F90.9 at a glance
F90.9 | |
|---|---|
Official description | Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, unspecified type |
Billable | Yes, in the FY2027 ICD-10-CM code set, effective October 1, 2026 |
Inclusion terms | Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder NOS; attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder of childhood or adolescence NOS |
Category | F90, Attention-deficit hyperactivity disorders |
Sibling codes | F90.0 inattentive, F90.1 hyperactive, F90.2 combined, F90.8 other type |
Excludes2 (category F90) | Anxiety disorders, mood disorders, pervasive developmental disorders and schizophrenia, so these can be coded alongside when diagnosed |
Code-set year | FY2027 |
ADHD unspecified ICD-10: how a note ends up at F90.9
The Official Guidelines call the code printed next to an index entry its default code: the one to assign when the record gives no further detail. For ADHD, that default is F90.9. "Disorder, attention‑deficit hyperactivity" points there, with "(adolescent) (adult) (child)" as nonessential modifiers, so the client's age doesn't change it.
Two shorter words get there too. The index entry "Hyperactive, hyperactivity" leads straight to F90.9, as does "Hyperactive, child". "Hyperkinetic syndrome" and "hyperkinetic disorder", the wording of the WHO's ICD‑10 that still turns up in older records, send the coder to the ADHD entries, where with nothing else documented they also end at F90.9.
Words in the diagnosis line | Where the index sends it |
|---|---|
ADHD, or attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder | F90.9 |
Hyperactivity, or hyperactive child | F90.9 |
Hyperkinetic syndrome or disorder | The ADHD entries, so F90.9 unless a presentation is stated |
ADHD, inattentive presentation | F90.0 |
ADHD, hyperactive-impulsive presentation | F90.1 |
ADHD, combined presentation | F90.2 |
ADHD, other specified type | F90.8 |
Overactivity, with no mental disorder diagnosed | R46.3 |
Related ADHD pages: F90.0 for the inattentive type and F90.2 for combined.
When F90.9 is the right code
Unspecified codes have a legitimate place. Section I.B.18 of the FY2027 Official Guidelines says to report an unspecified code when it most accurately reflects what's known at that encounter, and calls it inappropriate to order testing that isn't medically necessary just to reach a more specific code.
- A new client who arrives with an established ADHD diagnosis from another provider, and the outside records don't say which presentation.
- A therapist treating co-occurring anxiety or depression, where ADHD is on the problem list but was diagnosed and is managed by a prescriber elsewhere.
- A brief visit where ADHD is clearly the diagnosis but there hasn't been time to review which symptom clusters apply.
It stops being right once you have the information. If your own evaluation, or a report you've read, names the presentation, the claim should name it too. F90.9 on every claim for a client whose chart contains a full evaluation is hard to defend if a payer asks for the notes.
Overactivity and other symptom codes
R46.3, overactivity, is a symptom code for a person who is unusually active when no diagnosis explains it. Category R46 carries an Excludes1 note for mental and behavioral disorders (F01‑F99), so it can't sit on the same claim as F90.9. The index makes the same split: "Overactivity" goes to R46.3, while "Overactivity, child" points to the ADHD entries. If you've diagnosed ADHD, the F90 code is the whole story.
If you were looking for hyperactive airway disease
That's a breathing problem, not ADHD, and "hyperactive airway" isn't an entry in the ICD‑10‑CM index. The nearest term, reactive airway disease, tells the coder to see Asthma, whose default code is J45.909, unspecified asthma, uncomplicated.
What to document with F90.9
- Where the ADHD diagnosis came from: your evaluation, or another provider's, with the date and who made it.
- What you know about the presentation, and what's missing.
- The symptoms that bear on your treatment, such as missed sessions, trouble finishing homework or impulsive spending.
- Your plan for clarifying the presentation, if it matters to your care: requesting the original report, or rating scales at the next visit.
Example, fictional client. 34‑year‑old accountant starting therapy for work stress. Reports ADHD diagnosed at age 10 by a pediatrician in another state; takes a stimulant prescribed by his primary care physician. Records from the original evaluation requested, not yet received. Describes missing two client deadlines this quarter and losing track of tasks across email threads. Diagnoses: ADHD, type not documented (F90.9); adjustment disorder with anxiety (F43.22). Plan: weekly CBT focused on task planning; update the ADHD code once the original report arrives.
A planning tool gives clients like this something concrete between sessions; the ADHD planner and ADHD to-do list templates are both free.
Billing F90.9
F90.9 goes on the same claims as the specific ADHD codes. What weakens the record is a code that never gets more specific over months of care, while the chart fills up with the details that would support F90.0 or F90.2.
CPT code | Typical use with F90.9 |
|---|---|
90791 | The intake, often the first time an outside ADHD diagnosis enters your chart |
96127 | Scored rating scales used to pin down the presentation |
90832, 90837 | Individual psychotherapy sessions, by time |
99213, 99214 | Office visits for medication management in primary care or psychiatry |
See 90791, 96127, 90832, 90837, 99213 and 99214.
CPT is a registered trademark of the American Medical Association. CPT codes copyright 2026 American Medical Association. All rights reserved.
Common mistakes with F90.9
- Writing "ADHD" out of habit when the evaluation named the presentation. The diagnosis line decides the code, so spell it out.
- Adding R46.3 for hyperactivity. It's excluded with every F code.
- Coding F90.9 for "rule out ADHD". In outpatient coding, a diagnosis that's only suspected isn't coded. Report the symptoms you documented instead.
- Copying F90.9 forward from an old intake. Review it when new information comes in, as with any diagnosis on the claim.
An AI scribe can only write the presentation if someone said it during the session. Read the diagnosis line before you sign; our guide to therapy progress notes in DAP, BIRP or GIRP covers the other checks.
Checked against the FY2027 ICD‑10‑CM code set and Official Guidelines from CMS on October 19, 2026. F90.9 did not change this year.