Error code
AC1 — Maximum reached - resubmit with a different fee code
Code maximum reached
The maximum for this fee code has been reached for the patient, so OHIP wants an alternate fee code.
What to do: Find the alternate code the Schedule of Benefits allows, such as a repeat or lower-level code, and resubmit.
- Code
- AC1
- Description
- Maximum reached - resubmit with a different fee code
Explanation
Updated October 26, 2026
The fee code's maximum has been reached. Resubmit with the alternate fee code the Schedule allows for later services.
What it means
AC1 means the maximum for this fee code has been reached, and the Ministry asks you to resubmit with an alternate fee schedule code.
Many codes have limits. For example, consultations for the same patient, physician and diagnosis are limited, and a consult over the limit is paid as an assessment (General Preamble GP16–GP20).
Common causes
- The code was already billed up to its limit for this patient
- The first-visit code billed when the Schedule has a separate code for later or repeat visits
How to fix it
- Check the patient's history for the code over its limit period.
- Find the alternate code in the Schedule of Benefits that fits the service, such as a repeat or lower-level code.
- Make sure the service meets that code's own requirements.
- Resubmit with the alternate code. Resubmit the corrected claim. Resubmit 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 described under VJ7.
Don't resubmit if
- You haven't changed the fee code. It will reject again.
- No alternate code fits the service.
How APEX handles it
APEX reads your error reports and remittance advice from MCEDT and, for many claims rejected with this code, works out the fix for you to approve before it is resubmitted. See how APEX works · Pricing