ICD-10 Code for Cough
Also indexed as (affected) (epidemic) (nervous)
The ICD-10-CM code for cough is R05.9 — Cough, unspecified. This is the code the Alphabetic Index gives for cough with no further qualifier, valid for FY2027 (October 1, 2026 – September 30, 2027).
R05.9 is billable but unspecified. If the documentation names a type, site or cause, one of the more specific codes below is likely expected.
Which cough code should you use?
The Alphabetic Index lists 11 codes under Cough. Which one applies depends on the qualifier documented in the record — the type, site, cause, or associated condition. Find the qualifier below, then verify the code in the Tabular List before using it.
By type
| acute | R05.1 | Acute cough | |
| bronchial | R05.8 | Other specified cough | |
| chronic | R05.3 | Chronic cough | |
| functional | F45.8 | Other somatoform disorders | |
| hysterical | F45.8 | Other somatoform disorders | |
| laryngeal, spasmodic | R05.8 | Other specified cough | |
| paroxysmal, due to Bordetella pertussis | A37.00 | Whooping cough due to Bordetella pertussis without pneumonia | |
| persistent | R05.3 | Chronic cough | |
| psychogenic | F45.8 | Other somatoform disorders | |
| refractory | R05.3 | Chronic cough | |
| smokers' | J41.0 | Simple chronic bronchitis | |
| specified NEC | R05.8 | Other specified cough | |
| subacute | R05.2 | Subacute cough | |
| syncope | R05.4 | Cough syncope | |
| tea taster's | B49 | Unspecified mycosis | |
| unexplained | R05.3 | Chronic cough |
Cough paroxysmal, due to Bordetella pertussis
| with pneumonia | A37.01 | Whooping cough due to Bordetella pertussis with pneumonia |
Index terms and codes are reproduced from the official ICD-10-CM FY2027 release. The Alphabetic Index is a finding aid — a code must always be verified in the Tabular List before it is reported. Data sources