# Claim edit: Invalid taxonomy code

> Stedi now rejects 837P professional, 837D dental, and 837I institutional claims that include a provider taxonomy code with an invalid format.

Published Apr 17, 2026

Product: Claim edits

Stedi now rejects [837P professional](https://www.stedi.com/docs/healthcare/submit-professional-claims), [837D dental](https://www.stedi.com/docs/healthcare/submit-dental-claims), and [837I institutional](https://www.stedi.com/docs/healthcare/submit-institutional-claims) claims that include a provider taxonomy code with an invalid format.

## How the edit works

A [taxonomy code](https://taxonomy.nucc.org/) identifies a provider's classification and specialization, such as cardiology or orthodontics.

Taxonomy codes are defined by the National Uniform Claim Committee (NUCC) and follow a strict format: exactly 10 alphanumeric characters, ending with the letter `X`.

If a claim contains a taxonomy code that doesn’t follow the format, the payer may reject the claim.

This [edit](https://www.stedi.com/docs/healthcare/claim-edits-and-repairs#edits) catches the issue before the claim reaches the payer. It prevents payer rejections, which are slower and delay payment for the provider.

## Rejection errors

If you submit a claim using Stedi's [Claim Submission API endpoints](https://www.stedi.com/docs/healthcare/intro-to-claim-submission#api-claim-submission) and the claim fails the edit, you'll get back an error response in real time. The response includes details in the `errors` array.

```jsonc
{
  "errors": [
    {
      "code": "33",
      "description": "Invalid Taxonomy Code. The taxonomy code for Billing Provider does not meet the required format. Taxonomy codes must be 10 alphanumeric characters ending with 'X'. Correct and resubmit.",
      "followupAction": "Please Correct and Resubmit"
    }
  ]
}
```

If you submit a claim using [SFTP](https://www.stedi.com/docs/healthcare/submit-claims-sftp-connection) and the claim fails the edit, Stedi will reject the claim with a [277CA claim acknowledgment](https://www.stedi.com/docs/healthcare/claim-responses-overview#277ca-claim-acknowledgment). The acknowledgment will include a related [claim status category code](https://x12.org/codes/claim-status-category-codes), [claim status code](https://x12.org/codes/claim-status-codes), entity identifier code, and error message.

```jsx
STC*A7>145>85*[DATE]*U*[AMOUNT]******A7>569**Invalid Taxonomy Code. The taxonomy code for Billing Provider does not meet the required format. Taxonomy codes must be 10 alphanumeric characters ending with 'X'. Correct and resubmit.~
```