How do I fix OHIP error code A3E?

Check the service date on the claim first. If it's wrong, correct it. Look up the code in the current Schedule of Benefits and recent INFOBulletins. If it has been retired, bill the code that replaced it, if one matches the service. If the code is new, check its effective date. Services before that date must be billed with the code that applied then. Update the code list in your billing software so the retired code can't be picked again. Resubmit the corrected claim within three months of the service date if you can. If that window has passed but the claim was first submitted on time, use the Ministry's stale-dated resubmission process: one stale-dated claim file through MCEDT, then an email to ClaimsManagement@ontario.ca with the Error Reports showing the original submission date.

When shouldn't I resubmit a A3E claim?

Neither the code nor the service date has changed. It will reject again. No current code covers the service. A service that is no longer listed may no longer be payable; check the Schedule and the INFOBulletin that removed it.

< Error codes

Error code

A3E — Fee code not valid on service date

Q: What does OHIP error code A3E mean?

A3E means the fee code wasn't valid on the service date: it had already ended, or hadn't started yet. Check the code's dates and bill the code that applied.

Code not valid that date

The fee code wasn't valid on the service date: it had already ended or hadn't started yet.

What to do: Check the service date first, then bill the code that applied on that date and resubmit.

Code: A3E
Description: Fee code not valid on service date

Explanation

Updated October 26, 2026

A3E means the fee code wasn't valid on the service date: it had already ended, or hadn't started yet. Check the code's dates and bill the code that applied.

What it means

Each fee code has a date it starts and, once retired, a date it ends. A3E, 'No such service code for date of service', means the code on the claim wasn't valid on the claim's service date. The claim was rejected to your Error Report and nothing was paid.

It most often follows a change to the Schedule of Benefits. When codes end, later claims reject with A3E. The COVID-19 virtual care codes K080A to K083A and K092A to K095A, and the OVCP B-prefix codes, ended November 30, 2022 (INFOBulletin 221203). The temporary COVID-19 assessment centre codes H409 and H410 ended June 30, 2023 (INFOBulletin 230602).

New codes work the other way. A new code billed for a service date before its effective date also rejects with A3E; INFOBulletin 260310 gives this warning for new laboratory codes effective April 1, 2026. A3F is a different code: the code exists, but has no fee on that date.

Common causes

A retired code still set up in the billing software or EMR
A new code billed for a service date before it took effect
A typing error that produced a code that doesn't exist
A wrong service date that falls outside the code's dates

How to fix it

Check the service date on the claim first. If it's wrong, correct it.
Look up the code in the current Schedule of Benefits and recent INFOBulletins. If it has been retired, bill the code that replaced it, if one matches the service.
If the code is new, check its effective date. Services before that date must be billed with the code that applied then.
Update the code list in your billing software so the retired code can't be picked again.
Resubmit the corrected claim within three months of the service date if you can. If that window has passed but the claim was first submitted on time, use the Ministry's stale-dated resubmission process: one stale-dated claim file through MCEDT, then an email to [email protected] with the Error Reports showing the original submission date.

Don't resubmit if

Neither the code nor the service date has changed. It will reject again.
No current code covers the service. A service that is no longer listed may no longer be payable; check the Schedule and the INFOBulletin that removed it.

How APEX handles it

APEX lists A3E claims in the Correction Centre. For some family practice claims it drafts a corrected claim: check the drafted codes against the chart before you approve it. If you've turned on auto-fix, drafted corrections are sent without waiting for you. Other A3E claims are listed under Outstanding for your input. See how APEX works · Pricing

Related codes: A3F, A3H, VJ7