How to Create a Superbill for Therapists (With Every Required Field)

What is a superbill?

A superbill is a detailed receipt for healthcare services that a patient can submit to their insurance company to request reimbursement. Unlike a regular invoice, a superbill contains specific medical billing codes and provider information that insurance companies require to process out-of-network claims.

As an out-of-network therapist, you collect payment directly from your client. The client then submits the superbill to their insurer and — depending on their out-of-network benefits — gets partially or fully reimbursed. You never interact with the insurance company directly, which means no pre-authorizations, no claim denials, and no credentialing requirements.

What a superbill must include

Insurance companies are strict about superbill format. A missing or incorrect field can cause the claim to be denied. Here's every field that must appear:

Provider information

• ✓Full name and credentials — As they appear on your license (e.g. Jane Smith, LCSW)
• ✓NPI number — Your 10-digit National Provider Identifier — every licensed clinician has one. Look yours up at npiregistry.cms.hhs.gov.
• ✓Tax ID (EIN or SSN) — Your Employer Identification Number or Social Security Number, used by insurers to identify you.
• ✓License number and state — Your professional license number and the state that issued it.
• ✓Taxonomy code — Optional but recommended — a code that describes your specialty (e.g. 101YM0800X for mental health counselors).
• ✓Practice name and address — Your business name (if any), street address, city, state, and zip.
• ✓Phone number — A contact number for the provider.

Patient and insurance information

• ✓Patient full name — As it appears on their insurance card.
• ✓Date of birth — Required for insurance member identification.
• ✓Insurance payer name — e.g. Blue Cross Blue Shield, Aetna, UnitedHealthcare.
• ✓Member ID — Found on the patient's insurance card.
• ✓Group number — Also on the insurance card — optional but helpful.
• ✓Subscriber information — If the patient is covered under someone else's plan (e.g. a spouse), include the subscriber's name and DOB.

Session details (one row per session)

• ✓Date of service — The date each session took place.
• ✓Place of service code — 11 for in-office sessions, 02 for telehealth/video sessions.
• ✓CPT procedure code — A 5-digit code describing the type of service (see common codes below).
• ✓ICD-10 diagnosis code — The clinical diagnosis code (e.g. F41.1 for generalized anxiety disorder).
• ✓Fee charged — Your full session rate — not a reduced or insurance rate.
• ✓Units — Usually 1 per session.

Common CPT codes for therapists

The most commonly used code for a standard 50-minute therapy session is 90837 (billed as 60 minutes — the standard in mental health billing).

Common ICD-10 diagnosis codes for therapy

Common mistakes that get superbills rejected

• ✗Missing NPI number — this is the single most common reason for rejection.
• ✗Using your full SSN instead of an EIN for the tax ID field.
• ✗Wrong place of service code — use 02 for telehealth, not 11.
• ✗Listing your reduced or sliding-scale fee instead of your full session rate.
• ✗Combining multiple sessions into one line item — each session should be its own row.
• ✗Missing patient date of birth — insurance companies use this to verify member identity.

How often should you generate superbills?

Most clients prefer monthly superbills — one document covering all sessions in that month. This reduces the number of submissions they have to make to their insurance company. Some clients want weekly superbills or one per session. Either approach is fine — just be consistent.

Note that most insurers have a filing deadline — typically 90–180 days from the date of service. Encourage your clients not to sit on superbills for too long.

What tools do therapists use to create superbills?

Most therapists use one of three approaches:

• →Word or Google Docs template — Free but manual. You fill in the same fields for every client every month. Prone to errors and time-consuming.
• →Full EHR (SimplePractice, TherapyNotes) — Superbill generation is included, but you pay $70–100/month for a full electronic health record system you may not need if you're private pay only.
• →Billie — Free, browser-based superbill generator. Fill your provider info once, add patients, and generate a professional PDF in under a minute. Nothing is uploaded — everything stays in your browser.