F90.0 ICD-10 Code: ADHD, Predominantly Inattentive Type

F90.0 at a glance

ADHD ICD-10 codes: F90.0, F90.2, F90.9 and the rest

Category F90 splits ADHD by presentation, and the ICD‑10‑CM index follows the same wording a clinician would write. "Inattentive presentation" or "inattentive type" leads to F90.0. "Combined" leads to F90.2. ADHD with no presentation named goes to F90.9.

Attention deficit disorder (ADD) and F98.8

This is the trap behind the search "attention deficit disorder icd 10". In the Alphabetic Index, "Attention, deficit disorder or syndrome" points to F98.8, other specified behavioral and emotional disorders with onset usually occurring in childhood and adolescence. Only the subterm "with hyperactivity" sends you on to the ADHD codes. The index entry "Disorder, attention‑deficit without hyperactivity" also lands on F98.8.

Plenty of clients, and some referral letters, still call inattentive ADHD "ADD". If what you diagnosed is ADHD with an inattentive presentation, write exactly that. A coder working from "ADD" alone may reasonably pick F98.8, and the claim then describes a different condition from the one you treated.

R41.840, attention and concentration deficit, is a symptom code. It carries an Excludes1 note for F90.‑, so it never goes on the same claim as F90.0. It fits a visit where poor concentration is recorded and ADHD hasn't been diagnosed.

F90.0 for adult ADHD

Nothing about F90.0 is limited to children. The F90‑F98 block note says the codes may be used at any age, because these disorders usually start in childhood or adolescence but can continue for life or go undiagnosed until adulthood. An adult first evaluated at 35 gets the same F90.0 as a 9‑year‑old with the same presentation.

For adults, the history matters more. A record that shows symptoms before adulthood, from school reports, a parent's account or the client's own memory, makes the diagnosis easier to defend if a payer asks for notes.

Coding F90.0 alongside anxiety, depression or autism

The exclusion notes on category F90 are all Excludes2: anxiety disorders, mood disorders, pervasive developmental disorders and schizophrenia. An Excludes2 note means the other condition isn't part of ADHD, so both codes can be reported when both are diagnosed. A client with inattentive ADHD and an unspecified anxiety disorder can carry F90.0 and F41.9, and a child with ADHD and autism spectrum disorder can carry F90.0 and F84.0.

What to document for F90.0

• How the inattentive symptoms show up, in more than one setting, with concrete examples from home, school or work.
• Whether hyperactive-impulsive symptoms were assessed and found below the level that would make it combined presentation.
• Rating scales with dates and informants, such as parent and teacher forms for a child or a self-report scale for an adult.
• Onset before adulthood, and how you know.
• Other explanations you considered, such as sleep problems, anxiety, depression or substance use.

A short excerpt from an intake summary for a fictional adult client:

Example. 29‑year‑old graduate student, self‑referred after missing two thesis deadlines. Reports losing track of conversations, misplacing keys and phone daily, and starting tasks without finishing them since grade school; mother's account and third‑grade report card comments agree. Fidgeting and impulsivity minimal on interview and self‑report. Sleep 7 hours, no current substance use, anxiety screen negative. Diagnosis: ADHD, predominantly inattentive presentation (F90.0). Plan: skills‑based therapy for planning and time management, referral to psychiatry for a medication consult.

Presentation can shift. If a later reassessment documents enough hyperactive‑impulsive symptoms for combined presentation, the code moves to F90.2 with it. A symptom log between sessions, such as our ADHD symptom tracker, gives that reassessment something to work from.

Billing F90.0: the usual CPT codes

Code pages: 90791, 90792, 96127, 96130, 90837 and 90847. When a prescriber does medication management and therapy in the same visit, the therapy is reported with the add‑on code 90833 next to the E/M code.

CPT is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association. CPT codes copyright 2026 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.

Common mistakes with F90.0

• Writing "ADD" in the diagnosis. It indexes to F98.8. Name ADHD and the presentation.
• Defaulting to F90.9 when the presentation is in the report. If the evaluation says inattentive, the claim should say F90.0.
• Adding R41.840 for the concentration problems. It's excluded with any F90 code.
• Never revisiting the presentation. Code what the latest assessment found, not what the first one did.
• Leaving off a co-occurring diagnosis you treat. The Excludes2 notes allow anxiety, depression or autism codes on the same claim when the notes support them.

If you write ADHD session notes with an AI scribe, check the diagnosis line before you sign; the AI therapy notes page shows how Twofold handles it.

Checked against the FY2027 ICD‑10‑CM code set from CMS on October 12, 2026. No code in category F90 changed this year.