherapy session), the place of service and the fee.
• Payment: how much you paid and any balance.
• Signature of the provider.

Is a superbill the same as a claim?

No. A claim is filed by the provider directly with the insurer. A superbill is given to you, and you submit it yourself, usually together with your insurer's claim form or through its member portal.

Will I get money back?

That depends on your plan. Check three things with your insurer before you start:

1. Whether your plan has out-of-network mental health benefits at all.
2. Your out-of-network deductible, and how much of it you have already met.
3. Your coinsurance and the “allowed amount” for the session code, which may be lower than your therapist's fee.

Many plans pay nothing until the out-of-network deductible is met. After that, they typically reimburse a percentage of the allowed amount.

For therapists

If you are a provider, you can create a superbill in our free generator. It includes every field insurers expect and produces a PDF on your device.